[Guinness]

Yet more nanny state nonsense…

People who complain about the kids of today being overweight and glued to playstations/laptops go on to moan about something that used to keep us on the streets in the fresh air for weeks, lugging lumps of wood, old suites, bits of trees and railway sleepers for miles.

Bonfire night was the 5th…didn’t matter what day of the week it was..kudos was gained if you managed to keep your fire lit until the following day.

Fireworks were in a biscuit tin, rockets fired from a milk bottle, pinwheels nailed to the outhouse window frame. Mum did some home made treacle toffee, sticky, soft, chewy and to die for…spuds in the embers, face burning as you dragged them out with a stick, either undercooked or charred beyond redemption..but still eaten and enjoyed.

I really miss the back garden bonfires, where neighbours actually made meaningful contact and created a sense of community.

Then again..we could ignore our own historical traditions and play safe by doing ‘trick or treat’, and ‘easter egg hunts’ or spend a fortune decorating our houses with lights at xmas, we could even call Father Christmas ‘kris kringle’.