Burning the Baobab...

We've all got one - a friend who's a constant source of entertainment.  To whom the impossible, improbable and unlikely seem to be irresistibly attracted. And thank heavens for that!

I have a very dear friend - highly intelligent, ever helpful and the kindest heart imaginable but oh, dear, never a dull moment in her life and consequently ours.

A few months ago, she broke several land speed records and pushed up the collective blood pressure of Airlink ground and cockpit crew.  And yes, here's another story from her collection.

Roadtripping through Kenya, Him Outdoors and I stumbled upon the perfect birthday gift for said friend (someone highly knowledgeable and passionate about nature, flora, the environment, trees and insects)  -  a floppy sunhat made from Baobab bark.

A precious Baobab tree in leaf

The hat safely made the long journey back to White River and was received with much appreciation by the birthday girl.

This is as good a time as any to mention that in addition to her stupendous knowledge of nature, Friend also enjoys juices extracted from juniper berries and grapes, particularly the bubbly kind.  And she owns a magnificent silver bowl, ideal for chilling many bottles of fermented juice.

And so it was, our infamous Uplands Festival and an emergency 911 call was made to Friend from our stand - the sweltering winter heat (31 deg C!) was putting our bottles of delicious bubbly under pressure, more ice and the large bowl needed, stat.

Dropping her beautiful rust-hued Baobab hat into the bowl, she placed it carefully into the back of her car, leaving the rear door open.  In scorching sunshine.  And went back to dilly dally inside the house.  


Some time later, while locking the kitchen door, Friend became aware of an odoriferous reminder of winter around here - a forest fire fume curled it's way around her nose and she was saddened that fire season had arrived again.

Imagine her surprise when she turned and saw spirals of smoke emerging from her Prado - a fire in her car?

Ahem, yes.  Silver bowl.  Bright sunlight.  Huge heat. Combustible material - tree bark.  End of hat. Seriously.

Please be advised that no bottles of bubbly were wasted upon fire control during the making of this story.

And please, dear reader, take heed and never, ever, put your bark hat inside a silver champagne cooler and leave it in the sun. Consequences there will be!