France, December 2019

Children playing in the kitchen. The table is dotted with crafts. There's laughing, talking, and in the meantime they're watching a movie.
The animals have had their care and we have done all the jobs around it, including driving manure to the compost heap and 'processing'.
There were still some trunks under the canopy in the courtyard, which we brought to the storage at hayloft. On the way back only a wheelbarrow with wood brought, this wood has been there for about three years and is well dry.


We decide it's been enough for today; it's Saturday, we give ourselves some rest. A lot of leut, I think we deserve that - maybe even two or three.
The clock strikes three in the peasant kitchen.
Cees takes a block of wood and puts it in the fireplace. As I tie a button in the thread on Anieka's needle, I suddenly hear roaring. I see from the big, questioning eyes around me that I'm not the only one who stands out.

Cees walks up to the fireplace and carefully looks into it. Slightly white around his nose he walks out without saying a word. Less than two seconds later, he comes back in with a message that makes my heart skip a beat; “we have a chimney fire...”
The place is still the place; everyone has to go out. Do not panic, do not rush, but put on boots, coat on and walk!
In the garden we look up and see large flames pounding out of the chimney. A huge batch of smoke makes it even more impressive, not to mention “creepy”.
Oh, my God, we have it again!! What now? ? I gris my mobile and google 'what to do in case of chimney fire? '
'Close the heart' is the first tip. Well, nice then, in the living room there is a fireplace - which has a slide, but in the kitchen there is a fireplace - without a slide.
First I grab the extinguishing blanket, which is about the beautiful burning pile of wood - in no time the fire is out. However, the roaring in the chimney becomes harder and harder, the children cry out from outside that they see even bigger flames.
Cees walks upstairs, he wants to feel if the walls are very warm and if things are still going well there. While he shouts that it is' ok 'above, he thunts down from the top step.
I'm still trying to catch him, but I can't stop him from landing on his rump on the tiling. We don't have much time to pay attention to the pains, we have a pipe that is roaring very hard.


I'll give Cees a woolen blanket and order him to keep it in front of the fireplace. In the meantime, I'm looking for a sail to close the fireplace.
With two layers on top of each other (the woolen blanket and a thick sail) it is possible to stop the air supply from the kitchen - we keep the windows and doors closed as much as possible.
It roars tremendously hard. Occasionally I let one of the children take my place and walk around the house. See if the flames get less, see if the flames do not suddenly hit out of the roof and immediately give the little ones some attention.
I'll put the youngest three in the canopy and give them a block of soapstone, a couple of files and some sandpaper. From the kitchen I can keep an eye on them, they're in a safe place and they're having fun.
Quick back inside!

Together, we'll discuss whether to call the fire department or not.
The word “fire brigade “makes our eight-year-old break. The tension is getting too much for her.
“Please tell me it's gonna be okay, Mom.. Are you telling me it's gonna be okay? ”
“Oh joke, of course it will be all right, no doubt possible! Puppie, come and listen. If you're quiet, you can hear that the roaring is less. Do you hear that? ”
“Will it be all right, Mama? Do you really think it's gonna be okay? The noise is less, I'm going outside to see if the flames are less.”
“Go see, Panini. It's really gonna be good.”

The roaring sounded softer and softer. The flames from the chimney became smaller. The gigantic amount of smoke was reduced.
It was gonna be all right... even though we weren't there for a long time.

Pieces of burning wood fell out of the pipe. Luckily the extinguishing blanket was there and we kept the two layers for the opening. It seemed sometimes just to rain in the fire-pipe. It just kept falling.
And the roaring became less.. Thank God, it really got less.

One after the other came to get a croel, see how it went, see if there was any food (? ) , tell them they were hungry, ask if they could have a glass of water (? ) , there were even more crooks brought, etc. It was almost cozy.
It was five o'clock when there was no more roaring. There were no more flames to see, and certainly no smoke at all. Quickly we threw open the windows and doors; fresh air!

This would have been a little too exciting...
Time to take stock;
Cees under the bruises, a broken pair of glasses and next to a wounded coccyx, a wounded ego.
Five extremely hungry babies.
Animals that had to go in.
A kitchen table full of paper and crafts.
A havoc in and around the fireplace.

It was 7:30 when the pans were on the table. All seven of us ate in silence, watching a movie.
Some rest, that was what we needed to place this experience.

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