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Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey,
Chim chim cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky, as lucky can be.
Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey,
Chim chim cher-oo!
Good luck will rub off when he shakes 'ands with you.
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I spent the best part of yesterday morning clearing up soot from the lounge.
It is amazing how it floats all over the room. A quick 'finger test' showed that it had landed on virtually every flat surface in the room.
Now - what had caused this mess?
A flapping noise from somewhere up the chimney gave the answer.
A poor bird was stuck on a ledge half way up.
I put down dust covers on the floor and furniture, opened the 'French windows' and drew the curtains closed on all others. The plan was that he/she would fly out from where the light came from.
Went away and waited, Hoover in hand.
It must have been about ten minutes before the next bout of flapping started, but in a few seconds a poor sooty pigeon ended up in the hearth.
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I left him/her there to recover,
but another ten minutes passed and he/she was still there.
"Though I'm covered with soot From me 'ead to me toes
A sweep knows 'e's welcome Wherever 'e goes."
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"When the's 'ardly no day
Nor 'ardly no night
There's things 'alf in shadow
And 'alf way in light
On the roof tops of London
Coo, what a sight!"
Eventually I decided to get a bit closer and see if I could encourage him/her out.
Sure enough, and to my relief, out she/he went through the patio door and sat there on the slabs outside in the sun, blinking.
Of course all this commotion brought Hazel and Wesley onto the scene to investigate, but the pigeon decided it was definitely time for a bath!
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Ah, that's better!
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What a super little story Uncle. Your fireplace is very nice, I do like the exposed brick.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, we opened up a fireplace to find a dead racing pigeon. We copied the number from its leg ring and contacted the Pigeon racing Federation (I think thats what its called) and it turns out the poor chap was released in France and was headed back to Leeds when he came a cropper. Im glad "your" pigeon made it.
ps my Favourite Mary Poppins song is feed the birds, tuppence a bag. I think you may have mentioned that here before.
Nothing worse than a pigeon up your flue Bernard, unles of course there are two......
ReplyDeleteWell wood pigeons might be a pain but I wouldn't see one come to harm. I'm so pleased you rescued it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed that story. I'm glad it didn't try to fly back up the chimney and I'm glad the cats didn't catch it. It's nice when you can help an animal (/bird).
ReplyDeleteThanks for saving the pigeon, I love pigeons. Our chimney has attracted several birds over the years. We have to pull the (very heavy) insert out to get to the space behind it, and have done this for pigeons and jays. Once there was a BIG noise back there. Husband, who is not a bird person, pulled out the stove expecting to find another pigeon, but it was a huge barn owl. An angry barn owl. Son was small then, but he's a bird expert. He pulled the bird off his dad with a towel and took it outside. I wonder how one keeps birds out? A screen?
ReplyDeleteIt is always worrying when a bird gets stuck in the house inadvertently!
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of an incident in my mum and dads house a few hours after they had gone on their hols.
Their neighbour phoned up to say the alarm had gone off but when I got there the house seemed to be fully secure.
I went entered the house, everything seemed quiet until a sudden burst of activity from a sparrow in the living room.
I barely had time to register "oh no" how am I going to coax the bird out... When it flew out of the room and over my head right out of the door!
How cute was that? :-)
Did my comment vanish again? :-/
ReplyDeleteMorning Kath:
ReplyDeleteIt is a rather nice fireplace. :) It was here when I moved in eighteen years ago.
I don’t use it as an open fire very often, as I never like to leave a fire ‘in’ when I go ‘out’. I did a bit on “Feed the Birds”. Someone was fined £??? for littering if I remember.
Angus:
I think the song I remember went “I’ll be up your flue, in a minute or two”.
Can’t recall the rest - it’ll come back to me I expect. Probably rude!
Hi Valerie:
They are a pain!!! They are queuing up outside in the garden waiting for my cherries to ripen. :(
I still like to help animals and birds when they are in need.
It was trying to fly back up the chimney Foody. That is what all the flapping was about. It never though to fly down and out through the fireplace. There is a bend a short way up and it was sitting on that. The cats were curious, that’s all. They are too old to chase things anymore.
Hi Jan,
Yes I know you do. But I expect you prefer the ‘fancy’ breeds. :)
This was a Wood-pigeon, the enemy of our farmers. Years ago they would had been turned into “Pigeon Pie”.
I don’t get many birds fall down. I think I told you some time ago now, about a ‘tubby dove’ who got down the front-room chimney last year. In that case I had to cut a hole in the boarded up front to get it out. You can buy a cowl to fit on the top, but I don’t fancy climbing up there to fix it on.
Morning Cherie:
What I don’t like about it is - that they tend to panic and crash into closed windows.
I don’t try to catch them - I just draw curtains across windows that don’t open and open wide those that do. They will eventually make a ‘Bee-line’ for the daylight - and out they go. You were lucky with that one that flew towards you and out, as I find they fly in the opposite direction.
Your comment did pop up - blogger must have shut down at midnight!
Thanks all……Cheers Bernard.
We have mama pigeons nesting in the rafters on the patio, and in the dense vines in our garden. We are waiting for the new arrivals to break out of their shells as I write. Nice job Bernard; you did a good deed.
ReplyDeleteThank you Myrna.
ReplyDeleteVines in the garden!
Does that mean lots of grapes to make 'Home made Wine'? :)
Please keep a video camera to hand, Bernard. So many interesting stuff going on in your life - I'm sure you'll feature on YouTube soon. Loved this story. xx
ReplyDeleteI have thought about it Mrs S, but they are a wee bit expensive for a pensioner, don't you think. :)
ReplyDeleteI need to win the Premium Bonds!