THE CHIMNEY SWEEP

The chimney sweep came this morning on his annual round. He checked the two chimneys, one connected to the oil-fired boiler and one to the wood-burning stove in the living room, and cleaned the stove itself. It all took about 15 minutes.

And it was free; or, at least, he didn't give me a bill. The service is provided by the kommune (local council), and is paid for through our local taxes. Since untended chimneys are a fire risk, I suppose the kommune has an interest in making sure that they are all checked once a year. It is part of the extra services you get in return for the Danish state's taking such a large chunk of your money. As I said earlier this month, you get quite a lot of value for your taxes. The chimney sweep is a good example.

Walter Blotscher