The chimney sweep is here!
A visitor!
How wonderful.
He’s a cheerful chap, behind his mask and has already asked where his “ Big bear helper “ was.
He was genuinely sad when I told him that she had died.
To give him covid space I took the dogs into the Churchyard and sat on one of the benches facing south.
The weak sun took an age to warm my face and for the first time in weeks I sucked in as much vitamin D as I could.
I didn’t notice old Rowenna’s walking stick until it poked me in the back
“ Mr Gray ! “ she said brusquely but not unkindly “ I haven’t seen you in a long time!”
“ I have been on night shifts” I told her
“ I have been told you are working too much” she told me
Word gets around , I thought
Rowenna is a stalwart of the Church and strangely is a far distant relative of mine. She lives next to village elder Islwyn who she always refers to as Billy. Her sister Barbara used to be the champion baker in the village and could knock out fifteen different cakes and a pot of jam in just one morning before the flower show.
Like many older women of Trelawnyd She has a sing song welsh voice and seems always in a hurry.
Dorothy grew bored with the conversation and started chewing my crocs so I made my goodbyes and walked back to the lane where I bumped into Meirion from Maes Offa
He was walking alone , so I just knew his old dog who always accompanied him, had just died .
He looked awkward as dog walkers always do when without a lead in their hands.
We shared dog stories as Dorothy tap danced for attention again.
He looked sad.
And I tried to be kind.
I put the dogs back in the car and watched my cottage for a while.
I was waiting for the sweep’s brushes to poke up through the pot before I returned home.
The cottage looked warm and sweet in the weak sun, and the walled bluebirds flying towards the lane , glinted briefly an azure blue
Neighbour Mandy darted down the lane and she waved
Then jumped when Bluebell’s horn let off a sharp Parp!
Dorothy again, this time jumping on the steering wheel
Merv’s racing pigeons scattered above the lytchgate
I waved back at Mandy and looked up at the cold blue sky
I am home
About your post yesterday - England is not in Tier 5, this was being considered but instead it was decided to put the whole country into a national lockdown, much the same as in March.
ReplyDeleteHowever this time although non essential shops have closed the garden centres are allowed to remain open. What is essential about them I really don't know - if people can't manage without a bag of compost and a new trowel in the middle of winter there's something wrong somewhere!
I stand corrected
DeleteIn the US when lockdowns started many moons ago, tattoo parlors were exempted. Often these decisions don’t make sense. Has anyone ever needed an emergency tattoo?
DeletePedant stands corrected and hangs head in shame...I was the one who said it was Tier 5
DeleteHere the liquor store was considered essential. At the same time mall stores had to close, the mega stores remained open because some of their merchandise was considered essential. I don't understand how these decisions are made.
DeleteI`ve said it before but I`m so very glad you got to stay in your cottage. PS: Did you get my bull Dog Christmas card mentioning darling Winnie ? {I sound like chic Eleanor!}
ReplyDeleteI did , it was lovely , thank you
DeleteYour writing evokes so many emotions,quite lovely to read,I sighed with happiness as I saw you sign off with "I am home." - Mary
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely to feel the sun today
DeleteYes you are. Home.
ReplyDeleteX
DeleteThat was always our job as children - to go outside and watch the chimney so we could tell the sweep when his brushes were poking through. Always poking "through" not "out".
ReplyDeleteIt’s rather excitement
DeleteThanks for the glimpse into home, pretty sky.
ReplyDeleteThanks David
DeleteA lovely morning, even with a weak sun.
ReplyDeleteTake what’s given eh ?
DeleteShades of Under Milk Wood there!
ReplyDeleteLol thank u
DeleteThere's no place quite like home.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mary played toto
DeleteOh! Do you have ruby slippers?
DeleteOnly one slipper of sex
DeleteWell, it would be certainly hard to click your heels together in just one slipper.
DeleteThank goodness, you're already home. Otherwise you'd be stranded somewhere over the rainbow with one canine sex toy.
Ps. And your little dog too *cackles evilly*
A lovely read! You have painted a sweet picture with your words! Thank you, John!
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome Ellen x
DeleteI haven't thought of chimney sweeps in years. I wonder if it's a career anyone goes into these days? Hard to imagine. Equally surprising was a little lad we met who said he wanted to be a taxidermist- and I later learned that he actually did.
ReplyDeleteHe’s busy too
DeleteWhat a lovely narrative about your day, the friendly folks you met, Dorothy's antics to get your attention, the chimney sweep's notice of missing his assistant Winnie, and it all added up to your being HOME. How sweet it is.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
Babs x
DeleteBeing home is good. It rained here all day. I enjoyed being at home.
ReplyDeleteNo rain today, that’s been a wonderful bonus x
Deletelife in the little village goes on.
ReplyDeleteAs it has a want to do x
DeleteYour cottage looks very similar to the one in Cornwall where I used to live. Mine was at the other end of the row. Yours is much lovelier inside.
ReplyDeleteBet yours was cleaner x
DeleteA sharp stab of sympathy for anyone whose dog has recently died...
ReplyDeleteThank u
DeleteYour village description sounds just like The Archers USED to be,(but l doubt everyone gets greeted by their full name upon meeting with each other), although there is a good storyline going on at the moment in TA.
ReplyDeleteYour post yesterday reminded me how as a child standing on a chair at my parents parties, belting out an Ertha Kitt song would earn me a nice bit of dosh from the grown-ups when too much Dubonnet or Whisky had been consumed and l was the cabaret act!
Brrr it's cold, get that fire on
Tess xx
Yes, that’s always irritated me tess, how everyone uses formal names before they chat
DeleteI'spose it's for any new listeners to know who is talking, wonder if the young foggie/hipsters (are these words even current now?) tune in as newbies? Tx
Delete"Fifteen different cakes and a pot of jam in just one morning." Good grief!
ReplyDeleteA power house x
DeleteVillage life sounds charming told this way.
ReplyDeleteIt’s just a boring as city life
DeleteA lovely word picture accompanied by photographs. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt’s been a lovely sunny, albeit short , day
DeleteYou are indeed home, which after your travails is lovely to hear.
ReplyDeleteMy Grandparents used to live next to their church and I used to love just sitting in the churchyard watching village life go by. How sweet that the chimney sweep noticed Winnie's absence and genuinely missed her.
ReplyDeleteWhen he came last she lay on his dust sheets watching his every movement very closely
DeleteHome in a village that cares
ReplyDeleteA good day, and how lovely that the sweep missed Winnie immediately. There will be a few workmen expecting her if they come back to yours.
ReplyDeleteThere will.....the British telicom engineers especially , she sat in their van one afternoon sharing their lunch
DeleteAnother good tale of the great one.
DeleteThat is so beautiful John I shed a tear reading this x
ReplyDeleteOh you daft pudding x
DeleteThank u
ReplyDeleteYour village sounds like something from a good novel. I love the sun in the winter as it warms gently. I loved this post.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a nothing kind of post ..mick
DeleteIt's a good sort of post too. A keeper.
ReplyDeleteThank ux
DeleteI'm glad you spoke to Meirion John. It's always hard when a loved pet dies, and I think for Meirion for other reasons too. Living alone with a companion dog - and then one day they're not there to greet you any more. The winter blue sky nicely frame both the Church and cottage.
ReplyDeleteI understand all too well P xxx
DeleteKeeping everything in tip-top condition is always good; the chimney is most important. Your chimney sweep chap sounds like a good person. Nice of him to ask for Winnie. He, too, was a fan.
ReplyDeleteHome Sweet Home!
ReplyDeleteThe scene of your cottage is really lovely.
ReplyDeleteThe cottage looks beautifully 'cosy'.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy it so much when you write about the villagers.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
What a heartwarming post dear John.
ReplyDeleteA lovely post, John. If ever you write a book about your village life, I'll be the first to buy it. You write so evocatively, I can feel the weak sun trying to warm my face. Thank you. xx
ReplyDeleteVillage life! You describe it so well!
ReplyDeleteWeak Sun/Son? I thought this was going to be a post about Prince Andrew!
ReplyDeleteYour life is like something I would watch on PBS. How idyllic. How sweet. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteDear John: Happy New Year from California USA. You've never that I remember spoken about your attached (Semi-detached in your language) neighbor... or did I miss this?
ReplyDeleteI hope life is so good for you this 021 ou will know why you've gone through hell and back in the past couple of years!
Cheers
Ruth in Oxnard CA USA
A lovely feel good post John !!!
ReplyDeleteWhat an evocative piece of writing.. so sad that your chimney sweep man missed poor old Winnie; animals touch everyone they meet in some way or another.
ReplyDeleteJo in Auckland