Burnfest VII

Just back from BURNFEST VII which is the seventh in a series of fireworks parties. This term totally undersestimates the magnificence of BURNFEST however! It is USUALLY some time around 5th November but this year it was "LATE BUT GREAT" because Coz is only just back from a year in Oz.

After two years of arriving late as a result of getting LOST I managed to be EARLY this year. The trouble was I got there by a VERY strange route the first time, having gone wrong quite early on and then asked some lovely people (unsuccessfully) for directions to Tom's Farm (only to discover later that this wasn't the name of the farm just the name of Coz's friend who lives there, hence it's his farm!!!). The SECOND time I drove there I could only remember getting there the strange getting lost way and so got lost again but in a DIFFERENT way, curiously enough!!!

Fortunately this year I had it sussed!

The evening began with the merriment of sparklers (shiny, pretty!) and lots of catching up with my old students. Then a guy started doing some fire stick juggling which was rather cool. Even more cool though, when one of the fire stick end went out, my handy youthworker-who-has-light-candles-in-church lighter came to the fore! I was only a little unnerved as I stood there hold a lighter under a parafin soaked baton and he said "the parafin might drip a bit"! I escaped unscathed however!

After that was munching on bangers,of the sausagey kind. Scrumptious!

Then the huge bonfire, complete with Red Dwarf characters and a rather sad looking reindeer, was lit to the accompaniment of "I'm a Firestarter" and the chill of the December night was off-set rather splendindly.

After much gazing at the wonderfully flickering flames, we wereled by torchesto the field and standing at a "safe" distance of indeterminate length we watched a cracking display of fireworks, courtesy of Coz and the Committee of Burning. There were some girly ones for the girlies (oooooh.... ahhhhhh) and some EXTREMELY loud one's for the tough guys plus a Catherine Wheel for Catherines! It was just glorious.

After that we went back to the now somewhat smaller bonfire for the toasting of marshmallows. The bonfire was smallER but still required a stick of at least 3ft to hold a marshmallow and cook it without cooking your arm! It really was VERY WARM!

More chat with my old students and the usual chance to chat to Coz's rather curious collection of curious friends including those of dubious nicknames - USW you know who you are! This led into a fantastic rubbish joke telling contest which Ruth DEFINITELY won with her "3 men walking into a bar" joke!!

Well I am now home and theproud owner of my second Burnfest Polo Shirt! This year I learnt my lesson, however, and ordered a large shirt so it could fit OVER my many layers for the occasion!