Bonfire Night

Anyone going to one?

The Council puts on quite a good fireworks display where I live and Mrs Sluffy likes to go to see it, so that's where I will be this weekend.

When I was a lad though we used to collect and store wood for the weeks leading up to Bonfire night - and I mean the proper one on the 5th November irrespective of what ever day that fell on. We used to have it in the back yard too - the cobbled back street between the two rows of the terraced housing we lived in.

Used to be great nights, a real family event, parents, kids, grandparents of several neighbouring houses, perched on old chairs and boxes destined for the bommy later that night, sharing the fireworks, eating treacle toffee, black peas and parkin.

The men used to have bits of rope - well thick string really, that they set fire to the end of and either blew on every now and again, or swung in a circle, to keep the flame alive. This rope was used to light the fireworks - bangers and jumping jacks being my favourites - both outlawed for being too dangerous years back.

I knew I was of age one year - I was about ten - when my dad allowed me my own rope and let me set off some of the fireworks myself.

At the end of the night we used to put the Guy Fawkes we had made – usually from old clothes stuffed with screwed up newspaper - which we touted around the area seeking ‘a penny for the Guy’ the week before the night itself.

The following morning we used to get up early and see if there was any life left in the embers of the bonfire and desperately tried to get the thing going again before we had to go to school.

Far better than these tame organised events we have these days - but I guess no one gets burned any more - one of my mates once got 'singed' a bit trying to leap across his bommy and falling back in to it - the stupid sod!

Happy days.

Back in my younger days, I also used to go around collecting wood, then would light it and invite all the neighbours, after buying fireworks with the money we had made from doing Penny for the Guy outside the local newsagents.

Now I will be going to a local charity event where the fireworks are great and is much cheaper than trying to do it yourself. But they were happy days indeed.

Happy days, they sure were Sluffy collecting, nicking other people's bonfire wood(raiding)and Penny for the Guy.

Remember one year we stored all our Bonfire wood in our back garden.
We were sat watching the telly one Saturday night and someone knocked on our front door and said "Do you know you've got a big fire in your back garden" the bastards all our hard work gone up in flames before the big night.

Gutted! That happened to us one year, built the day before then someone set it on fire (without us knowing - it was in a field) Didnt ruin the day though managed to build another one the next day, which was equally as impressive...

I used to go to on on Long Lane in a back street every year for 5 years until PC took over and the council banned it, fuckers!

Is anyone aware of a decent one this weekend or next monday?

Miss the bonfires - don't happen over here :-(



Remember the days of collecting wood and building our own and of course, Penny for the Guy - its eems that Halloween has replaced the great bonfire traditions. :-(

As a kid, I remember going to one at Arkwright's a lot just off Chorley Old Road. It was always absolutely heaving, but I don't think they do it anymore. Also went to one at the Lostock Arms a lot which was also always a massive affair.

To me there's not much fun in standing around a fire getting piss wet through and cold, so I don't have anything like that planned.

On the subject of black peas, I don't know anybody that doesn't like them but they look about as appetising as shit, so I've never braved it and had a taste. Are they really that good?

Black Peas looks like shit, tastes great - You must try them...with plenty of vinegar - In fact I dont think you are a proper Boltoner unless you have at least tried them...

You've never lived until you've tasted Black Peas, best ones used to be on Bolton Fair when it was on the old Moor Lane bus station.

Yes, remember the fair being there before the bus station.

Doff you've really got to try black peas.

Used to always have them in a mug - not a bowl.

True taste of Bolton!

The best Guy Fawkes night I ever spent was abroad! Where no one acknowledged it's existance.

Also, I hate that the local shops get the chavviest kids they can find to sit in front of them begging for money. And that they then sell cheap fireworks to said chavvy kids!

Rant over.

Black Peas! Bloody lovely. There is a stall in the indoor market next to the fish market that still sells them and you can get a big tub from Greenhalgh's for £1.50. 2 minutes in the microwave and you have some proper Lancastrian fayre.

Regarding Bonfire night 'snacks' - did anyone try my Bacon and Beans thing?

Just wondering...

If anyone has kids i hope they wear gloves while holding sparklers, and use water buckets to put them out.

There used to be a wonderful thing called a rip-rap that you lit then threw down behind some unsuspecting fcuker and it jumped and banged all over the place - put the fear of god into 'em.

I think they got banned in the end. Political correctness gone mad.

Numpty 28723 wrote:There used to be a wonderful thing called a rip-rap that you lit then threw down behind some unsuspecting fcuker and it jumped and banged all over the place - put the fear of god into 'em.

I think they got banned in the end. Political correctness gone mad.

My good lady was only talking about them the other day. Her father got his leg burnt when one flew up his trouser leg. Haven't seen them for years so it must mean that H&S have binned them.

Sticking with the fireworks theme, this jackass must have been at the very back of the queue when brains were handed out.

https://youtu.be/BRyLuxILNaM

Hipster_Nebula wrote:If anyone has kids i hope they wear gloves while holding sparklers, and use water buckets to put them out.

Spoilsport! All the fun is teh dodging of fireworks and the probability of getting hurt - its whats known as growing up strong and active!!!



Don't think you would enjoy anywhere on mainland Europe on New Years Eve as Fireworks are thrown here there and everywhere! PLus it is fun dodging them - takes me back to my childhood days.



The UK is too much of a "safe" and "pc" country nowadays where fun is being drained out of its populous!

bwfc71 wrote:

The UK is too much of a "safe" and "pc" country nowadays where fun is being drained out of its populous!

Don't judge us all by Hipster's standards.

bwfc71 wrote:

Hipster_Nebula wrote:If anyone has kids i hope they wear gloves while holding sparklers, and use water buckets to put them out.

Spoilsport! All the fun is teh dodging of fireworks and the probability of getting hurt - its whats known as growing up strong and active!!!



Don't think you would enjoy anywhere on mainland Europe on New Years Eve as Fireworks are thrown here there and everywhere! PLus it is fun dodging them - takes me back to my childhood days.



The UK is too much of a "safe" and "pc" country nowadays where fun is being drained out of its populous!

what utter bollocks.

If you think it's fun for some kid to have his hand blown off then i pity you.

Have fun, yes, but safe fun.