Bonfire
Last
night we had our annual bonfire. We spent the last few days getting ready and
making sure we had enough food, (sausages, marshmallows, lemonade, potatoes and
bread). Daddy piled up the bonfire, we collected sticks that could be potential
trip hazards. We also had a fairly fruitless search for marshmallow sticks. The
sticks we found were either too short (your face burns up) or the ends were way
to fat.....about as fat as a marshmallow....Strangely enough it is difficult to
get marshmallows on those ones. Then I thought why can’t we make them pointy
with pocket knives! So Alice and I found a few fat ended sticks and turned them
into pointy sticks with the aid of pocket knives. Hoses were set up so they reached
the bonfire (we had to use them). And tables and food, drink, cups etc. were
taken down. I took the big HOT saucepan down with the sausages we had boiled (so
they would BBQ faster) in it.
Then
everyone arrived. Well two of the families did, the other one arrived later.
One of those families was the one that belongs to Fanvedhil and Zicmak. This
year the wind was blowing form the west which is very unusual..... actually it
has never blown from that way before, it had always been from the east. The possums
(which in Australia we like!) probably found it rather hot in the big gum tree
that the fire’s heat and smoke were going towards.
The
first flames were small but soon the fire roared and flames engulfed the whole
pile. Everyone moved back, away from the searing heat. The fire soon died down
a little because a lot of what it was burning was smaller stuff. Everyone talked
together and then we had sausages. After sausages came spotlight, well not
spotlight but a game that is similar to it and back to base (which is similar
to 44 home). Everyone hid and then everyone came out of hiding and tried to get
back to the base (a chair) without being spotted and having their name called.
It was rather amusing when whoever was in couldn’t remember your name and you
managed to get to the chair before they remembered. Then the process was
repeated. Note: when running towards a chair in the dark is not a good idea to
misjudge distances, otherwise some part of you will very likely come into
contact with the chair or something else, at high speed.
Then
I went and got some of the marshmallow sticks. On the way back I tripped over
the hose just in one of the spots where it joined to another, and it burst,
which was nice...... The problem with liking to have ones marshmallow done just
right is it involves patience and being quite close to the fire. The fire had
died down a lot but it still gave off considerable heat. To get the perfect
balance between the distances is difficult. Some others just flamed their
marshmallows or undercooked them or burnt them, but a few of us are more
particular. I tried using combinations of scarves and hands or my arm to shield
my face and eyes but one needs to be able to see what ones marshmallow is
doing. Also one needs their hands to hold the stick to keep the marshmallow
(why do they give them such long names? I’m getting sick of typing it every
time) out of the ashes.
 |
| The art of roasting marshmallows |
At
some stage during the evening Daddy got the potatoes out of the fire and some
people, who for some reason actually like potatoes, ate them. We talked again
and the family belonging to Fanvedhil and Zicmak had to go. Then I realized we
had forgotten the sparklers!!! Surely no one can ever get too old for
sparklers. I finally got to try an idea I had been planning for a while.
This
was the outcome.
Soon
other people became tired and headed home. We stayed and cleaned up and then
sat and watched the glowing embers of the fire until it got rather late. Then we
went up to the house and to bed, our clothes and hair, smelling strongly of
smoke.
The reason I took so long to do this post is that My Dad, Alice and I spent this morning searching the bush for a friend’s 9yo (I think) boy who had run away at six O’clock that morning. It was quite exciting and he was eventually found by about the only person in the group who didn’t have everyone else’s phone numbers and was on a motor bike so had to start walking the boy back. The police (who were also out looking for the boy) found them walking down the road. It was quite fun walking around in the bush looking for a boy in cameo clothes with a bow (to shoot rabbits with). We found lots to laugh about afterwards. The other people looking were mostly from our church but there were others too and at the end when the boy had been found and everyone got back together before we all went our separate ways again we parked the cars three deep. We were the last to go and one of the last to get back so our car looked quite funny parked where it was.
 |
| The car is parked |
The
other reason that this took so long is that my brothers were, much to my annoyance
on the computer when we got back home. I had started to have computer
withdrawals by the time they had finished.
About the Author
3 comments
Now those are nifty pictures. Regarding Marshmallows, copy-paste saves lives. Or would if excess finger movement was fatal. Regarding the cooking of Marshmallows, 'getting the perfect distance is difficult' Is a little bit of an understatement I think. Distance between you and the bonfire, and then distance between the marshmallow and the bonfire. And then time, and steady hands etc... Anyway...
ReplyDeleteI also saw the Sparklers mentioned on Alice's blog, and I wondered what happened to them. Now I know :).
Onto the last part of your post, Interesting Morning then? Oh, and a round of applause to a mention of Computer Withdrawal. I wonder if it has an official name...
Great pictures Claire! I thought about blogging the bon fire, but I didn't have any photos and it's no fun reading about it if you can't see the flames! :)
ReplyDeleteWe had soooooo much fun the other night - thanks for inviting us!
Posts with photos are much more interesting. I know somebody called Claire but it isn't me...... hmm *smiles* O you mean Clare. ME! Thanks.
Delete