One day sparks started coming down the chimney. We all knew then it was time to sweep it. Sparks meant the next thing would be the chimney would be on fire.
That day the fire would be allowed to continue burning, but before it was lit again it was time to drag furniture outside the prepab and start building it up against the side of the house.
Sweeping the chimney was great fun for us kids, if not for my Mother. The kitchen table was the first to go outside and on top of that a kitchen chair, and from then on it was anything that would make a higher pyramid.
Mum would have sent us kids down the shop to buy some gardening canes for her to tie together to make a long pole. We never had the canes from one time to the next because after the chimney sweeping Mum would keep one as a cane to threaten us with if we misbehaved, and the others would be given to myself and younger sister to make a bow and arrows with.
I say a cane was kept for threat but also sometimes it was brandished. It would be kept beside her chair and if we misbehaved when she was sitting down, the cane would be whipped up and we would hear the whistle of it as she swung it. Very, very rarely did it ever catch us. A quick hop to one side and it missed and if it missed it wasn't whipped again. If the cane wasn't handy to Mums hand her shoe would come off and that was throw at us. If Mum took her shoe off or picked up the cane there was instant obedience. Positively no back chat and Penny and I would instantly stop our squabbling. When Mum really wanted to hit us her hand was always used.
At the table there was positively no mucking about, no reading, no giggling, just quiet conversation. I remember one time my sister and I got the terrible giggles at the table. We just couldn't stop. Anything and everything made us start laughing again. Mum simply got up and laid the cane across the top of the table and sat back down again. Penny and I instantly stopped laughing and got on with eating.
One time Penny and I, full of mischief decided we would get rid of the cane. We sneaked hold of it and with a bit of difficulty broke it in half.
In front of one of the arm chairs was a tear in the material. The two halves of that cane we shoved up inside so that Mum could never find it again. It was a very long time before she thought about using another one, but when she did, kids being thick as they come, we forgot we had our bows in the cupboard so Mum just went and got one of those.
But I digress as usual. It was time to sweep the chimney.
Once all the furniture was piled up outside close to the house Mum would tie a mass of rags around the end of what was now a very long cane, climb up the furniture onto our flat roof where one of us would pass her the canes with the rags wrapped around the top. Penny and I would then go inside to keep a watch on the fireplace to tell mum when we could see the knob of the canes coming down.
Mum would be up there shoving the canes plus rags down the chimney. We would be inside ready to shout when we could see it amongst all the soot that would be being shoved down with it. The soot hopefully would land on the sheet type material that had been laid on the floor previously. It never did all hit the sheets but it was fun watching it billow into the room.
On us shouting we could see it, Mum would then start dragging the canes back up which of course made more soot blast it's way out.
One chimney swept with only the mess to clear up afterwards and all for free.
That day the fire would be allowed to continue burning, but before it was lit again it was time to drag furniture outside the prepab and start building it up against the side of the house.
Sweeping the chimney was great fun for us kids, if not for my Mother. The kitchen table was the first to go outside and on top of that a kitchen chair, and from then on it was anything that would make a higher pyramid.
Mum would have sent us kids down the shop to buy some gardening canes for her to tie together to make a long pole. We never had the canes from one time to the next because after the chimney sweeping Mum would keep one as a cane to threaten us with if we misbehaved, and the others would be given to myself and younger sister to make a bow and arrows with.
I say a cane was kept for threat but also sometimes it was brandished. It would be kept beside her chair and if we misbehaved when she was sitting down, the cane would be whipped up and we would hear the whistle of it as she swung it. Very, very rarely did it ever catch us. A quick hop to one side and it missed and if it missed it wasn't whipped again. If the cane wasn't handy to Mums hand her shoe would come off and that was throw at us. If Mum took her shoe off or picked up the cane there was instant obedience. Positively no back chat and Penny and I would instantly stop our squabbling. When Mum really wanted to hit us her hand was always used.
At the table there was positively no mucking about, no reading, no giggling, just quiet conversation. I remember one time my sister and I got the terrible giggles at the table. We just couldn't stop. Anything and everything made us start laughing again. Mum simply got up and laid the cane across the top of the table and sat back down again. Penny and I instantly stopped laughing and got on with eating.
One time Penny and I, full of mischief decided we would get rid of the cane. We sneaked hold of it and with a bit of difficulty broke it in half.
In front of one of the arm chairs was a tear in the material. The two halves of that cane we shoved up inside so that Mum could never find it again. It was a very long time before she thought about using another one, but when she did, kids being thick as they come, we forgot we had our bows in the cupboard so Mum just went and got one of those.
But I digress as usual. It was time to sweep the chimney.
Once all the furniture was piled up outside close to the house Mum would tie a mass of rags around the end of what was now a very long cane, climb up the furniture onto our flat roof where one of us would pass her the canes with the rags wrapped around the top. Penny and I would then go inside to keep a watch on the fireplace to tell mum when we could see the knob of the canes coming down.
Mum would be up there shoving the canes plus rags down the chimney. We would be inside ready to shout when we could see it amongst all the soot that would be being shoved down with it. The soot hopefully would land on the sheet type material that had been laid on the floor previously. It never did all hit the sheets but it was fun watching it billow into the room.
On us shouting we could see it, Mum would then start dragging the canes back up which of course made more soot blast it's way out.
One chimney swept with only the mess to clear up afterwards and all for free.
695
Last edited by: Sandy 12/23/08 07:00:49.
Edited 1 times.
Comments
Posted: 12/23/08 17:15:09
A wonderful idea for your grandkids.
Posted: 12/23/08 19:07:41
Posted: 01/27/09 08:09:27
Posted: 01/28/09 15:47:04
I love squirels. I have them running all over my decking all the time eating off the bird table.
Posted: 02/01/09 14:25:02
Posted: 02/02/09 02:21:21
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it.
Posted: 02/11/09 17:48:19
Posted: 02/12/09 09:26:57
Still, it didn't do most of us any harm and I know I am a better person for the way Mum brought us up.
Posted: 02/12/09 14:58:28
Posted: 02/15/09 08:02:26
If I had spoken, even once, to my Grandmother they way my Aimee speaks to me, I wouldn't have sat down for a week or more.
Now it's a case of "she's a teenager and having a bad puberty, she'll grow out of it" Yea, right. Sometimes it's all I can do to keep my arse on the seat and not chase her around the house and beat her stupid. She is bloody lucky sometimes I am slow off the mark, lol.
That one is enough to make a saint swear. Good job I love the little cow dearly.
Posted: 08/15/09 19:50:39
Posted: 08/27/09 14:30:54
There is one started but I haven't finished it yet. Will be posting soon.