get your chimney swept!

[bigpaul]

this is what i mean about people "dumming down"( on another thread), you actually have to be "advised" to get your chimney swept?? words fail me! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-20909908

[Highlander]

I know, its daft isnt it, and its realy not a hard thing to do yourself, I have my own brushes and do my chimney about every six months, its done in about 15 minutes at most,... let the fire die down over night on Friday, and your fire is off and blazing within an hour of getting out of bed on Saturday

[bigpaul]

(6 January 2013, 11:46)Highlander Wrote: I know, its daft isnt it, and its realy not a hard thing to do yourself, I have my own brushes and do my chimney about every six months, its done in about 15 minutes at most,... let the fire die down over night on Friday, and your fire is off and blazing within an hour of getting out of bed on Saturday

they did it on "return to the green valley" with a long bush or a small tree!! but having your own set of brushes would be a wise investment.

[Highlander]

Wasnt it, somewhere around Deven or Cornwall, where they used to throw live chickens down the chimney years ago

[bigpaul]

(6 January 2013, 11:52)Highlander Wrote: Wasnt it, somewhere around Deven or Cornwall, where they used to throw live chickens down the chimney years ago

i could see how that would work, never mind a chicken a starling makes enough mess!! you could always use your christmas tree this time of year!!

[Skean Dhude]

A few years ago I read a SF book. They introduced some changes to become more self sufficient, basically re-introduced an old process. After a few months people became ill. They didn't think about the process because it was introduced too long ago and used chemicals already in use. The answer was the chemicals used in the process added toxins to the air and the new process exceeded at threshold. It was eventually solved by a historian reading an old book about the chemicals and recognised the symptoms. Everyone had forgotten about the side effects because their society had removed these chemical as much as possible hundreds of years ago.

Not everything can be considered common sense. Some things are taught by experience. If you have never had a real fire how would you know soot builds up? That is a learnt experience. It may be common sense to us but to others it isn't.

[bigpaul]

yes, agreed, i think if you told someone under 40( in this day and age of central heating) to go and light a fire they wouldnt have a clue how to start! however the piece on the BBC website was about people who DID have open fires and log burners fitted, and they still werent aware you have to sweep the chimney regularly??

[Highlander]

It is very true how skills can so easily be lost,... I always remember when I first met my wife, she was from the city and I lived in the sticks,... she was asked to light the fire in the front room, to which she readily agreed to do

It was some time later that we looked in to find she was still trying,.. she had put in the crumpled paper, and then put on the large logs that she had seen burning the night before,..and wondered why they were not catching,... she simply had little understanding of the use of sticks first

She had not seen the sticks burning

Its a simple example but its important, and re-enforces the fact that what one person takes as being so trivial, and sensible,... is to others a complete unknown.

Its where forums are so good at what they do, forum take away the ignorance, they bounce ideas around, and people end up not only learning, but thinking in a completely different way

BTW,... she can now light a fire as good as any of us...

[bigpaul]

(6 January 2013, 12:39)Highlander Wrote: Its where forums are so good at what they do, forum take away the ignorance, they bounce ideas around, and people end up not only learning, but thinking in a completely different way

BTW,... she can now light a fire as good as any of us...

yes, your right, forums can inform and instruct people, but the trouble is to a large extent, we are "preaching to the converted" and your rabid Sheeple will never come on a Prepper forum such as this and will therefore largely remain ignorant.

[Highlander]

(6 January 2013, 12:44)bigpaul Wrote: yes, your right, forums can inform and instruct people, but the trouble is to a large extent, we are "preaching to the converted" and your rabid Sheeple will never come on a Prepper forum such as this and will therefore largely remain ignorant.

Oh, I dont completly agree with you there,.... for every member that posts on a forum, there are maybe ten others that are just looking in, these folk will never post, but they will still be learning.... ok so many of us already know the score, so in some ways we are preaching to the converted,... but even here we can never know it all,... things evolve ideas change