Fire fighting

Today started quite normally.  Well, abnormally because I got myself up for a run after a good nights sleep (that's the abnormal bit!). 

Mid-morning, we realised that a neighbour had started a fire on his property to burn off grass, only he hadn't done it properly and burnt a fire break first to prevent it reaching our property.  When I left a little later, these were the flames on the track out to the road, all sort of under control.  This is nothing compared to the fire when it was in full force. 

My day entailed swimming, lunch with a friend, then a meeting for which my mother in law was going to baby sit at a cafe in town.  At the allotted time, I was having lunch and my mother in law arrives - the news isn't great, the fire is bad and she has to leave, we are to stay in town just in case it's really bad - and my friend gallantly steps in to baby sit.  I found her an hour later, meeting complete, with both our babies on her knee, happy as anything having had a delightful time.  Phew!  He behaved himself! 

We finally arrived back at the farm, about 300 acres have been burnt, including paddocks that are used for cattle grazing.  Thankfully no harm done to the animals, but a long, hard, hot day for all those back fighting the fire.  I secretly think that my husband and father in law had kind of enjoyed the 'emergency' day, and even the maid swung into action feeding animals, making lunches for the men out working and generally keeping everything going.   The fire is still going, Dirk is off out later to check it's sort of under control and no longer on our land and I guess the real damage will be assessed in the morning.