Crooked House

A country life in France

In a flap

Sunday got off to a poor start, with a rude awakening when a bird made its way into the stove pipe. The pipe from the woodburner in the living room runs straight up through our bedroom and beng hollow and metallic it made an excellent amplification device. We were unable to lie abed listening to the bird’s struggles so roused ourselves, grabbed disposable gloves and a stout bin bag and undid the access cap. Quite a quantity of carbonised stuff fell out and luckily little soot but unluckily, no bird. With the aid of a torch and by lying on the floor, Mr L was able to ascertain that the poor unfortunate had a tenuous grip on one of the pipe joints, about 10 centimetres from ceiling level. Too far up to poke out.

Here’s the stove. The bird was in the pipe that runs up from the back and was close to the point where it passes through the ceiling

We banged about on the pipe for a while until more black stuff fell out and the bird came with it. Somehow it managed to fly out of the top of the bin bag that I thought that I was holding closed. It flew into the kitchen, away from the french windows conveniently open to let it escape, and fluttered about the sink. Mr L managed to catch it, then swore as it escaped his grasp but luckily it made a beeline back to the living room and headed for the open door and escaped, seemingly none the worse for its adventure.

Here’s where the pipe runs up through our bedroom (and this is how things were looking at the point when we were awaiting the furniture)

I headed for the shower and Mr L wielded the Dyson whilst I readied myself for the day. I did a little tidying and dusting/furniture polishing when he too Nell for her walk. I was unsurprised by the amount of black that came up, even though it seemed as though there had been no soot fall.  To be truthful, it still smells somewhat sooty in here and it is now approaching bedtime.

At some point we will need to get hold of a ladder and find out how the bird got in and see if we can prevent any recurrence.

Oh, I think it was a sparrow, from the fleeting glimpse that I had of it heading towards St-Rèmy.

The remainder of the day was hot and sticky and revolved mostly around the new van. I have started packing it with items intended to be useful, whilst The Driver has been struggling with lockers that do not lock and central locking that… didn’t, but does now.

A curiously tiring day. I am ready for my bed. Tomorrow is forecast to be hotter still. We want to be up early to walk the dog before the temperature rises too high, then we are going shopping, in air-conditioned comfort, for some necessities for the van. I plan to do very little in the pm. I may turn a heel or two…

 

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