Remember Remember the 5th of November

Once again Guy Fawkes night rolls around and I am again not in England to Celebrate.

When i was a little girl the story of Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators was something drilled into us at school. We were told to "remember, remember the 5th of November" and every November 5th my Mum, Dad, Brother and I would go to a huge park in Billericay and get ready for the fireworks display. And every year it would pour with rain as we ate out sausage rolls and listened to Essex FM from their portable stage.

An enormous effigy of The Guy with giant, blinking red lights for eyes would be paraded through the muddy ground by scouts and thrown onto the biggest bonfire you have ever seen. As a little girl, shivering with cold, the Guy would always scare me and I was always unable to forget those eyes but when he was burning, the rain was falling and the fireworks started with the music in the background the fear didn't matter. All the oos and Ahhs of the fireworks were droned out my Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.

One year, we went to a more reserved Bonfire Night at my parents friends place. It was pretty low key until one of the fireworks tipped over and shot straight at a neighbors house. The neighbor, realizing what had happened shouted "hey, that's my house" and went to inspect any damage inflicted by the bright red rocket. So i suppose it was never boring.

I always feel that I'm missing out when I'm away from England at this time of year. I miss Guy Fawkes, Poppy day and the build up to Christmas which is a little different from the way it is in the States. Walking down Chelmsford high street, the the lights hanging between the old buildings can always instantly put me into a Christmas mood (not that I need much help with that this year)

I'm really sad that i haven't been able to join in the fun this year. So no matter how you celebrate the day when the plot was foiled, have fun and shoot a firework off for me.