From when I very first had the idea, and started working on designs for the handle, I was concerned that the product must be safe for people to use. If you stuff newspaper or old pillows up your chimney then it’s your own problem if you forget they are there. If you are providing something …
Hang a dangle from the handle and cheer up that fireplace when there’s no fire to brighten up the grate. And when all the decs come down in January, the Sheep dangle can stay. There’s all sorts to choose from. It’s not all hearts and stars, there are some wacky and colourful ones made out …
I really don’t understand why the issue of heat loss up chimneys is not more high profile. Fortunes are spent on loft and cavity wall insulation, double glazing and exterior cladding. Yet having an open flue is like leaving a window open all the time. Worse than that, because chimneys are designed to draw air …
Oh, I did go on a bit about the handle design, didn’t I? Well you probably didn’t read it all the way to the end and I can’t blame you. Anyway, I said I’d write about the tooling adventure next but I promise I’ll keep it brief. The handle needed to be extendable, light, strong, …
There’s no fighting it, summer is over, we’ve given up hope of an Indian Summer here in the Lake District, and are resigned to enjoying a cold and colourful autumn. Time to start saving the pennies for a ski holiday. And to start draught busting all over again. If you have a large hole with …
Felt is the oldest textile known to man. It is said that a nomad was walking across the desert when he got fed up with his sandals chafing. He stuffed a handful of camel hair into his sandals to cushion them….after a while the combination of sweat and friction produced a mat of felt and …
I received a call from someone who looks after a big old property in the south Lake District that is rented out for holiday lets. Some guests had been very upset about bats getting in down the chimney and flying around a bedroom. So upset that they cut their holiday short. A voluntary batworker investigated …
Bats are having a tough time this summer. They have highly refined echolocation, which means that they can exploit a niche and forage at night. They have hardly any competition for food and hardly any predators (just tawny owls, mostly). The heavy rain this summer has created problems for them though. They might emerge from …
For the past 15 years I’ve been involved with bats. I lived in an old house in rural Lake District, and found that bats kept getting in. I phoned for more information and before I knew it I was crawling about in other peoples’ lofts looking for bat poo. I even went abroad on bat …
When I moved into my Victorian terraced house, I did two things. I opened up a couple of chimneys, and went about the place blocking draughts. I soon realised that I had created a massive hole through which all my warm air was being sucked out. While stuffing old clothes in to stop the heat …