March 2025 - Gillian Monks

Month: March 2025

Fire on the Hillside Revisited

On March 28, 2025

One of the wildfires which we experienced in late March 2022. This one was about three miles away – photo taken from one of our upstairs bedroom windows.

First of all, I would very much like to thank everyone who expressed their concern, left comments, sent messages and emails in response to my previous blog post about the wildfire near our village last week. I was deeply touched.

I have to add that when viewed in daylight, the fire was actually further away than I had originally thought, due to an extra fold of land on the hillside which wasn’t apparent in the dark – although in my opinion, it was still too close to the village for comfort.

Strangely, for all my experiences of fire, I am in no way repelled, frightened or traumatised by it – I love bonfires, campfires and my open fire in the grate at home – but I do highly respect it. Fire is a potent and powerful energy which is largely uncontrollable once it escapes humanity’s carefully preserved boundaries.

What struck me most forcefully at the time, was that I felt that we should all be doing something to assist in the protection of our community, not simply shrugging our shoulders and piking off to bed to leave a mere handful of much stretched and over-worked professional fire fighters to battle it out alone on our behalf. If these kind of out-of-control fires are going to become more common place, might I suggest that every able-bodied adult keeps a fire beater in the garden shed or garage and at the first sign of trouble, we all turn out to deal with it, before such fires grow and get out of hand. (I believe that these types of measure are already taken in other countries where wildfires are more prevalent.)

I feel that it is time for communities to show more self reliance and responsibility for their own organisation and welfare. Simply sitting back and waiting for ‘them’ to come and sort out our problems is no longer enough. Yes, the services prefer us to keep out of the way in case we get hurt and cause more distraction and emergency work for them, but the type and severity of natural events and disasters that we are now experiencing regularly are beginning to make this unsustainable.

The other thing which quite surprised me was that, apart from gathering together useful or necessary items in case we had to evacuate the property quickly, I looked around the house at many much-loved things and didn’t feel any particular desire to try and ‘save’ any of them. It suddenly seemed that the house and all its contents – my home – came as a single unit, and if I couldn’t save it all, I wasn’t terribly bothered about any of it – the really important aspect of the situation to me were the animals and people – my loved ones… and if they were okay, then the rest was very much of secondary importance – in fact, didn’t really matter at all.

Also in March 2022 – Mynydd Mawr, one of the mountains at the head of our valley and just across from Y Wyddfa (Snowdon), was on fire. All the dark area to the left of the line of fire is land which had already been burned – the fire went on to consume that entire side of the mountain.

At this point I would also like to make it clear that while the dates for controlled burning of agricultural (and other) land only end on the 15th March (lowland areas) and the 31st March (upland areas), anyone entering into such activity must submit a burning plan to the relevant authorities for approval between 24 and 72 hours beforehand, and ensure that sufficient persons and equipment are present to control and regulate the fire. It is also illegal to set such fires between the hours of sunset and sunrise. There are complicated stipulations for limiting the amount of land burned at any one time and the juxtaposition of such natural features as streams, rivers and lakes.

I cannot be one hundred percent sure, but I should think that the fires we have experienced this past couple of weeks have all broken these regulations in some way, especially the huge fire which swept across the mountain a couple of miles away from us and the smaller fire near our village – both of these were lit well after dark, so were unlikely to be either farmers attempting controlled burning or accidental spontaneous combustion from sunlight.

I was brought up in an isolated rural area in the middle of farms and woodland, and I have lived here in this valley for nearly forty years. Apart from a similar few days of fire and smoke in late March 2022, (see photos) I have never seen anything like this wholesale burning of whole mountainsides. Farmers are officially allowed to burn land from the beginning of October (lowland) and the start of November (uplands). Why should they choose to wait until the very last few days, when the natural world is already well into the spring mating and nesting season, earlier now with the change in seasonal/environmental conditions, than when the government regulations were last updated in 2008.

Then there is the question of why there is a local presence of certain high-ranking officials who are looking very concerned and taking these events rather seriously.

We do indeed live in ‘interesting times’ – and it is now our opportunity to metaphorically stand up and be counted. Now is our chance to shine! Be that person who takes responsibility… who can be counted on… who focuses on the positive. Allow our care, humour and love to inform everything we do throughout each ‘ordinary’ day. Enjoy each ‘mundane’ moment to its fullest extent. After all, what is the alternative?

Make today your very best day yet!

Fire on the Hillside

By Gillian Monks

On March 23, 2025

In Musings of the Hearth

This morning I awoke to the blessed sound of rain gently falling, soaking the land and cooling the air. In recent days, Wales has become the ‘land of fire’ as wild fires have swept across our moorland and mountains – from north to south, east to west – there have been at least six fires here in my own valley, some of them extensive…

…And one personally frightening. Thursday had been a beautiful day of balmy sunshine and warm winds. It was officially the Vernal or Spring Equinox, (although my dear husband had informed me that the daylight had actually begun to grow longer than the darkness from Tuesday onwards), but we had decided to mark the occasion with celebration on Saturday so that our druid grove members with weekday working hours could also be with us.

I was preparing for bed late that evening and thought that I would just check my messages in case there was one from my son who was away from home that night.

I was saddened to see a post from a friend living in a nearby village who was commenting on the the huge wildfire currently blazing across her side of the mountain a couple of miles away. On my way to the bathroom, I went into the back bedroom – now used as an office – and was immediately confronted with a line of leaping flames racing across the lower hillside towards the village!

There are a couple of rows of houses between us and that approach to the village, but with pictures fresh in my mind of devastating fires around the world, and most recently the destructive wildfires in California, I immediately sprang into action.

Rousing my already slumbering husband from his warm bed, I began to collect important documents and artefacts, along with changes of clean clothes and other immediate everyday essentials. I then spent much of the night sat in the dark in my son’s office chair, staring through the window at the ever-encroaching line of fire, monitoring its progress, and as calmly as possible making further plans to possibly evacuate and/or house elderly neighbours from further up the mountain – one old gentleman who is bedridden and who’s cottage I suspected was directly in the path of the voracious flames. I was also mentally tussling with the dilemma of how to transport our four cats from the site when in possession of only one cat carrier.

I have had several experiences with fire, the first being at the age of two and a half, when my mother rushed me through a wall of flame which had engulfed the stairs to the bedroom after an elderly pet had accidentally knocked over a paraffin heater. Two years later, the woods around our cottage caught fire, and my mother and her little daughter were discovered valiantly bucketing water from the river in a vain attempt to control it until the fire brigade arrived. On that occasion, the authorities surmised that the conflagration was started accidentally by a carelessly discarded cigarette butt. However, the fire which totally destroyed our family home of fifty years back in 2010 was no accident but an act of arson resulting from a bungled burglary. (We had faced break-ins before, as we lived in an isolated spot, but never in my wildest dreams had I anticipated the possibility of anyone actually ‘stealing’ the entire cottage!)

Periodically, I would now traverse the sleeping household on sorties to the Aga downstairs to make myself sustaining cups of tea.

The hours ticked away. Mercifully, the blustery wind was driving the fire diagonally across the slope along and behind the village, but if it changed direction… Sometimes, the flames would die right down and I would wonder if the danger was actually passed, but then another gust of wind would come along and bright fluorescent orange and glowing scarlet would bloom in distressing patches along a very long line. Occasionally, a particularly large gorse bush or small tree would catch light and the flames would leap twenty or thirty feet in the air and light up the whole side of the hill.

I watched in fascination as lights flashed across the hillside and along the line of fire. Although I couldn’t see them, I knew that the fire service was out there valiantly fighting to save more destruction to the natural world and to human habitation. Endeavouring to ‘walk my talk’, I found myself sending out unconditional love to the element of fire, letting go of all fears and trusting that all was unfolding as it should… whatever happened. This might sound overly dramatic, but I found myself seriously wondering if my time had come to have my life completely turned upside down as so many other millions of souls have in recent years. Was this ‘it’ for me and my loved ones?

Mastering my emotions was a challenge, and I found myself pouring more positivity and love towards those who were battling out on the hillside on my behalf, than being grateful for the cleansing qualities of the fire itself.

I looked down on the houses below us and had the almost irresistible urge to go banging on all the front doors to waken the occupants and get everyone out on that hillside where the struggle seemed so drastically weighed against the puny human. To me, it appeared almost morally indecent that we should all be cosily snoring in our beds, totally unaware of the huge effort being made on our behalf – having been brought up in the countryside, I have been trained to get out and sort one’s own problems, without necessarily relying on help, official or otherwise.

Eventually, around 4.30.am. I felt sure enough that everything was under control to actually relax sufficiently and go to bed, although I had little sleep that morning, especially as the local council decided to arrive early to dig around in the road outside my bedroom window and fill in holes in the tarmac.

What, or more accurately I should ask, who, is setting these fires no one seems to know, but they are widespread and numerous. Humanity rarely suffers but it is the wildlife – now in full mating and nesting season – which suffers so dreadfully. The long-term damage to the environment is incalculable, especially where peat beds take light – some of them have taken thousands of years to form and are dozens of feet deep… and can burn for months.

So, yes, today I am rejoicing at the gentle grey clouds and damp conditions. We put away our concerns for now, lick our wounds, and face the uncertain and challenging future which 2025 has promised to bring us.

Take care, and be aware of what is going on around you, and of our joint responsibility.

With my love.

How Courageous Are You?

By Gillian Monks

On March 16, 2025

In Musings of the Hearth, Uncategorized

Today I came across a post on Facebook entitled ‘Advice to Girls’. I won’t name the author but I presume they are an ‘influencer’ of young minds and behaviour.

I am well aware that for far too long, women have been treated outrageously, cruelly, and totally inappropriately – usually by men, but also sometimes by other women.

I heartily applaud the courage and stamina of so many women who have in the past, and continue today, to stand up for equal rights, and who work to expose society’s skewed perception of the feminine.

However, in the response to male chauvinism, some females – specially the younger ones – have apparently fallen into the habit of behaving just like the rude, crude, violent, unintelligent and chauvinistic men they are rebelling against.

In this particular Facebook post, girls are advised, among other things, to be ‘loud’, ‘gross’, ‘snide and sarcastic’. What kind of advice is that? And what kind of a world will our youngsters create if they follow this advice? Apart from anything else, it will only serve to vindicate men’s opinion of women as being self-centred and brainless.

COME ON GIRLS – I EXPECT MUCH BETTER FROM YOU!

Our youngsters – of ALL genders – are our flagship – on them depends so much for a better future. It made me stop and think very deeply about the advice I would give to my own daughter – perhaps anyone reading this could help me out here – making my message more compact and all-encompassing – refining it – but in reading it, you will get my drift. (See below.)

Your thoughts and comments (if polite!) are warmly welcomed.

‘Make yourself what you want to be, and be comfortable and confident about who you are.
Respectfully expect the world to accept you on your terms – settle for nothing less.
You are unique, honoured and loved, with unique experiences and gifts.
Behave to others as you would like them to treat you.
Show that you are a person of strength, dignity, compassion and wisdom.
Allow your kindness to speak for you.
Be courageous. Be steadfast. Be your own person.
Let the way you live speak for you.
Be quietly assertive and truthful, but if you are met with derision and aggression, speak out loud and clear – enlist the support of others – stand firm.
Know when to say ‘No’, and stick to it.
Do not behave badly because everyone around you is acting out that way.
In all you say, do and are, be worthy of your own approval.’

A Brilliant Saint David’s Day!

By Gillian Monks

On March 7, 2025

In Out and About

We all had a terrific time last week at the Saint David’s Day Festival and Book Fair down by Bangor Pier. The weather was amazing – clear skies and warm sunshine (I even ended up with a touch of sunburn!), with lots of people out to celebrate our country’s patron saint and well-known son, and our joy and unity in living in Wales.

There were lots of activities and stands, but the main focus was on the central stage where a stream of performers kept us entertained throughout the day, including choirs, musicians, singers and Indian dancers. I was particularly struck by the poignancy of the small Ukrainian choir (dressed in their gorgeously colourful costumes) who sang their hearts out for their beloved homeland to their host nation who were also particularly focused on celebrating their much loved home country that day.

At the end of their performance, I simply couldn’t stop myself from going over to thank them. I tapped one lady on the shoulder and thanked her – she looked bewildered, didn’t speak any English – so I hugged her instead. Words so frequently get in the way of true communication. As we gazed into each other’s eyes we exchanged a look of deep and complete mutual understanding. Perhaps some of these international conferences should abolish speaking and simply have the delegates go around hugging each other, sitting holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes. We might all be amazed at what we learn about each other and what we can agree on.

Personally, I was delighted to finally meet fellow author, Patricia Wynne, who’s first book, ‘To Light a Penny Candle’ I have adored since I first read it at the pre-publication editing stage. It is a story about a journey to find oneself – quite literally – and the people the main character comes across who heart-warmingly provide the support and directions she requires – I can thoroughly recommend it!

And then there was the opportunity to meet some of my readers and hear their first hand opinions of my work so far – all complimentary, I hasten to add – but very humbling and heartening to a solitary author!

Later in the afternoon, I decided to take a break and have a walk down the 1500 foot long pier. The sea breezes were refreshing and the view of the snow-capped Gwynedd mountains against a deep blue sky were quite breath-taking. How lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place – but then the whole Earth is simply stunning and we all quite rightly feel that we live in the best bit of it!

Lastly, I looked at my stall displaying five of my six books published to date, and felt totally amazed that I had written them all. It is quite besides the point that I currently have five more books in various stages of completion! (Yes, I owe you all a newsletter and have much to share with you!!!)

For now, all I can say is that my health is better than it was in the winter and I am happily been twirled along by my various excitable muses and cannot work fast enough!

Watch this space!