Tuesday 16 May 2006

Pic of the day: Lawn with white flower petals. Picture from real life.

3 visits in 1 day

Instead of going to work I waited for the inspector from the fire department. I had gotten a slip in the mail box that he was going to show up between 12 and 14 (noon and 2PM in British). This is square in the middle of my workday, so I took a vacation day and waited. As can be expected, he showed up only just before 14. My neighbor said he was probably sitting at the bakery stuffing himself with cakes. Not that I talk with my neighbors, except in the most rare of circumstances. She said it to the uncle of the house owner, who also showed up (but unannounced) to get some tool stashed in the basement.

The fire guy studied the fireplaces and the chimney. He told me that I needed to get a steel plate in front of the fireplace downstairs (where I don't live, remember) and that the outer surface of the chimney down there should not have textile tapestry on it. In case of a chimney fire, the temperature inside can reach 1000 degrees Celsius, so it is not a good idea to have anything flammable in contact even with the outside. He also bade me move the two fire detectors up in the ceiling and away from the doors to nearer to the bedrooms. This all makes sense to me, but then again I did not place these things there in the first place.

A while after he was gone, the house owner's mother and grandmother showed up, also unannounced. They were also looking for some metal implement, although their concern was that it might be lying in the grass which is now growing rapidly. I asked them where the lawn mower was, and they showed me, but claimed that they will be back another day to show me how and where to use it.

I also mentioned the advice of the the fire (prevention) department. The mother nodded sagely: Yes, he had said the same to them in the past.

...

And here I thought that it was just more strict rules these days. I mean, in the 60es fires were quite common here in Norway, it was kinda a part of life. Or, quite frequently, death. Regrettable but life goes on (for those who didn't perish in the fire, of course). Today, it is barely even acceptable to die from old age.

Anyway, three visits in one day, that's something since the usual is one visit in three months. Something to write home about, as we say in Norway. Writing home about something = bragging. Was I ever like that?