IMAGINE

Just when we are all still reeling from the recent events which have taken place both in Manchester and London another tragedy is played out in our capital with the horrific fire at Grenfell Tower (the Wanderer lives in a tower block in London but happily on the seventh floor and in a more recently built building which has hopefully complied with all the regulations).  Can you begin to imagine what it might have been like to have been woken in middle of the night to find your home and all those around you on fire like this?  Those who survived may have lost everything - family, home and all they possessed and many have only the clothes they were wearing.  It really doesn't bear thinking about does it?  Add to this the anger and vitriol which is currently filling our media, the protests, accusations and blame which is bandied about and it seems hard to see how life as we knew it can go on.  But go on it must and Phoenix like out of the flames has come a real sense of community, of charity and sharing where religion, creed, colour and race are of no importance - we are all humans and thus all part of the same family.  My heart goes out to all those affected including the firemen and women and other emergency services who though well trained had probably never experienced anything quite like this.  I feel helpless as all I can do is to donate to the Red Cross when I feel I should be able to do something more.

Like Bug Woman who on her blog posted about going for a walk and finding solace in the plants she saw lest she should become tattered and worn thin by the terrible event I too find comfort amid Nature and have this morning been out in the garden - an accidental one if ever there was one (see Bug Woman's post) - noticing the way the roses are the same colour as the foxgloves which are taller than I am and self seeded, how Nature creates colour schemes that look wonderful, the bees are busy in the lavender and the bumper crop of strawberries which survived a vicious hailstorm a few weeks back and are looking and tasting good.  I pray that a community will rise Phoenixlike from the ashes of the fire and that nothing like it will ever happen again here or anywhere else.

ANOTHER DOGGY STORY

 This morning when reading the news on the internet I came across the above image showing dogs in little heat proof boots! Apparently specially trained fire dogs are helping to search the remains of the building and need their paws protected against heat and broken glass etc. I gather no fire dog has ever been injured in their work.  Man's best friend or what?!