Tuesday 5 June 2012

Fired Up



A truly unforgettable experience, as I'm sure it was for thousands who climbed their nearest high point to ignite Diamond Jubilee beacons. We had gathered in the gardens of a house in the village to eat, drink and be merry whilst Youngest Boy spent four hours somersaulting down a bouncy castle. And then, at ten o'clock we convened in the dark road outside (our village has no street lighting thank goodness) and followed an enormous English flag up to the top of whale-backed Slawston Hill. As we ascended we pointed out flaring lights on the surrounding high points to each other, and then our own blaze sent fire, smoke and flying embers up into the sky as if competing with the big full moon that came out of a wisp of cloud at exactly the right moment. I stared out into the black distances, thinking of those in neighbouring villages gathered around their beacons, looking over to ours. Youngest Boy was simply awestruck, running about with his mate trying to catch flying spots of fire in the air until we gradually drifted off down the hill and back into the village street, saying 'goodnight' to our fellows in the darkness like Thomas Hardy characters coming home.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds as though you enjoyed the hospitality in the gardens of the house in the village, whose owners you have allowed complete strangers to vilify on these boards in the past.

Peter Ashley said...

Of course.

Wartime Housewife said...

It was brilliant and our hosts went to so much trouble to make everyone welcome.

Wartime Housewife said...

It was brilliant and our hosts went to so much trouble to make everyone welcome.

Wartime Housewife said...

I always say to the boys "Never do anything anonymously. If you're not brave enough to put your name to something, say nothing at all."

Anonymous said...

'wartime housewife' is anonymous too ...

Wartime Housewife said...

Wartime Housewife is a persona and also my company/brand name. Anyone can email me through my site and I will almost certainly reveal my real name in that context. When I do media work, my real name is announced alongside my nom de travaille.

There is also the element of fun; having a persona both allows me to speak with a slightly different voice but also allows my readers an opportunity to play with voices of their own. There is no attempt at subterfuge and I have never voiced an opinion or written a letter annonymously in my life.

In the event that your comment was justified, surely YOU would have felt justified in lodging your criticism openly. The fact that you resort to anonymity suggests that your are either a trifle cowardly or simply wanting to have a dig for personal reasons of your own.

Anonymous said...

Anyway.

Thoroughly enjoyed the Jubilee weekend. No beacons in East London, alas. Although there was a van on fire the other night.

Peter Ashley said...

Blimey. Thankyou WH. Well said.
Anyway, as Ten Inch so rightly says, let's move on and set fire to a van.

Peter Ashley said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sue Imgrund said...

There's definitely something awe-inspiring about beacons and fires. There is some tradition here of bonfires on the summer solstice, so I guess I'd better wait for that, having missed all the jubilee jollifications.

Hels said...

Peter

everyone loves a fun evening, with fireworks, bonfires, good food and wine, and lots of company. But how much of the pleasure was specifically tied in with the celebrations being for the royal jubilee? Did everyone join in the fun, royalists republicans and everyone in between?

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