Fireworks Night

Fireworks night? I never know how to refer to it. Over the years at different times and maybe sometimes in the same day its been Fireworks night, Bonfire night and Guy Fawkes night. Not sure what the official one is nor if there is an official term. For this post though I'll refer to it as fireworks night as it is those that we see and hear most of every year as opposed to Guys on the bonfire.

For us it was a letdown this year but I can't blame those around me this time. We just didn't plan well enough. Last year my wife took the kids to a friend's house where they had a small bonfire, fireworks, marshmallows, etc. My wife actually made the guy and before the bonfire was lit my youngest daughter tried to heave it out and then ran away crying when it was set alight. I can understand as it was pretty lifelike made of the kids' old clothes with a hooded top pulled up obscuring the face. I carried it down and it was child size and I'm sure passing motors must have thought I was carrying a child under my arm. Enough to give anyone nightmares.

This year though there were no invitations and the only thing on locally was at the big park which had live music, a large bonfire, a big firework display and lots more. As this was free and bound to be mobbed with only one way in and out we decided not to go- even my wife didn't want to go. Instead we decided to take the kids out the front with some sparklers beneath the myriad of flying rockets and the like that fill our skies every year. We would have bought our own fireworks be we also did that the year before and the kids lost interest very quickly. Then later we would go for a drive to see the surroundings alight from some great vantage points. It seemed a good plan.

The kids enjoyed their sparklers but that was about it. For the half hour we were out you could have counted the fireworks in both hands that we saw. In fact I've heard more tonight. And as we drove out and about there was virtually nothing near while amid the hazy smoke we could sometimes make out the odd one or two. It was a real shame. If only we had thought it through then we should have bought some fireworks anyway. In the car the kids quickly lost interest in looking for any and played a game between themselves while the boy fell asleep. He's ill at the moment and the oldest is still getting over the illness that kept her off school most of the week which didn't help in the cold. Next year though will be different. If I cannot take them somewhere as I do plan to do then I'll put on a show to make up for this disappointment.

The youngest even managed to burn herself by picking up a sparkler after it was out- something we'd warned her time after time about it. In fact I'm starting to wonder about her. In so many ways she is a bright button except when it comes to common sense. The day before I'd taken all three kid around the block and as usual as we walked by the roadside I had to keep a close eye on the boy. I was then distracted by a scream from my youngest daughter and looked up to see her stumble on to the road at a blind bend. It was a real scare as its not busy but vehicles fly around that corner and would not have seen her. Just lucky on this occasion that nothing came around. Still I do not know what happened. She says the wind blew her. After I got her back on to the road I remembered the boy in time to see him trying to step off the pavement on to the road. I was a bag of nerves after it and as I'm the obsessive type kept running the event over and over again in my mind in worst case scenario.

In all the times she has come out with me that was the first time anything like this had happened. Later I took just her around the block and lectured her about the road and why under no circumstances she must step on it. I then took a photo of a reflection in a puddle. She asked what I was doing and I explained about reflections. To my disbelief at the exact same spot she stepped on to the road to look at her reflection in a puddle just as a lorry was coming around. Before I could think I had yanked her back off the road by the hood which gave her enough of a fright to send her into tears. I couldn't believe she had just done it again. Academically she is I think going to do the best out of my three children but I just have to work on those other aspects.

Next up Christmas. That is a time where things won;t go wrong as my wife and kids go up to Perth for a traditional Christmas with my inlaws after they've opened their presents at home. This year has flown by way too quickly. It cold enough for snow so I hope we can have that in December to set the tone.