The clematis outside the workshop has excelled this year; however the star event of the week was not my clematis, or the Village Hall EGM, but Alen down at the pier setting the hillside on fire. We have a marvellous and dedicated retained fire crew and the other day they went hurtling past the wondow in their wee fire engine. Alen had thrown out some hot ashes and the next thing the hill behind the shop was ablaze. Not surprisingly the large house behind called the fire brigade , but Alen would have none of it.'Controlled burn', he said, 'my land, no access' he said. So the fire brigade went and put it out anyway.