5th November Bonfire Bangs & Fireworks, smells

In my youth, the 1960s, 70s & 80s, Bonfire night was a very big day for me.  It broke up the monotony of the year and it had its practical uses.  Now I just stay at home, I couldn't care less and can't be bothered to get involved.

As a child I lived in a poverty stricken inner city.  We had no officially organised displays, neighbours just got together and did their own.  A large display was 20 or 30 neighbors.  A small display was just one family. 

I actually have good memories of doing our own bonfire in the back street outside our house and visiting multiple fires and displays in our and surrounding streets.  There was plenty of wood because nearby back to back housing was being demolished and not cleared. Bonfires were being built for about a week before the actual fire.  The fireworks were all organised by local youths. 

There was no concern for health and safety, I remember one of our neighbors going to hospital after a 'jumping jack' exploded as it smashed into her ankle.  Both me and my mother had severe eye problems from all the smoke.  And everyone's clothes smelt of burnt smoke.

We usually did a small fire opposite our house on the backstreet.  After three or four years, a car owning neighbour came round to complain to us and threatened to report us to the police/council.  Our Bonfire had burnt through several layers of the road and a pothole had developed which was getting larger and deeper all the time.

After we moved and had a large garden, bonfire night was the day we burnt all our autumn garden waste in a fire in our garden.  It was the one day of the year when neighbours didn't come round to complain about the smoke and fire.

Now, I just stay at home and watch TV.

In my youth, the 1960s, 70s & 80s, Bonfire night was a very big day for me.  It broke up the monotony of the year and it had its practical uses.  Now I just stay at home, I couldn't care less and can't be bothered to get involved.

As a child I lived in a poverty stricken inner city.  We had no officially organised displays, neighbours just got together and did their own.  A large display was 20 or 30 neighbors.  A small display was just one family. 

I actually have good memories of doing our own bonfire in the back street outside our house and visiting multiple fires and displays in our and surrounding streets.  There was plenty of wood because nearby back to back housing was being demolished and not cleared. Bonfires were being built for about a week before the actual fire.  The fireworks were all organised by local youths. 

There was no concern for health and safety, I remember one of our neighbors going to hospital after a 'jumping jack' exploded as it smashed into her ankle.  Both me and my mother had severe eye problems from all the smoke.  And everyone's clothes smelt of burnt smoke.

We usually did a small fire opposite our house on the backstreet.  After three or four years, a car owning neighbour came round to complain to us and threatened to report us to the police/council.  Our Bonfire had burnt through several layers of the road and a pothole had developed which was getting larger and deeper all the time.

After we moved and had a large garden, bonfire night was the day we burnt all our autumn garden waste in a fire in our garden.  It was the one day of the year when neighbours didn't come round to complain about the smoke and fire.

Now, I just stay at home and watch TV.