Wednesday 21 April 2021

The Most Exciting Thing in 2021


 Seeing our friends in three dimensions is still a novelty following Lockdown.  So meeting Mark and Adri in Epping Forest was already an exciting prospect. 

Then it got even better!

We set off for a walk in the mature Robin-Hood-style forest.  After ten minutes we noticed wood smoke drifting through the trees and assumed it was a group having a (probably illicit) barbecue.  But something bothered me - I couldn’t hear any voices.

We went to investigate, and sure enough, discovered a forest fire.  A broad stretch of blackened leaf mould was scattered with smoking branches, and fresh flames licked at a large dead tree. 

If the dead tree caught fire, there would be no putting it out. 

Nigel beat at the flames and extinguished them while the rest of us scuffed at patches that were still smoking. 

However, the forest was very dry and the fire seemed likely to erupt again.  Mark and Adri phoned the fire brigade and returned to the car park to await them.  This left Nigel and I battling with a few stubborn logs which we could not stop from smouldering.

‘If only we had our water bottles with us.’

‘Or if there were a stream...’

After some time, Mark and Adri returned with four cheery firefighters carrying tanks of water on their backs and holding nozzles.

Nigel and Mark whispered to each other ‘Who you gonna call?’ ‘Ghostbusters!’

As the firefighters damped the area down, we went on our way only to discover that over the very next rise was a large pond. 

If only we’d known, we could have carried the smouldering logs and quenched them here instead of wasting half our afternoon.

‘Never mind,’ I said, ‘This is probably the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in 2021!’

‘Or indeed, 2020.’ agreed Adri.

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