I'm Not...Dick Van Dyke

    My family home is one of a very old British period and is full of many overly thick stone walls, slate floors and high ceilings, hellish to keep warm in Winter, but very pleasant in those warm Summer months. Of course there are many interesting architectural features, some not so easily explainable whereas others can be just downright awkward!

      Now every room has a fireplace or two and most of the flues flow into the same stack and it's this stack which I must sweep, every year. It's frightening really, when you think about it, my ancestors swept it before my time, I've swept it with my Father and I now sweep it with my son. And it's not just a case of pushing the sticks up and giving it a quick sweep, there are angles and bends, even false passages to be negotiated. Also, every time you add another stick to the sweep you must give the whole run a good twist, to prevent any breaks in the chain.

      Over the years, I've sought to make the job easier, I did hire a professional sweep, to come and do the job, but he made a complete hash of it and got lost up another branch. There was also someone who turned up with a vacuum cleaner, filled a couple of bags and then gave up!
      The reality of all this is, I've got to roll my sleeves up and get on with it myself!