Certain amount of firework activity hereabouts, activity which has been running pretty much steady but not large since Halloween.
Which brings to mind the idea, probably more fantasy than reality, than when I was a child one celebrated Guy Fawkes Night on Guy Fawkes Night, whatever day of the week that it happened to fall on. And one did not, small boys with bangers and urchins doing penny for the guy aside (some of these guys were quite elaborate in those days, well worth their penny), celebrate it on other days. I don't suppose this can be quite right as I do not suppose one would have celebrated on a Sunday, but I do believe there is some truth in it. Also that one detracts from the mystery of the event if one allows it move around at the whim of people who like to keep things nice and tidy.
That apart, I find that I do not remember all that much about childish Guy Fawkes. We lived on what was then a newish housing estate and the plot next to our house had been kept vacant against the possibility of the builder getting his paws on the field behind. A vacant plot which contained the odd sections of trunk of an elm tree which had been pulled down and which we used for the purposes of fireworks, generally with two or three other families. I do remember that the eating aspect of fireworks was more important to me than the fireworks aspect. While for my mother, sparklers were the thing, writing messages with sparklers. Marsh mellows on sticks were fun but not particularly nice to eat. Sausages were much better and I vaguely think that we might have wrapped potatoes in foil and cooked them in the ashes. This being in the days when we bought potatoes from the market on a Saturday from a chap who actually grew the things - and who did not bother to wash the earth off as thoroughly as is the custom nowadays. I wonder if we did twists and dampers and scouting things like that - a well made twist with well made jam being a fine thing on a cold evening? And that, is about the extent of my associations with Guy Fawkes. Maybe some more will come to me overnight.
We celebrated today in a slightly different way, taking our first meal out of the new era, selecting our local Wetherspoons for the purpose. Not too crowded, food served quickly and good facilities. On this occasion two steak and kidney puddings for £6.49. Chips not that great, but a very decent meal for the money; maybe even better value than McDonalds. Certainly easier to eat, as I find McDonalds a bit full of sticky yellow goo for rapid consumption. (The last time must have been when stranded at a filling station on the outskirts of Cardiff, maybe ten years ago).
Followed up by the first bit of DIY of the new era, a bit occasioned by the pull ring of my shiny new box file from Staples falling out. Generally speaking I find Staples stuff OK and as we have one in walking distance, I use it. Must have spent a fair bit on genuine HP ink there over the years, never having gotten around to using fake. But this pull ring just pulled out, rather than pulling the admittedly full box file out of its hole. On inspection, I find that the thing was only held onto the cardboard of the box by a rather feeble rivet. Poke around in the cold & gathering gloom in the garage to find that I do indeed have suitable nut, washer and bolt to replace the rivet. Drill out the hole in the pull ring and away we go. Pull ring now firmly attached. The only worry is that there are two box files and I am not at all sure that I am going to be able to manage the same nut, washer and bolt combination to do the same job on the other one. The trouble with just keeping a great heap of such things loose in a box: one can nearly always find one of what one wants, but finding two the same is generally quite challenging. That requires a visit to Screwfix.
No comments:
Post a Comment