A Mighty Wind

The Santa Ana winds have been blowing hot air down from the Californian deserts for three days now, causing all sorts of destruction in California, and we were woken up again by the creaking doors this morning. Not just that, but no electricity, and a gigantic dark cloud of smoke billowing up over the hill at the end of our street.


I actually looked around the house and mentally calculated a bunch of different scenarios:

1. We decide it's safer to leave, and I have an hour or so to pack the car - take Maya (!), passport, her birth certificate, FM3 visa, custody papers, laptop, Maya's food, bottles, our clothes, her cot, toiletries, baby book, some novels, shoes, etc etc.

2. We get asked to evacuate and have 20 minutes to pack - take the first ten or so items

3. The house is on fire and we're running -grab the baby!

I find all the important documents listed above, and stick them in the car in any case. You never know. We went out for the rest of the day and came back to no wind, no billowing cloud of smoke, no burnt down house but yes electricity, so all's right with our little world again.