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In general, friction fire lighting by rubbing sticks is far too much bother. With some dried yucca, however, you have the best chance you’re going to get of pulling it off, which has a certain satisfaction of its own. You can match the TV expert without leaving the living room.

It’s all down to the yucca’s uniquely low ignition temperature. To experience the thrill, without the sweat, here’s what you’ll need:

 dried yucca wood (after harvesting, leave for a week somewhere dry and warm)

 a power drill with blunt drill tip

 a ball of tinder; shredded paper/wool

Carve a small bowl-shaped dent into your yucca^* and drill down into this until it begins to smoke. You need a blunt drill so that you don’t bore through the soft wood too quickly.

Once the friction creates enough heat for the yucca wood to start smoking – you’ll see it and smell it at the same time – keep going a little longer. Now whip the drill away and look for a tiny red-hot lump – or a’coal’. Very quickly, tip your coal into the tinder ball, blowing on it gently in the way you’ve seen on all those survival shows.

If you don’t succeed at first keep trying. Or use a match.

Now put up a few shelves – you may as well, now that you’ve got the drill out.