Well I`m up still up at this late hour cos there`s been a fire about a mile away (as the crow flies). It was in a massive large pine & holm oak forest which is over to the side of us & it started about 4ish this afternoon & its only just been put out. There was no danger to us & it was under control but couldn`t rest till they put it out. The smoke bloked ou the sun & turned the sky black & now the stars are blocked out as well but it was fascinating to watch. Don`t know what it`ll be like when it gets light. Lost an awful lot of trees & the holm oaks are the ones that produce cork. It`s half three & the damn cocks are cock a doodlin now so I`m going to me bed ! Night all
Christine2

I bet that was a pretty spectacular sight, if somewhat frightening Christine! Glad you are ok.
I hope it wasn't started deliberately, that no one was hurt trying to control it and that the wildlife managed to get out of its reach.

Hi Leigh & Matty we`re all ok thanks, & no one was hurt thank goodness. Dogs had a bit of a grumble when they dropped "bombs" to put it out but just went back to sleep!!! Think this means they are *bomb proof*LOL The smoke was incredible, it filled the sky. Dont know the cuase yet but last year when chatting to one of the patrols they told us a lot of times its the stong urine from wild animals that causes the scrub to ignite, I never even thoght of that. No birds last night & didn`t hear any owls during the night but all seems back to normal this morning & this evening tho, as for the other wildlife I think they would have been ok cos the fire was contained just kept reigniting but glad its over. Strange cos at the time I was mesmerised.
For anyone who likes firemen, my hubby & the handyman accidently lit fire to our bushes last summer & 2 fire engines turned up bells & lights blaring in seconds much to my mortification & they were all ten foot hunks (better than the tele ones) & I had to run away in shame cos I was out with the dogs in my scruff!! They could at least set them on fire when I was dolled up.
Christine2

I don't know about your firemen Christine, but they changed their uniforms a while back here and it's just not the same anymore Give me *shiny buttons* ANYday

Pine tree's are quite a sight when they catch fire aren't they! Glad all's well.

Oooooh men in uniform ...... *sigh* :D

Melody - Hubby was a Flt Lt in the RAF and looked GORGEOUS in his uniform

There's something about a man in a uniform isn't there :D

Or in my case one particular man ~ one particular uniform

Well their "uniform" is much like you see on the tele big black jackets & black baggy trousers with big wrap around fluorecsent yellow stripes! BUT, once they came in they stripped to the waist My feller & Antonio were running round like headless chickens & these great big hunks calmly put the hose over the fence roadside & put the fire out pronto! What made it worse was we can only light fires on a Tue & Thur & you get the written permission to do so at the beginning of summer & I had told them it was wednesay & they would get in trouble but would they listen???? So the pair of them were squirming trying to explain away the fire & the firemen started laughing & I stood around smirking And I still remind them when people are here of how they burnt my bushes, aren`t I mean LOL
Christine2

LOL@Christine.

I have a retired fireman up the road and he is forever playing with his hose. If he isn't washing his car, he is hosing down the drive ... lol I also think he retired far to young from the service, but their loss is our gain :D I dread a hose pipe ban

I am sure that the uniforms they wear now are far more suitable for protecting life and limb, and that really is all that matter.

Well he`s a man isn`t he Leigh? I find the`ve always got to be playing with something, must be in the genes cos they start at an early age! Nearly all the men who come to visit us get the hose & star washing the damn car & even the kids find something to hose down!
Christine2

" ......and he is forever playing with his hose."

And you watch, Leigh???? I'm shocked, absolutely shocked :O :P :D :D :D :D

ducking and taking cover from Leigh's reply. :D :D

ROFLOL I was just too chicken to sat that
Christine2

lol ... I enjoy watching professionals at work :D

Christine,
It sounds as if you need some of the rain that Prague, Salzburg, and Munich are getting. Massive flooding is going on over there. The rain is just not moving off. (Makes me very glad that we had our vacation in June :D :D)

We keep getting some really heavy downpours here, but the clouds are coming in from the east and then bouncing back off the ridge of high pressure just to the west of us. We drive 50 miles to the west and get full blown sun where it hasn't rained in weeks . :D

It's going to get crazier before it gets better. Apparently El Nino is starting up in the Pacific again. The last time it did that, 10 years ago, Frankfurt and Paris had very high levels of rain in the Oct-Nov. time period :rolleyes: But after a really dry hot summer.

Send it our way please Sara! Saw it on the tele yesterday & also saw that they`d had the massive hail storms further up Spain & thats down to the El Nino effect as well. We havn`t had rain since May so everything is bone dry here but whats cooling us down a bit is the north wind we`ve had for a couple of weeks thank goodness!
Christine2

Hope you are all ok Christine