Good morning folks I hope that you have all had a good start to the New Year. This past week has been one of the busiest weeks we have had, our New Year started off with a bang, literally. Someone set off a flare at 00.15 on New Years which resulted in a wildfire the likes of which we have not seen here before. It is still blazing and has spread very deep into the mountains, the entire area that has /is burning is all a World Proclaimd Protected Biosphere, thousands of hectares have been burnt not to mention ALL the wildlife, which in itself is a tragedy because almost everything including bird life has little babies from spring. One man has been arrested and will appear in court today but there is nothing that can make up for the millions of rands of damage, man hours, aviation fuel etc that it is costing. Our Village has has been the Command Centre which has been manned 24/7 by volunteers from the community providing food, refreshments, Physio and anything else that is needed. On Tuesday night the wind changed and the fire raged through to our neighboring village Pringle Bay where some structures were damaged, one lady passed away as the result of an asthma attack, three residents were hospitalized for injuries and the Village was evacuated to their Hall. Parts of Bettys Bay were also evacuated but Praise God no homes burnt down or fatalities. The wind has kept changing and every time we think the fire is out, it flares up again and changes direction. Yesterday the famous Clarence Dive/R44 was closed as the fire had reached that far and all camping sites and the resort were evacuated. We have had helo's water bombing constantly and even two Army Oryx helicopters came in. Our beautiful area now looks like a lunar landscape, but it has to be said that the dedication and commitment the fire fighters have shown has been unbelievable. They come in after ten hours high up on a mountain, in impossible terrain, singing and dancing ???? And 'we' moan when traffic stands still on our commute. The work by all ground volunteers including our BB Groups, residents, visitors, big companies donating, has been simply unbelievable. THANK YOU one and all we will forever be in your debt.
On a happier note we have had no more injuries in the family, Poppet's foot is healing well, Princess has been plagued with hayfever since she arrived which has definitely curtailed beach activities. We did all go to the beach early on New Year's Day for a little while which was lovely and Grandpa has been wonderful in taking her to the beach whenever he could. It's been an odd sort of holiday and sadly the girls are flying home tonight. On New Years Day we went through to see the little kitten I mentioned....... Oh dear......... It was love at first sight for us all. Zeepha (a pixie from the Tinkerbell movie) came home with us and I had to keep her separate from Jasper and Gemma until she sawthe Vet on Wednesday, she was tested for Feline Leukemia and AIDS after an extremely tense five minutes her result was NEGATIVE, thank You Lord. I brought her home and she wasted no time in exploring and leaving her minute pixie paw prints everywhere and in our hearts. She is now 9 weeks old and weighs in at 540 gm which is a whole 20 gm more than a week ago, and fits into the palm of my hand. She appears to be a dwarf kitten with incredibly short legs, her back legs are longer which results in her looking very funny when she walks, she doesn't run but rather hops with her back legs together and the ears grow straight out on the sides, resulting in a very odd looking little angel. The most obvious name would have been Gizmo but she is too delicate and gentle. There will be much more on her to follow.
For now, I do believe I have rambled on long enough, there was a lot to share. Please agree with us in prayer that this fire will be put out A.S.A.P. There was another flare up above the Botanical Gardens this morning which they are currently water bombing. I do wish you all a wonderful week back at work and school and pray that your year will be peace filled and good to you. Ciao ciao for now, please stay safe.
Two pics I took of the fire right at the beginning and one of the incredible pilots dropping water.
Little Princess Zeepha you can follow her on Instagram @princesszeepha
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