Entered on 05 November 2002 at 8:59 a.m..
Guy Fawks & Bonfire Night
Tonight is every disgruntled person's favorite holiday in the UK. Bonfire Night is where Brits get together to celebrate or commiserate a failed plot to blow up the houses of parliment. But more important than that, it is a chance to make really big bonfires and set of lots of fire works. For the past 3 weeks we've had a steady stream of fireworks displays at night, and they all culminate this evening. That is of course if it doesn't rain!
I have once again been commissioned to take photographs of the non-locals complete bewilderment at the massive pile of burning debris. This of course does not bode well for the anti-rain stance. As it seems everytime I am asked to photograph some event, it rains. Well at least we started off the day with clouds, this means that we have a 50% chance of not having rain this evening.
The other interesting thing about bonfire night is that because it is held on the 5th of November in a country above the 50th parallel, we can set off the fireworks at 6:45. Pretty strange to all of us Yanks who are used to waiting until 9:30 or so to set off fireworks on the 4th of July. If Guy Fawks had tried to blow up parliament in July, we'd have to wait until about 1 am to set off fireworks here. Amazing how history always adapts itself to the phsyical uniqueness of the country that spawned it.