No smoke

My refugee friends have extended family living nearby, and today I was invited to a meal at their apartment just up the road.

It's a small place, sparcely furnished.  Every few minutes an electronic beeping noise came from first one room then another.  It took me a while to realise it was the smoke alarms - they needed their batteries changing.  I think my hosts had had no idea why they were making that noise, which they had simply been putting up with, not knowing what else to do.

I helped them get one of the alarms down, and showed them how to open it up to get at the battery.  I made them promise to replace the batteries as soon as possible, and I'm pretty sure they will - there have been at least three devastating house fires in that neighbourhood in the space of a year.

That's the risk with old buildings, and those in Linton are not immune either - a dreadful fire last night destroyed much of Chilford Hall, a very popular weddings and events venue.  No-one hurt, thank goodness, but what a terrible thing to happen.