Smoking woods

A ceremony in the woods to celebrate 8-8-8 puts me on edge

Hello lovelies. Happy Friday. Writing today in this heatwave, apparently there have been three of them, but back to back in my opinion. I haven’t noticed a break.

Hope August is treating you well. Thank you for passing by.

~

I start walking around 8. The air is cool. Sublime. Perfect. As delicious as walking along a beach on the sea edge. The cicadas are quiet mostly. It’s that cool. So different to midday when we’ll be at a sweltering 32 degrees yet again. This heat wave is tiring.

In the woods I meet many dog walkers, cyclists and joggers, mostly women. There are so many dogs. So many new houses. Expensive houses and guard dogs. Today I climbed up and looked ahead as I got to the top of the hill straight into the eyes of a large Alsatian with its mouth wide open. Its owner, a young guy with a perfect torso was walking at a snail’s pace reading his phone. Oblivious. Luckily the dog was kind natured and ran off looking for fun. But for a second I thought I was in trouble. The owners know there dog is fine but how am I to know?

Yesterday I walked the same route in the early shade. Deep in the woods the ground smelt of cut grass. A big van was parked in the corner of a field. There was a triangular road sign indicating work. Three large fire extinguishers and a big container of fuel stood behind the sign. And then I spotted the guy with a saw, cutting the vegetation that grows under the electric cables up on pilones.

What a job. How his arms must feel at the end of a day! Day after day. He’s obviously aware of the risk of a spark from the saw. Couldn’t help thinking it would be better to do it in October.

As the track turns I see a woman in running gear. Orange skirt and black strapped top beautifully tanned and in shape. In her thirties I would guess. She stands below a tree with her back to me. I didn’t notice her for her fluorescent colours but the smell of smoke. My senses went on alert.

I stopped dead. I saw smoke at her feet. I stared for a second or two. Even BBQs are banned for those who live within 500m of the woods and this woman is standing 3 meters into the woodland staring at something smouldering in the pine needles at her feet.

It’s ok. She said. It’s me. I’m doing a thing. Meaning spiritual thing, I assume, as if it were obvious.

Really? I said. In the woods? Aren’t there safer places to do it?? I looked worried and she said it’s ok I’ll put it out in a moment. I got this.

Mmm

Ok I thought and walked away up hill. As I came down hill towards the woods again my mind kept thinking, and what if it isn’t ok. And if I was the only one who could have raised the alarm? So I find myself walking back to check.

She’s finished. Talking to a chap in the road. She spots me, waves as if to say, all done, all safe. I nod and walk away hoping she’s right.

I bump into another dog walker with a Labrador puppy. She says she could be reported to the police for taking that risk and says she’s pretty sure she knows what she was doing. That apparently the date yesterday was 8-8-8. The 8th of August (and if you add 2024 another 8, pushing it a bit, if you ask me). She’d had an email encouraging her to do the same. Great I thought. How many others will light a few sticks in the woods? Not many surely. You’ve got to be quite mad to burn your written wishes in dry woodland in the height of summer.

I’m hoping she was praying for everyone’s safety rather than her own stuff. It’s only fair. Though maybe it was all in vain anyway, being the 9th of August, the numbers don’t add up.