I really lucked out with firewood help this year. Another frequent volunteer, Super Sarah, came up with her family for a 3-day weekend. We wondered if the fires would stop her; they would have let adults through but absolutely no kids. However, the evacuation order was lifted just before she was due to come. I had spent the fire month cutting a ton of firewood. Falling and cutting is not so painful for me. It is the lifting things off the ground that I find so hard.

Sarah came with her mum and dad and two kids.

They were all amazing.

Even the kids, especially autumn, were extremely helpful

I had cut a lot more firewood than I thought, and after the woodshed was stuffed, we built a huge pile in the yard; I will use this as soon as it is dry enough in the spring.

The family had a spare day. But did they relax? No. Sarah and her dad put the final two walls on the greenhouse. (It was Sarah, you may remember, who put the roof on last year. She loves to build.)

I still had to do the gable end and bottom part of the south wall, then fill up the packrat holes. But at last, after four years, I will be able to use it!

All this while, the kids were playing.

Two seconds after this picture, they had a big fight!

What a wonderful family.