5 Nov 2010

And Then There Were Some Bangs….

…but not as many as previous years it seems. Other years it seemed fireworks were going of most evenings ‘till late for a couple of weeks before the fifth. Very little this year, and not too heavy tonight.

Do they cost a lot? I have no idea – all I remember is tuppny bangers. Now, they were fun!! We would chase each other all over the place with those things. Light, wait, throw. They had very temperamental fuses though, and getting the throw bit right after lighting was more down to good luck than judgement.

Back then though we were allowed to learn by our mistakes and banger throwing was a good example. Get one of those little suckers go off in your paw was sore. Only once. After that it was gloves, upper class, hanky wrapped hand, middle or your woolly pulley arm pulled down over your hand for us poor kids.

The good fun was setting the little beauties off in different containers an’ such to see how to get the maximum effect for your two pence. Under water was interesting but too prone to failure and thus considered a waste of explosives. Tin cans were good, as were small plastic boxes and cats. What? Oh, come on. I’m only kidding. I don’t think we had small plastic boxes back then.

And let’s not forget blowing up your least favourite Airfix model plane! The one you got glue on the inside of the cockpit ‘glass’ and the transfers were crooked. Remember that one? I always ha a couple ready. On a good day they would burn as well. Simple things, simple fun.

"What are you up to boy?"
"Just blowing this model plane up Dad."
"Oh, alright then. Hay, you seen the cat?"

Anyhoo, whatever happened to the great British tuppny banger? Be he out there?


Quote; Edward Koch.

“The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse.”

2 comments:

Caratacus said...

Mac - didn't you ever open up those old tuppeny bangers and have a thorough mixing of at least half a dozen? Just to see what would happen? My brother and I had a much abused model submarine which we filled (and fused inside) and attached to a rocket. More by luck than judgment it exploded just past the zenith and we were later interviewed at length by a batey and rather unsympathetic headmaster of our primary school.

These days we would have been taken into care I suppose...

Mac said...

I do remember having a submarine that operated by squeezing a bulb attached to the sub by a long tube. Up or down seem to be the favoured directions of travel.

Today, communicating your plans to your friends by e-mail, using words such as ‘submarine’, ‘rockets’ and explosives’ would, I’m sure, result in being taken into care the least of your problems!!

Wait a minute. What's that red dot on my chest?