Chimney sweep

A little beep reminded me that the chimney sweep was coming today at 1pm. I rushed around cleaning out the log burner and grate which were overflowing with ash from last winter. 

He turned up bang on time and I went out to greet him (our front door bell doesn’t work so sometimes people come and go without me noticing). He didn’t get out of his van straightaway so I hovered a bit and then heard him talking to someone on his phone. Not quite knowing whether to wait till he had finished or pretend I wasn’t really there, I decided to pick up a few chestnuts from the drive and walk back into the house. For the next 5 minutes I was just hanging around between the front door and the back door, waiting for the knock, and I even popped upstairs to look out the window to see if he was still there.

Finally, I heard the van door slam and then he walked to the back door, which I had left open. I welcomed him in warmly and he apologised for being on the phone for so long – I guess he had seen me shifting around uneasily…
He said it had been a while since he’d been here – I couldn’t deny that as I had no memory of him ever being in my house. But I offered him a tea or a coffee and he said he’d have whatever I was having. 

So, he attached a Hoover type machine to the log burner flue while I busied myself making him a coffee. We had a bit more chitchat about how long I had lived here, if I worked, just general stuff. He then started on the chimney in the dining room. After a few minutes,  he said “Would you like to see Basil?”

Now, I am quite a broad minded person and hearing this question I was completely dumbstruck. Weird images starting appearing in my brain, confusion on what he was talking about and the beginning of panic – had I been over-friendly offering him a coffee? Was he taking advantage of an old(er) lady home alone? So there was probably a pregnant pause that for me lasted hours. 

“You know Basil! The brush! He’s popped his head out the top. It’s good luck to have a look!”

Understanding and relief flooded in as I realised what he meant. Probably far too eagerly, I rushed out in my bare feet (chestnuts are very spiky) to look at the sweep’s brush poking out of the top of my chimney – I even rushed back inside to take a photo…

As he was tidying up, I followed him out to his van. And again, quite out of the blue, he said “do you like small dogs?” while unlocking his van with his remote key. Mild panic crept back as I tried to work out why he would randomly ask me such a question. Innocently, he wanted me to meet his cocker spaniel who was sitting quietly in the front of the van…

As he left, I shook his hand (I thought this was what brought you luck). Clearly my mind was in overdrive today…but not as much as Husband’s!

Husband has ironed his entire wardrobe and keeps muttering “Friday night, Saturday night” while staring at the aforementioned ironed clothes. He keeps checking and re-checking the weather for Bilbao for the next few days and then disappears upstairs to bring down yet more clothes.  There’s a row of assorted footwear too… Me? I packed in five minutes with whatever was clean and comfy. 
Meet Basil!