With Bonfire night fast approaching, I was thinking back to when I was a kid and how bonfire nights used to be in the Forest of Dean.
Basically bonfire night would start at the begining of October, when all us kids would spend every evening and weekends dragging fir tops out of the woods, chopping them up ready for the construction of a huge bonfire....and I mean huge. The construction would take place during the half term break and its unbelievable to think, there we were, a bunch of kids with an array of axes and knives, no supervision, no rules and regulations........open fires, roast chestnuts and a bottle or three of GL cider......oops, we kept that one quiet!
A guy fawkes would be made and we'd go around the houses to raise some bucks for the fireworks (mostly bangers). Once built, We'd have to take it in turns to gaurd against an early tourching by the kids from the other side of the village.
On the night, we would light the bonfire and the fireworks ourselves. Health and safety would of had a field day with us as there was not much thought for either! The local people would come along enjoy the fruits of our labour and generally everything would be fine.
Very different these days with organised firework displays, set off by professionals, and lets face it most of these changes are for the best.....However we really did have a tremendous ammount of fun.
