Shaken not stirred.

This is a bit long .....

I guess we all have a view of ourselves

I think of myself as a certain kind of woman of a certain kind of age

Homely and unadventurous

Who reads and sews and crochets

I've never been bungee jumping or walked the Inca Trail

I'm happy with the gentle thrills that life sends my way

I like hunting for treasure and fantastic thrifting finds

I enjoy gazing at the world through my lens

Finding Public Art and unexpected vistas

I like trees 

And photograph them...

When I visit my parents

When I take my grandson to the zoo

And when I'm in my garden

I think I'm gentle, and kind,

somewhat dull, but caring and careful.

So it comes as something of a shock

To find myself responsible for 

This

I rang the Volunteer Bushfire Brigade

Asking them if they could do a burn on our verge

It hadn't been burnt in over 25 years

And seemed long overdue for our bush fire prone area.

I spoke to a Vollie, as we call them here,

Who said, 'yes indeed, now is the perfect time to get the job done'

'rain is coming, and it will soon be too wet', 

'but you'll have to do it yourself.'

He was very helpful with advice, had had a look at the area.

Told me how to prepare it, make the necessary firebreaks,

and how to beat it out if it looked like getting away.

'Call me', he said, 'if you've got any worries.'

So the weekend came round

I got my adult children to help

We loaded up with water and shovels

We cleared the firebreaks and lit the match.

And whoosh.

What started out as a small fire quickly grew

It engulfed the trees, the wattle exploded

And all hell broke loose

The flames grew at an alarming rate 

Threatening our power line that came from across the road

The containment lines were secure

just the odd spot fire to put out

It was all over in minutes

But, not to put too fine a point on it,

It was, without doubt, the most frightening experience of my life.

That was it for me. I refused to tackle the rest.

It was simply too dangerous. Fire is not to be tinkered with

Even in winter, if the rains don't come.

It was just too warm, too dry with too much fuel to burn.

Less than a quarter of the verge is now prepared for next summer

It's a problem that wont go away 

So there's some serious work is ahead. 

Clearing, cutting and yes, even another burn.

I suspect my view of myself

As a quiet observer of life,

ever afraid of their own shadow,

Is in for quite a shake up.