I'm sitting here in Brooklin, Ont. Enjoying the beautiful cool evening on my daughter's deck.
It is Canada Day and hopefully I'll be able to see some fireworks from here. The rest of the family took off to see them from a far better vantage point. Yes, they did invite me to go along with them, but I declined as I thought I would be more comfortable here. Apart from some pesky insects, I am enjoying the peace and quiet.
Not everyone enjoys a fireworks display, but I do. That's probably due to the fact as a child in England I absolutely loved Guy Fawkes Day. Guy Fawkes was a man who tried to blow up the houses of parliament in the 1600s. Nov. 5 was a really fun day for me, my siblings and my friends.
The day would be spent finding anything we could to build a big bonfire in the back yard. It was a good job our houses were made of bricks. If we didn't have our own fire we would run along to the local green where work would have been going on all day to build a large community bonfire. Next we would collect old clothes, straw and newspapers for making a guy. We would stuff the clothes with newspaper, straw and any other soft material to fill him out. Then we tied his middle with a string, popped an old hat on his head, old boots on his feet and we were ready to go.
Off we set, wheeling him around the streets calling, "Penny for the guy, penny for the buy." This was to help us finance the fireworks we hoped to buy
As soon as darkness fell we would beg our parents to help us get the evening fun started. First they would throw the guy on top of the bonfire, the light it.
The blaze would be so exciting. Some people even brought potatoes on sticks to cook.
Soon the fireworks begin. The jumping crackers, usually thrown by the boys round the feet of unsuspecting girls, resulted in screams and jumping around trying to stay clear of the fireworks. Whizzing rockets would fly high in the sky and then explode. Catherine wheels nailed to a fence would turn around and around, furiously throwing off beautiful colours and sparkling stars to the squeals of excitement of us all. Next there were the roars and bangs of bangers adding more squeals of delight. The sky would suddenly be illuminated with light as the radiant colours and shapes of the Roman candles would fly in the air. Oohs and ahs could be heard all around and the magic of the evening would be over.
Coming back to the present, I realize to my dismay that I haven't seen one firework. The giant evergreens scattered around the yard have obscured my view.
Imagine my disappointment and annoyance with myself when the family came home full of stories of how wonderful the view was of the lake and the fireworks. Everything was terrific and so much fun.
I was, of course, happy for them and for myself too, eventually, when I realized I had just written my next column.
Have a great week and take care.
