A real and present danger ...

... the threat of fire is never far away. The summer months are so hot, the land is dry and parched and the wind can blow fiercely. We are at the mercy of the wind - in what direction will it blow? Will it blow the flames towards our dogs or will we be spared.

Once more we just escaped the conflagration. A near miss, it was only 100 metres away from the Refugio. We held our breath all day. The area of the fire was increasing, we began to panic about whether it could be kept under control.

Heavy fire-fighting planes flew overhead, up and down. We were happy this time to be spared but many poeple and animals have been less fortunate and all residential areas are being evacuated including where Dirk and I live. It was touch and go. All the roads are closed and people can't get home. The smell of burning is unbearable. Lets hope that the fire is quickly and completely extinguished.

Fabienne