Playing With Fire

Last winter, I came across Grandson R collecting fallen twigs from our Chinese tallow tree and putting them in a pile so that he could have a pretend campfire.

So I came along and said "Why have a pretend one?  Let's have a real one!"

And I set fire to his pile of twigs.

He enjoyed the fire, but I didn't realise how much.

The next time he came, he went round collecting twigs again, and when Grandma C asked why, he said "So granddad can set fire to them!"

When I went in to get my matches, he ran off and returned with his fireman's helmet on.  He was going to hose down the fire like a real fireman.


This little activity of his suddenly reminded me of a little psychological phenomenon we have here of arsonists joining the volunteer fire brigade.

There has been quite a few cases of arsonists lighting bush fires, which are terribly dangerous in our hot dry climate, and these fires can spread and threaten property and even lives. 

These firebugs then join the fire team and seek heroic status in fighting these fires they themselves have started. 


I haven't made cinemagraphs for quite a while.   My last one was here, showing a much younger Grandson R.

This fire fetish of his gave me the opportunity to do another one: