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Fire Watch

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gillie:
Yes it was scary arriving at kalamata! The air was still full of falling ash and small fires kept popping up by the side of the road. The devastation was dreadful. Also the amazing luck as the fires missed one building or area of land when all those nearby were burnt. We've never had such a quiet coach journey across from Kalamata to Tolon. We'll never forget it.

Karen:
We were in Lesvos one year and they had terrible fire in Turkey, devastating for them, but the views were spectacular and we could see the planes and helicopters dropping the water.

Karen:
Gosh what an experience, Jim and Gillie!

Jimbo:
Gillie's right. When we walked out of the plane's door it looked as though it was snowing. Nobody spoke on the bus until we stopped at a taverna on the summit of the Taegetos  mountains for a beer break. Okay, some people had coffee. I suspect some had a swift Metaxa or two! The devastating fires were arson, to get insurance. I was very impressed by the skill of the pilots who had to skim the water and scoop their tanks full. Of course, forest fires are a vital part of the ecosystem, and they are often started by lightning.

All this was nothing compared to driving at night in the rainy season in Zambia, where I lived for four years, surrounded by burning bush and constant lightning. That's how savanna regenerates.

hobbes:
Going slightly off topic here, but I've always wondered with the planes-when they scoop water from the sea, is it just water of could there be fish and (shudder) octopus scooped up too? (I have a real phobia of octopus, so please no-one tell me they have seen them in the sea at SS!)

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