I thought I would share this with you all. What an exciting country Lithuania is!!

Yesterday evening, as I looked out of my dining room window, I noticed a lot of smoke. It was very close to a new house being built by one of the Iki brothers but behind a huge lilac tree so I could not properly see what the cause was.

I watched for a while and realised that the smoke was actually moving position. I knew I would not be happy until I had found out what was going on.

One of the biggest worries in a heavily wooded countryside with a majority of wooden houses, is fire. When I got to the tree I found that someone had set fire to the grass - and gone. The fire was moving towards another new house being built by another Iki brother.

Now the fun begins - I called my Dutch neighbour who came charging along in his 4x4. He looked and said he would go and call the 'fire brigade' (I use that term very loosely) He left and minutes later his lovely Lithuanian wife came along in her 4x4. She looked, asked if I knew whether our 'difficult neighbours' had had anything to do with it. She then drove over to their house and gave them a severe tongue lashing. (you do not want to get on the wrong side of Irina)

She came back and between us we tore off lilac branches and proceeded to put the fire out. Our neighbour then returned and said the Fire Inspector was on his way. We waited, and we waited, and we waited. Then we saw a cloud of dust coming from Rudiskes. The truck pulled up at the house of our difficult neighbours way across the fields from the fire. Irina got in her car to go and get the fireman and came back to say ---- he was drunk!!! We then saw him and the truck career off in totally the wrong direction way over the fields. Irina got back in her car and went to get him again and after 15 minutes or so came back with the fire engine behind her.

He stopped next to where the fire had been and draped himself out of the open window shouting where was Barbarra. Over and over again. My Dutch neighbour pointed to me as I walked up behind the truck (may I say that by this time, me Wim and Irina could not stop laughing - Keystone cops had nothing on this )

The driver got out, staggered to the lilac tree and broke off flowers which he presented to me at the same time as kissing my hand.

The truck was another sight to behold! A large red pickup truck with a pile of plastic hoses in the back. No sign of water!!

He was as drunk as a skunk. God help us if we ever have a real fire - good job there is a cemetery near by.

Barbara Isherwood