Saturday night drama.

After a busy fun Saturday cooking the most enormous pavlova you have ever seen. (You'll have to trust me I didn't take any photos). Ok it wasn't that big! And having a birthday party with friends we were woken by our dear neighbour at 4.20am by "my tree is on fire".

You have never seen us move so fast. Mr M had his overalls and fire boots on in record time and I am in public in my dressing gown. (probably upon reflection, not such a smart idea to fight fires in a polar fleece dressing gown). Mr M is dousing the tree with the hose. My neighbour is in shock. I grab buckets and start bossing the bystanders "come on people, don't just stand there start helping" I bark. I gather two fellas who could be described as "3 sheets to the wind" to fill buckets and start tipping them on the fence which by this stage is smouldering and starting to burn.

In what seemed like ages, but was actually only a couple of minutes, we had the fire out and the crowds, (would you believe there was a crowd at 4.30am?) melted away. It was then the 2 fire trucks, sirens blaring arrived.

 Thankfully they doused the area and the fence just to be sure and we had a civilised cup of tea waiting for the police to arrive.  It seems someone on their way home from the pub had lit some "junk" mail and thrown it over the fence.

But there is a bright side and I am always looking for an excuse to redecorate (and encourage and help others to do so). So hopefully my neighbour will either have the fence repainted (and I love paint charts so I hope she asks me to help choose) or may even need a whole new fence.

Next Saturday night, just a glass of wine an early night and Easter Bunny will do:)