When I came home from work late in the afternoon, there was a message in my (physical) mailbox from the chimney sweeper. He is coming tomorrow between 8 and 12 to sweep the chimney.

I am not sure how this is in your various countries, but here in Norway, the sweeper is working for the authorities. This makes a certain sense, since the firemen also are, and this guy is basically a more humane alternative.

That said, half a day’s alert is just crazy. Later this month, I am supposed to be in Oslo for a day, which could well cause me to stay two nights at hotel (if I am well enough to travel in the first place). There might also be private reasons for me to not check my mailbox every single day.

Leaving that aside, I usually work on workdays. (Surprise, surprise.) Tomorrow I have a telephone meeting that was scheduled some time ago. Unless this chimney sweeping is finished before 10, these two events won’t happen on the same day.

I am also supposed to have a fire resistant soot container ready for the occasion. I am not sure what exactly that is supposed to be. A steel bucket perhaps?  They had those in my childhood. I am certainly not likely to find one here over the course of the night.  As it happens, even if I had a car, the shops were closed when I found the message, and will still be closed when I begin waiting for his arrival.

Well, I can’t say it irritates me. If he freaks out because I have not magically prepared the mysterious container, I might be a little irritated. I just have to make the best out of it. But dear reader: Please don’t be that kind of person, because it is dumb, or more exactly thoughtless.