Peaceful

 

Peaceful

It is a very peaceful Sunday afternoon. An occasional light aircraft bustles across the sky and birds call sleepily. No children are giggling and playing in their gardens. Maybe they’ve all gone away, the school holidays having started on Friday. Even the ice-cream vendors are silent, their jangling jingles mercifully absent.

Saturday afternoon was a different matter altogether. A helicopter buzzed and clattered above the trees, describing circles high and then low. Around and around it went, for what felt like hours, never hovering.

We established that it was a police helicopter and wondered if it was searching for someone. As with most of these occurrences, it is unlikely that we shall ever learn why it was circling. Local social media has not shed any light on it, though lots of people have had a merry time making ‘humorous’ comments.

I’m glad it wasn’t an air ambulance. We usually discover the reasons for those, especially if they’ve landed in the local junior school playing field, as incidents are reported in the local press.

Today, however, the sun shines gently, a soft breeze blows, butterflies dance in the warm air, and all is well with the world.

Fire!

Yesterday fires broke out in four different areas of Swinley forest. 150 fire fighters from four fire and emergency services attended alongside police and ambulances. Forest Rangers were hauling water bowsers while a police helicopter overhead directed operations and was alert to fresh outbreaks.

Image copyright Ian Emery

Strong swirling winds ensured that the fires spread rapidly in the dry undergrowth. The fire travelled underground as well as over the surface. There has been little significant rain for several weeks and the rich leaf mould covering the ground and the resin in the trees is highly combustible.

The skies were dark and the air was thick with smoke, the smell permeating everything. Emergency services are expected to remain on site until it is certain that the fires have been extinguished. Today a pall of smoke hangs over the forest and the wind is picking up again so that any small smouldering could be fanned into life afresh. It will be several days before we can resume our customary walks in Crowthorne Forest.

Some businesses and houses were evacuated yesterday and today local schools close to the forest boundaries have been closed. There has been no loss of life and for that we are thankful but the police will now be actively seeking the person or persons unknown who set the fires.

Last night we took the dogs to Simon’s Wood beyond the opposite end of the village but we could still see and smell the smoke, so today they will have a rest. It’s not good for their lungs – or ours – to breathe in smoky air.

You can just make out a fire appliance with its blue flashing light in the centre of the photo.

A week ago Barry reported fire and emergency services were called out. We thought it had been quenched. Maybe it was, but fire reappeared in the same area, so it seems that someone was determined to burn the forest. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, where nightjar, Dartford warbler and woodlark breed.  It is also one of the most important sites in the country for dragonflies and damselflies. 24 of the 38 species in the UK breed here.

SkyWatch Friday #55 Mad, bad and dangerous to know

There was a terrific noise over our house on Thursday. We're used to aircraft en route from Heathrow Airport and military helicopters from various military bases around but this aircraft was incredibly noisy. At first I thought it was a 'see your house from the air' endeavour as the noise was circling the area. I grabbed my binoculars and went outside to discover a Police helicopter prowling. The siren hadn't sounded so I knew no-one had taken 'French leave' from the high-security pyschiatric hospital attached to this village - it takes an hour to search the grounds if one of the inmates has gone missing so the security services don't become active until after that. I took photographs as the helicopter clattered about overhead and eventually disappeared. Shall we ever know what was happening?

I do know that I would be chary of travelling in one of these aircraft - it didn't sound very 'sound' - but as I'm unlikely to be invited onto one as a passenger I shall not worry unduly.

As you can see the skies were busy building up interesting clouds and we have had much rain since - good for the soil, good for the skin - or so we're told (but you can have too much of a good thing . . . ;-[)
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Thank you to Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise for hosting SkyWatch Friday