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Sadly, bonfire night is in name only down here in Victoria and unless you have a permit for a special occasion, fireworks are banned as well.

Strangely enough, there seems to be some religious or celebratory reason in the surrounding areas at least once a month that has the night echoing with 10 minutes or more of aerial thunderclaps.

Illegal fireworks and letterbox bombs are another story but, at least it all keeps the RSPCA and the local Lost Dogs Homes busy.

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It took me a while and exercised my brain more than usual , but finally there's only one.    

We don’t have village bonfires any more. Our parish council would go spare if there was a burnt patch on their precious Glebe Field. Years ago, when our kids and their friends were much younger, I and

Halloween is a bigger thinig than Bonny night up here in the far north of Scotland. The "Tricks" of "Trick or treat" are not very nice either. People have been known to find their cars stolen or gates swapped with someone on the other side of town, etc.. My neighbour when I was on The Orkney Isles used to put his boat away in a compound over Halloween for fear of holes being drilled into it. They can be a rough lot, the Jocks.

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Bonfire night was one of the highlights of my childhood. We lived on Goodall Street, Hyson Green and our bonfire was in the middle of the street. The week before we would collect all the stuff for burning which would include old settees and armchairs! The stuff was piled up on the pavement in front of number 13 and we had to guard it from the Brown Street gang who would try and get some of it. We had a huge bonfire on the night and would sit on the old settees and chairs until it was time to put them on the fire. (Health and Safety would have a field day today) All the street would get together it was marvellous - hardly any cars in those days to spoil our fun. This all ended when they decided to tarmac the roads, so bonfire night was never the same after that. Happy Days!

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Lighting 321's and waiting 'til they fizzed then dropping them down the nearest manhole hoping they would float down the sewer and find a pocket of methane. If you were successful then there would be an almighty bang and it would lift all the manhole covers in the street.

Winter warmers - Baked bean or jam tins with holes around the bottom and long wire handles, filled with hot coals which you swung around in the air to get the new coals going. Great for roasting chestnuts.

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Think I've written before here about wrapping a lump of plasticine around the base of a penny banger. Lighting it and when fizzing drop into the fish pond at the Memo gardens. Accompanying explosion underwater was sufficient to stun the goldfish, Said fishies would then float to the top allowing us to collect them in jam jars to take home.

Remember raking through the still hot ashes of the bonfire the next morning looking for potatoes that had dropped in and never been recovered. Might be encased in half an inch of charcoal all round. But if big enough the centres were magnificent.

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We had a few mega bonfires in Gawthorne St (about 100 yards up from North Gate in New Basford) in the late 50s early 60s. I remember one year the fire was so big the windows of the houses were beginning to crack from the heat. Everyone chipped in with rubbish and a few of us would spend a few days collecting from the surrounding area. Was always a magical time with all the neighbours out to celebrate.

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Just 3 months away.......

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Ey-up Old man................worked at Marsdens corner of Gawthorne st and Northgate,again early 60s,lovely community spirit in that area back then,some old dears would spend all morning on the chairs we provided just gossiping,(no wonder i still love banter)..........Lovely bloke called Mr Horton was the Manager,showed me how to roll a 'Side of bacon'.........tried to date Diane Weldon from Weldons across the road,(dairy i think) but she was having none of it,............lol.

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Oh yes, I remember Marsdens. On the left corner as you walked down the street. On the opposite side was another shop we called the "Spam Shop". And anyone remember Mrs Cameron's sweet shop, and Stan's chip shop, both on Northgate near the bottom of Gawthorne St.

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My first poem 

 

 

Bonfire Night 1964 K

 

It’s Bonfire night the excitement grows

The dark night creeps up over Annesley Rows

We started collecting way back in September

Our wood for the fire on the Fifth of November

A branch form an Oak tree a Larch and a Birch

Tarpaulin and tyres, a roof from a stable,

 A Gorse bush some plywood and next doors old table

 

Don’t stack it early for someone to light

You know what happened last Mischievous night

Old clothes, string and paper, we made us a Guy

When on top of the bonfire he must touch the sky

Fried onions, roast taters hot dogs and peas

Ketchup or mint sauce just as you please

 

Everyone had the best bonfire that night

Ours was so big it took ages to light

Get your old togs on and wear a wool hat

Shout in the dog and bring in the cat

At the village is aglow

 Hey! Look at that one just up the row

 

He’s lighting a Rocket as everyone flocks

You never get Bangers in a Two an Six box

Sparklers were only a tanner a packet

Hark at that Air Bomb, don’t half make a racket

Volcanoes and Snowstorms don’t last very long

Some nippers are singing the Bonfire Night song

The Spinning Wheel brightens old Dan’s garden shed

Don’t touch that Sparkler it’s only just dead

 

The fire now is roaring you have to stand back

Look out! He’s lighting an Old Jumping Jack

The bangs and the screams and colours galore

I’ve run out of sausage I’ll fry up some more

The sky is lit up by a Ninepenny Rocket

Don’t keep Bangers down there in your pocket

Stand clear be careful you’ll have lots of fun

With Canon, Little Demon and old 3-2-1

I’m feeling the cold take my gloves from my pocket

Get ready you lot, here’s the last rocket

Just a red glow now the fire is dying

My dad has gone in and my mam has stopped frying

The night’s chill gets to me but the smoke still lingers

I’m feeling the cold in my feet and my fingers

The bathroom’s steaming the water feels fine

I’ve stayed up so long it’s about

 The times now have changed as I write this odd ode

Now we teach our children the Fireworks Code

Gary Roe ©

 

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# 9. I actually think that might work getting our dog used to the banging (which incidentally was going on tonight, 2 weeks before Bonfire Night, morons!) just played a few minutes of it while he sat on the sofa with us.  He showed a little bit of nervousness but didn't panic.  I'll keep trying it. Thanks RR.

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Just make sure he's not frightened Lizzie and he wee's on the settee!

Fireworks here too this evening. They shouldn't be sold till the 1st of November. Twerps !

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Me too Ian. Dad got some for us just once. We sat there expectantly waiting for a wonderful display on the hearth. They were pathetic. 

You were talking about indoors fireworks were you?!

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I can remember one called volcano - I think that was what it was called.  When it was activated it looked like a thick grey worm coming out of the top..... horrible

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I firmly believe that the annual Bonfire Night fiasco is on it;s way out, at least I sincerely hope so.

This beats Christmas as a blown out of all proportion commercial exploitation fest.

 

Most yobs nowaday's prefer to waste their money on fags, wacky bacca & dope ! Not waste on fireworks.

The price nowaday's is getting out of their reach, thank god.

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What is Bonfire Night, when you actually stop to think about it? The celebration of the activities of a bunch of terrorists and would-be regicides. Fair enough, James I wasn't much use as a king, allegedly suffered from overpowering BO, forced people into purchasing baronetcies in order to fund his own excesses and was labelled the wisest fool in Christendom but why we have to put defenceless pets and farm animals through the terror of explosions for weeks on end to 'celebrate' such a bunch of losers eludes me.

 

 

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And don't forget people of a nervous disposition either !

 

What does me too is the promotion by shops etc to try & persuade daft people to waste more money by buying the things at Christmas & New Year too. Why ?

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2 hours ago, Jill Sparrow said:

What is Bonfire Night, when you actually stop to think about it? The celebration of the activities of a bunch of terrorists and would-be regicides. Fair enough, James I wasn't much use as a king, allegedly suffered from overpowering BO, forced people into purchasing baronetcies in order to fund his own excesses and was labelled the wisest fool in Christendom but why we have to put defenceless pets and farm animals through the terror of explosions for weeks on end to 'celebrate' such a bunch of losers eludes me.

 

 

 

We're actually celebrating that the gunpowder plot failed.

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