Saturday, October 31, 2015

The Chimney Sweep World


Chim Chim-iney
Chim Chim-iney
Chim Chim Cher-ee
When you're with a sweep 
you're in glad company!


Up where the smoke is all billowed and curled
'Tween pavement and stars is the chimney sweep world.


I choose me bristles with pride, yes I do.
A broom for the shaft and a brush for the flue.


 Now, as the ladder of life has been strung
You might think a sweeps on the bottom most rung
Though I spends me time in the ashes and smoke
In this ol' wide world there's no happier bloke!


Chim Chim-iney
Chim Chim-iney
Chim Chim Cher-ee
A Sweep is as lucky as lucky can be!


Chim Chim-iney
Chim Chim-iney
Chim Chim Cher-roo
Good luck will rub off when I shakes hands with you!

Or blow me a kiss
and that's lucky too!

For Halloween this year we went as chimney sweeps from one of my all time favorite movies, Mary Poppins.   We took our photos in front of one of the Victorian homes in the historic village because it kinda reminded me of No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane.  As you may have noticed it is the same house from the Victorian Death and Mourning Tour....yes, we dressed up as chimney sweeps as we took the tour!  It was pretty comical. The Death and Mourning tour is only once a day and the day we went was the only day we could go. We got there really early and sat on the front steps to wait.  Next door to the house is a church from 1879, which is used primary as a rental for weddings, which happened to be the case this day.  As we were waiting for our tour to begin another regular tour was approaching the house.   Just to make sure we weren't missing the right tour my husband asked the tour guide if this was for the Death and Mourning Tour, which it was not.  This tour guide was a bit of a doof.  As he was guiding his group into the house, he looks at us and then asks "Are you with the wedding?" and my husband just plainly says "No." The tour guide doesn't ask anything else and takes his group into the house.  Are we with the wedding?  We're covered in soot!  We spent the time while that tour was going on taking photos on the front porch.  When the group was exiting, the doof tour guide looks at us again and asks "Are you part of the tour?" My husband says "No."  You could sense the tour guide was getting frustrated, which my husband was enjoying.  The tour guide then asks "What are you doing here?"  We answered "Waiting for the Death and Mourning Tour." Duh.  We already asked him about this before he started asking the wrong questions.  He leads his group down the sidewalk befuddled.  A few moments later a woman in black Victorian garb was making her way toward us.  Clearly she is our tour guide.  As she approaches and looks us over, she nicely asks "What are you guys dressed up for?" Hey!  There's the right question! To take our Halloween photos at "No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane"!

C'mon mateys!
 Step In Time!


Never need a reason,


Never need a rhyme!


Just step in time!

For our costume pieces we had most of the items in our closets.  I did make the boys matching vests.  I found a vest pattern and the needed fabric at a thrift store for a total of 2 bucks.  I made the sweep brooms from plastic handles from dollar tree and the bristles are black pipe cleaners.

Not only is Mary Poppins one of my favorite movies, but it has one of my favorite persons,

Nowhere is there a more happier crew
than them what sings:
Chim Chim Cher-ee
Chin Cher-oo!



1 comment:

Carry Scanlon said...

This seems like a very fun costume idea. When you talk about chimney sweeps, people naturally seem to think of people from bygone eras. Still, there are plenty of fully professional chimney sweeps plying their trade today. Just a few months ago, we hard some professionals to clean out our chimney for the winter. After all, you can never be too careful and clean chimneys are safer.

Carry Scanlon @ Chim Chimney