I woke up yesterday morning to what was at first a puzzling sight. Instead of the usual blue sky and sunshine, a golden glow was seeping through the blinds. Dennis and I got up and went outside where we found an amazing, and beautiful sight, something new for me, a sky that was completely orange, casting its magic on the lighter tones of the garden.

A little later, I went down to the beach to see what there was to see out in the open, looking across to the mainland. Here’s what I saw…

Beautiful and frightening. Hundreds of forest fires burning in British Columbia. The day remained overcast – occasionally you could glimpse an orange sun through the haze.

Last night we visited neighbors down the street and sat outside in their garden. By the time we left the smell of smoke had descended and I had started to sniffle and sneeze. Back home I shut all the windows.

This morning the sight is decidedly not a beautiful one. Again overcast, the air is noticeably smokey and the smell of burn is very strong. A layer of ash covers the garden furniture. Down at the beach you can’t see across to the mainland at all, it is all smoke and haze. In addition to the large fires across the Strait on the mainland, fires are also burning here on the island, including one about half an hour’s drive away near Port Alberni. The first fire fighter has succumbed – fire has claimed the life of a tree faller battling the blaze across on the Sunshine Coast.