Trick or Treat!

[quote:6f08335311="Mother Bear"] People also got hit by bullets fired into the air and then returning to earth. Talk about living in the Wild West. [/quote:6f08335311]
I guess people think that "what goes up must come down" is just an old wive's tale. They don't realize that those bullets come down just as fast as they went up (barring atmospheric effects like air drag). A couple of years ago I read about a girl who was paralyzed (or killed?) by a bullet which came down and along her spinal cord. It came from an unregistered gun, so they couldn't go after the culprit. Grrr.

On a cheerier note...
It seems like the bonfires on Bonfire Night could have been conveniently transferred to the Guy Fawkes celebrations from the old Samhain fire festival. In the southern hemisphere, at this time of year, it would be more appropriately Beltaine. The old ways don't necessarily die out, they just get repackaged. So happy Samhain or Beltaine, depending on your season.

[quote:83928fe4a5="selchie"]
It seems like the bonfires on Bonfire Night could have been conveniently transferred to the Guy Fawkes celebrations from the old Samhain fire festival. In the southern hemisphere, at this time of year, it would be more appropriately Beltaine. The old ways don't necessarily die out, they just get repackaged. So happy Samhain or Beltaine, depending on your season.[/quote:83928fe4a5]

I was having a laugh with the neighbours last night on this subject - considering what folks got up to at Beltaine. :icon_biggrin: Somehow I don't think there will be a correction and Halloween or bonfire night will revert to May 1st here, no matter how seasonally-correct.

On a more serious note, we did not got to the organised display as intended as it was not on this year! So we went round the neighbours with our box of fireworks and rubbish for a bonfire. Never done this before ... always went to organised displays. Anyway, it might as well have been Halloween - the town fire siren sent the usual shivers down our spines about six times last night, followed by the wails of the emergency vehicles' sirens. We lit our fireworks (which were really poor quality), one went beserk leaving us cowering in the grass and another had a 'second life' nearly causing injury by exploding into the lighter's face. It is not worth it. Next year we will go to an organised display ... or sit at home. :icon_neutral:

Yoiks. I'm glad no one in your group was hurt, Glenda. I suspect that NZ will only limit fireworks use when the insurance companies start squawking.