For at least 125,000 years - give or take a few months - humans have built and gathered around fires; we warmed ourselves, cooked food, conversed and formed bonds, and relaxed in front of campfires after long, hard days chasing mammoths.
Although mammoth is no longer du jour, a fireplace still awakens a sort of primal feeling in people. It reminds us of a time when life was simpler and revolved around the basic needs of the family and home.
Despite fireplaces being inefficient, environmentally unfriendly, and supposedly even bad for your health, as the cooler weather bears down on us and we retreat behind closed doors more often, it helps to bring out every genuine source of comfort — fluffy slippers, a mug of hot chocolate, a pile of cookies, a favourite book, and a crackling fireplace.
Last night I even fell asleep in front of it, with the flickering flames drawing imaginary pictures on the ceiling and the sound of the crackling logs erasing any thoughts and inducing an almost meditative state.
It's early in the morning now. I've restoked the fire and had my breakfast of pancakes drenched in maple syrup. Padma has gone to the Bay to (wo-)man a fundraising stall for mnd New South Wales, I'm one third of the way into Tim Winton's "Island Home", and God is in his heaven.
