Autumn is here. The 23rd of September marked the first official day in the northern hemisphere and we have been very lucky so far with a string of warm sunny days. However, the nights are certainly drawing in and we’ve already lit two fires in the log burner this month – a reminder that it’s time to call in the local chimney sweep.

In France your buildings insurance company requires proof each year that you’ve swept your chimneys – just in case yours are unlucky enough to catch fire. So this morning Monsieur Sweep arrived at exactly 9.30am, as promised, with his son (or grandson) in tow – both suitably dressed in overalls. I was expecting a bit of singing or whistling and a whirl of activity but the whole procedure was over very quickly. No drama. No mess.

So that’s it for another year… time now to cosy up with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fire in the sitting room. SCH