Clearly, with the current lockdown due to the corona virus pandemic working arrangements are presently strange to say the least! I have been working, but this has been largely to do emergency appointments to correct problems where there is an identified safety issues/concern. When I have been working I have been taking all the government advised safety measures, including wearing full PPE (protective clothing, two pairs of gloves (Latex disposable inside industrial gloves) and 3M filtered facemasks), social distancing, clean dust sheets for each job, industrial wipes to clean hand and van interior after every job and washing all clothing and dust sheets at the end of the working day. The good news is that myself and my family remain symptom free at present.

So as I was saying I have done a number of emergency jobs recently, so I thought I would use one of these for this weeks blog and probably other emergency jobs for subsequent weeks blogs. This week’s blog is something I find myself doing a lot this time of year, removing birds from chimneys. It is that time of year that there are lots of birds about looking to perch on or build nests in chimneys; particularly Jackdaws and pigeons. It is only nature taking its course as the spring moves forward, and who can blame them, chimneys present a warm and easily accessible opportunity to build a nest or just sit and admire the world. The only problem is that birds being birds, they occasionally just fall down the chimney and become trapped! That is exactly just what happened at this thatched property in Widdington. The Jackdaw (see photo’s) had fallen down the chimney and had become wedged about 5 meters up the flue. The first thing the customers knew about it was when they attempted to light their wood-burning stove and their lounge filled with smoke. As can be seen I was able quite quickly able to sweep him out. Unfortunately for the Jackdaw, he was no more, he had passed on, he had gone to a better place, shuffled off this mortal coil, kicked the bucket, fell off the twig etc. At least the customers were happy that they could use their stove again!