Burns and Dragons

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

Burns and Dragons

I went to my first proper Hazard Reduction Burn (HRB) of the year yesterday. No pics of me, but I did get some of Tom and Angus.

I like the mythical sense of the smoke and the Firey walking through in the background of that last one. It was a well-run burn. It was kept low temp as much as possible and we protected all the big trees by raking away the leaves before the fire got to them so they didn't catch fire and both they and their little inhabitants would be safe. Away it goes.

I was in a Light Tanker with Angus, and was very happy to be back to work with the Lieutenant I love best. Our job was to come along behind the fire and black it out, meaning that the burn had to be fully out for 20 metres in around all the edges, with no smouldering bits left to come back up later.

The wind was a bit changeable...

Same spot, pics taken about 30 secs apart.

I was a good girl and wore my mask a lot, unlike every other bugger. All too manly I guess! Yes I was the only woman. Come on ladies, join up for goodness sake! Don't leave the guys to have all the fun!

Here are Tom and Angus discussing if masks might have been a good idea.

Not really! I think they were discussing hose technique! :D

This was a really cool old stump that we spent some time putting out. It looked so much like a giant fossilised dragon's head. Sent me off on flights of fantasy there in the forest. Author + sudden dragon head? Oh yeah!

I hope you can see it too. Its nose is to the right with big flaring nostrils, and it has a large eye and top-knot of spiky bits. It was quite uncanny and thigh-high on me, so also quite impressive.

Another dragon around here right now is... me! Ha ha, no not really, it's one of my chookies, Spotty, who has decided she is broody despite hybrids not being supposed to want to do that.

"Grrrr, you get away from my babies-to-be!

She is genuinely growling at me, something I haven't quite had one do before. I found this video for you to watch if you've never heard it either.

I moved her to a better spot and made her a pen to keep the other chooks from bothering her, and since she showed no signs of giving up despite the disturbances, I was lucky enough to get her some fertile eggs from a lovely local lady who breeds show-standard Silver-laced Wyandottes. I hope she can raise them!

She took the change of eggs from infertile ones to fertile ones well. I'll be really glad if she can give me some beautiful heritage chickens like this girl!