And I also miss Guy Fawkes Night, (and wondering if we celebrated him because he failed to blow up Parliament and King James I, or because he tried) and all the brands of fireworks of my youth -- Paynes, Brocks, Standard, Wessex, the Air Bomb, the Mine of Serpents, the penny banger, the Mt. Etna, the Emerald Mine, the smell of gunpowder and treason in the air. But for all I know, the UK nanny state has made it all illegal. (Actually the pic is of Barcelona fireworks sent by Valerie.)
Sorry, I forgot the code for clickable links, so you'll have to cut and paste, but Harpers has an excellent article on Guy Fawkes and the war on "Terrorism".
ReplyDeletehttp://harpers.org/archive/2007/11/hbc-90001590
No they ain't illegal yet, but will be soon I'd wager. My only concern is usually is my cats -Owsley and MauMau - but they seem to take it in their stride. Some of my friends have to administer half a valium to their quaking canines when all hell is let loose!
ReplyDeleteTalking of bonfire night. I've just been re-reading about when you and Steve Mann were busted at a White Panthers bonfire party in Powis Square in 1970. You were both charged with throwing a banger in a public place amongst other things. But were both let off (excuse the unintentional pun) on a technicality when the judge/magistrate deemed it physically impossible for both of you to co-ordinate yourselves to throw the same banger at the same time. Remember that one?
ReplyDeleteHow could I forget an incident that posed the question "how many hippies does it take to throw and banger at a policeman?"
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