Barry, of New Forest Chimney Sweeping and Repairs continued today with his work on our kitchen extension roof.
Painstakingly he removed the spent lead flashing and prepared the surfaces for the replacement material.
Only when he was satisfied that he had firm bases did he begin to lay the new lead. This is tough work for one man. The care he takes is patent.
This evening Barry sent me his own photographs of his work, including his earlier project on the Velux window.
Just after lunch, Ronan from Tom Sutton Heating visited to fix a minor central heating problem.
Four chapters further into ‘Little Dorrit’ I have scanned four more of Charles Keeping’s exemplary illustrations.
Unusually, the text of the page containing ‘A dirty shop-window in a dirty street’, describes a different building, the home of the character in the next illustration. Here we have a poor man’s eating house, the Victorian equivalent of a greasy spoon, namely ‘a small, cheap eatery – either an American diner or coffee shop, or a British or Irish cafe – typically specialising in fried foods and/or home-cooked meals.’ (Wikipedia). During my running days I was a connoisseur of London’s wide-spread finest, such as The Martin Café
“Mrs Merdle was magnificent’ – and proud of it.
Tobacconists, such as ‘It was a very small establishment’ have all but disappeared from London’s streets except for the West End.
With ‘He was surprised to see a bonnet labouring up the step-ladder’, the artist has split his drawing, and consequently the text, into a diagonal across the spread. It is a measure of Keeping’s consistency that these three characters are each recognisable from their earlier appearances.
This evening we dined on breaded cod and oven chips; cod, asparagus, and pea fishcakes; petits pois; pickled onions and wallies; with which we both drank Western Cape Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Exceptional illustrations; some of them almost caricatures, while some create the atmosphere, which, I suspect, is as much a part of the story as the characters.
You are so right about the differences, Dolly. Thanks very much
You are very welcome, Derrick.
I have done these sorts of lead flashing jobs Derrick, yes they are hard, slow, and requiring great skill and patience… and Barry has accomplished the task perfectly… there is no easy way … there are no short cuts… ..and as they say here in Australia, “Send her down Hughie !!”
That is encouraging, Ivor. Barry will be pleased. Thanks very much.
Great work, Barry!
Barry is working so hard I feel guilty…I’ll get up now and go finish my chores for today. 😉
Great action photos of the work being done! Love the coffee-break snack photo! 🙂
Glad Ronan got some important work done for you, too.
I always love the Keeping art you share! His illustrations are always keepers! 😉 How those 2 drawings are placed on the pages is brilliant!
Mrs. Merdle does indeed look proud! 🙂
Often the greasy spoons have the bestest food! 🙂
(((HUGS))) 🙂
PS…when I read your title, I thought maybe your post would be about washing dirty dishes. 😉 😀
PPS…if there are any leftovers of your meal, could you send them my way?!?! Such a yummy meal!!! 🙂
Thank you very much for all these carefully observed comments, Carolyn X
You’re most welcome! 🙂
What a great job, Barry! It’s so good to find the right person for a particular job.
You were so lucky with today’s weather, too – wonderful sun in the progress photos!
The illustrations are so full of life and detail, as always.
Those little Tobacconists, like the little sweet shops, with rows upon rows of delights in glass bottles with usefully large lids, were places of awe and wonder. 🙂
Thank very much, Emma for being so in tune with this post
You seem to be very fortunate with your workmen. Good ones are like gold dust.
We certainly are, Sheree. The French experience was not so good. Thanks very much.
I’m sorry to hear that about your French experience but it takes time to build local knowledge of tradespeople.
Wonderful illustrations. That “greasy spoon” does not look too appealing. It looks like your roof is in fine hands!
Many thanks, Merril. Such careful hands, too.
I had forgotten about tobacconists which is odd when I frequented so faithfully when I was young and stupid. Goldflake, Passing Clouds, Capstan Full Strength, Woodbine, such enticing names…it’s a wonder that I am still here.
Mine was a pipe, Tootlepedal – and like President Clinton …….. Thanks very much.
There’s always maintenance needed with the age of our houses. mine is pre-war 1930’s and I assumed yours was of a similar age.
You are right about the age, Sue. The last good period of building. Thanks very much.
Oh I agree, good square rooms and large gardens.
I smiled to see Barry’s little radio tucked up against his work. It’s very much like one I carry with me when I’m working. Mine is a cheap little AM/FM number, and it does just fine. I keep a couple in reserve, since they occasionally go overboard. I’d bet he might have had the experience of having one of his slide off a roof.
I got a kick out of the little radio as well. Was that a tin of candy bars next to the cup of coffee?
It was, Liz. Thanks very much. 🙂
🙂 Probably, Linda. Thanks very much.
Barry is definitely a keeper, Derrick. You should give him a raise, or some of Jackie’s fantastic cooking!
Thanks very much, Jill. He is worth every penny.
That reminds me – I need a hair cut. That is a very practical hairstyle. Nice to see a man taking obvious pride in his work.
Thanks very much, Quercus. He is a treasure.
We have had some good tradesmen over the years but they are all older than me and have all retired! :_)
🙂
The illustrations are just so wonderful
They really are, Gary. Thanks very much.
You seem to find wonderful people to do various work around your home.
We do. We are so fortunate, Laurie. Thanks very much.
Stuffed fillet of veal? That’s an upmarket greasy spoon. What a b—-r of a job for Barry. I, too, noticed he whiles away the time with the little radio (or wireless or trannie, whichever you prefer); and had a laugh at more hair on his face than his head. I suppose while he can keep the latter warm with a beanie, the beard is vital for the face. And what if he needed to wear glasses? They would always be slipping down and getting in the way of his eye protection when welding. Not a straightforward, simple, occupation, hey?
Definitely not simple, Gwen. I can only imagine such things as veal were cheaper in those days. I remember when beef was cheap and chicken expensive. He does have a splendid beard. Thanks very much.
you’re fortunate to have good people to work on your house, Derrick. Barry is no exception. beautiful illustrations! 🙂
We are fortunate, indeed, Lola. Thanks very much.
Barry has excellent safety boots with a fine tread – love his snack box!
Many thanks, Catherine 🙂
Interesting illustrations. I am glad your roof is being fixed.
Thank you very much, Mrs W.
Your welcome.
Nice photos of Barry’s work. So that is actual lead sheeting he is using? I suppose it is quite malleable and easier to form around the skylight.
Yes, Lavinia, it is lead sheeting. This time the damaged window sill was not so easy. Thanks very much.
My dad was a carpenter in the days when the carpenter built the house from bottom to top, and he usually worked by himself or with one other man. When I was growing up, I took his work for granted. As the years go by, I’m more and more amazed by it, by the hard work in good weather and bad and by all the puzzles he had to figure out and by the very careful work he did. It looks like Barry is also an admirable worker.
He is, indeed, Nicki, as clearly was your Dad. Thanks very much
Western Cape Sauvignon Blanc 2020 … a bottle from the millions we are still not allowed to purchase in this country! We are all wondering if the alcohol ban will be lifted after 15th February. We are in for a week of roofing work next month: it will be interesting to see how that turns out 🙂
Thanks very much, Anne. Sorry to have taunted you 🙂
Not at all – I am glad someone can enjoy the fruit of our wines!
🙂
The picture of Mrs Merdle is a stunner. The best yet!
Thanks a lot, John
Barry is one determined doctor of chimneys and rooftops. As for the illustrations of Charles Keeping, I appreciate his consistently exceptional sketches, and the consistency of characters over the course of story. I wish his art were preserved in certain editions so that it could reach the appreciative eyes of a wider readership.
I hope there are enough copies around, Uma. Thanks very much
Did he mind you photographing his every move? That would make me anxious. Your dinner, though–one of my favorite meals.
He enjoys it. He has featured on several blog posts, sometimes with his son, Owen. and I always give him a set of A4 prints which he keeps in an album. Thanks very much, Cindy.
You’ve enlightened me on what wallies are, Derrick. I had to look it up – not in my Northern vocabulary.
🙂 Thanks a lot, Roland
An interesting post Derrick. That was some skilled work he did on your roof! The illustrations are most interesting!
Thanks very much, Dwight
Tjeetje! Een dakraampje in de keuken … Gôh … , ik had de lekkage gezien in de keuken en dacht: Beetje stopverf en de pannendakken even goed leggen. Klaar …
Een hele verbouwing! Als het maar gezellig wordt. * http://www.friedabblog.wordpress.com * Amsterdam * 28-1-2021 *
Ziet er al goed uit, heel erg bedankt, Frieda
I guess is not an easy job but looks like Barry did it ☺️
He has, Ribana. Thanks very much