Not walking

A wonderful morning: clear blue sky, the air is cool and sweet, the sun is shining brightly. There is not a wisp of cloud to be seen. The swallows are flying very low, chasing each other with shrill cries through the streets and alleys. (A city must seem like the Grand Canyon to a bird: tight deep channels between walls of stone.)

You might well ask, why is Udge inside blogging on such a fine day, when we know him to be a Nature Boy and furthermore a Walker? Good question.

I am waiting for the chimney sweep to come.

Dear reader, you probably think that chimney sweeping as a trade died out with coal fires and child labour laws, and in truth you would be not far wrong. The job of Schornsteinfeger is still related to chimneys, but has nothing more to do with sweeping.

The modern German chimney sweep is a federally-employed civil servant. He is an inspector: of "furnaces, fireplaces, ovens and other places of burning". He pokes bits of flameproof high-tech into the fiery heart of the boiler and tells you that the carbon monoxide value is too high. The inspection is compulsory: a notice is posted to say that he will attend between 7 and 12am on a certain day, and the apartment dweller is obliged to provide access.

So here I sit. And wait. And blog, and work. And hope that the sun still shines by the time my chimney has been swept.