By way of pre-midwinter preparations, we thought it would be a good idea to do a bit of chimney sweeping, and what a good job we did. After six months the flue was full of soot, and desperately in need of cleaning, especially the bit outside where it gets cold. Tar and soot buildup can be the cause of chimney fires, and the fire just won’t draw properly if it is all blocked up. The answer? A clump of holly branches tied to a piece of rope, which is dropped down the flue and pulled back and forth until all the accumulated crap has fallen out.

It worked amazingly well, and a truly horrible amount of blackness was cleared away.

We took the chance to clean up the stove glass properly, and bring in a load of ash kindling to dry. Now we’re ready for the winter solstice..