We are only normally able to do one load of washing on any given day and we then hang it out around lunchtime and it’s normally dry by evening and we’re ready for the next day.

To-day is not one of those days.

We got our washing done as normal. We hung some of it out and then noticed there was a burning smell. We went outside and saw that there appeared to be a rather large fire in the scrubland at the bottom of our stairs (across the road at the bottom of the stairs, not literally on our doorstep). Obviously we went down to investigate (forgetting about the washing or even to close our front door) and saw the extent of the fire. Quite big. I was then accosted by one of our neighbours wanting to move her son’s car, but she was just too panicked to get in the car and move it. She gave me the keys to move it, but it had an immobiliser code and wouldn’t immediately start. She didn’t know the code so called her son, but he was rushing so much to tell me that I couldn’t work out what the code actually was. Fortunately, the local fire service was close by and was starting to put out the fire that was blazing near the car. After giving up with the son on the phone I took the phone back to our neighbour and she looked out from her front window and saw that the fire service had made a good job of making the area near the car safe. She thanked me and off we went.

We got back to the house and then realised that the doors were wide open and the house is all smokey! Grrrr.

Ruth was very excited because she got to call the fire brigade.

And the washing now smells of smoke as well and will need washing.

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