Comments on: Bonfires http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/bonfires-395 Stumbling self sufficiency in a small space Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:13:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Danny http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/bonfires-395/comment-page-1#comment-68339 Danny Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:44:27 +0000 http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=395#comment-68339 John retired last year. His knees eventually gave out. This story is so typically "John", bright as a button but the most stubborn (and lovable bloke and friend) that we are ever likely to meet. He also could do a normal man's day in four hours. A bundle of energy and muscle. We do miss him so, along with his wife, Maureen, who was always chirpy, laughing and upbeat. Those occasions when they came to help us out were always enjoyable occasions, filled with chat and much laughter. John retired last year. His knees eventually gave out. This story is so typically “John”, bright as a button but the most stubborn (and lovable bloke and friend) that we are ever likely to meet.
He also could do a normal man’s day in four hours. A bundle of energy and muscle.
We do miss him so, along with his wife, Maureen, who was always chirpy, laughing and upbeat.
Those occasions when they came to help us out were always enjoyable occasions, filled with chat and much laughter.

]]> By: fn http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/bonfires-395/comment-page-1#comment-23637 fn Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:16:57 +0000 http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=395#comment-23637 Hi PyJamas This is a wonderful, albeit scary story. Thank goodness your sister in law was alright. Thanks for sharing, it kept us entertained all evening! Hi PyJamas

This is a wonderful, albeit scary story. Thank goodness your sister in law was alright.

Thanks for sharing, it kept us entertained all evening!

]]> By: PyJamas http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/bonfires-395/comment-page-1#comment-23585 PyJamas Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:27:40 +0000 http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=395#comment-23585 Hells bells and flaming Nora's..... Having read all that has been put about bonfires I could not but relish the chance to tell you about an incident at my mother in laws one bonfire night many years ago. Because her garden is only small I came about with the idea that, that year’s fireworks bonfire would be burnt inside a 45 gallon oil drum with the top cut off and many holes punched in the side. Having raised it on bricks and filled the drum up with wood and rubbish of all sorts, we waited until it got dark that evening before beginning the lighting procedure. I had placed a bundle of oil soaked rags at the bottom of the drum when filling it with wood and rubbish and near one of the holes through which I intended to light the drum. With all the family present and with a lighted taper I approached the drum and attempted to light the rags. Unfortunately the evening’s damp air had got to the rags and had made them slightly damp. So I squirted some petrol through the hole onto the rags and mindful of there being petrol present, this time, I intended to light the rag at arms length with a lit rag on the end of a bean pole. So once again I approached the drum with a flaming rag on the end of the bean pole only to be stopped in my tracks by my brother in laws phone starting to ring. All stop once more, while he sorted his call out. Unfortunately it took so long that people and children started to drift back in doors much to the annoyance of my sister in law who decided that she would take matters in her hands. I had gone inside to see how long the call would take and un be known to me the sister in law had struck a match and was in the process of pushing it through one of the bin holes……! What happened next will go down in our family history as one of those moments we all talk about with gut wrenching laughter; the type that has tears flowing at the very mention of the incident. To say that the whole house shook and the windows rattled would be an understatement to say the least. Rushing outside I was just in time to see the whole contents of the drum returning to earth from where they had been ejected into the sky like a cannon ball from a mortar gun. All around us came the sound of lumber returning to ground with the mix of smashing glass as several green houses took the full force of 6x4’s posts etc. Looking towards my sister in law and seeing she was ok, I fell about laughing as I realised her front fringe and eyebrows had been burnt off. I will not tell you what was said later between her and her husband but suffice to say the air was blue. Basically what had happened was that we had created a cannon with the drum and with petrol fumes just waiting to explode and project the contents skyward. Needless to say no more drum fires got to be lit...... :) Hells bells and flaming Nora’s…..

Having read all that has been put about bonfires I could not but relish the chance to tell you about an incident at my mother in laws one bonfire night many years ago.

Because her garden is only small I came about with the idea that, that year’s fireworks bonfire would be burnt inside a 45 gallon oil drum with the top cut off and many holes punched in the side.

Having raised it on bricks and filled the drum up with wood and rubbish of all sorts, we waited until it got dark that evening before beginning the lighting procedure.

I had placed a bundle of oil soaked rags at the bottom of the drum when filling it with wood and rubbish and near one of the holes through which I intended to light the drum.

With all the family present and with a lighted taper I approached the drum and attempted to light the rags. Unfortunately the evening’s damp air had got to the rags and had made them slightly damp. So I squirted some petrol through the hole onto the rags and mindful of there being petrol present, this time, I intended to light the rag at arms length with a lit rag on the end of a bean pole.

So once again I approached the drum with a flaming rag on the end of the bean pole only to be stopped in my tracks by my brother in laws phone starting to ring. All stop once more, while he sorted his call out. Unfortunately it took so long that people and children started to drift back in doors much to the annoyance of my sister in law who decided that she would take matters in her hands.

I had gone inside to see how long the call would take and un be known to me the sister in law had struck a match and was in the process of pushing it through one of the bin holes……!

What happened next will go down in our family history as one of those moments we all talk about with gut wrenching laughter; the type that has tears flowing at the very mention of the incident. To say that the whole house shook and the windows rattled would be an understatement to say the least.

Rushing outside I was just in time to see the whole contents of the drum returning to earth from where they had been ejected into the sky like a cannon ball from a mortar gun. All around us came the sound of lumber returning to ground with the mix of smashing glass as several green houses took the full force of 6×4’s posts etc.

Looking towards my sister in law and seeing she was ok, I fell about laughing as I realised her front fringe and eyebrows had been burnt off. I will not tell you what was said later between her and her husband but suffice to say the air was blue.

Basically what had happened was that we had created a cannon with the drum and with petrol fumes just waiting to explode and project the contents skyward. Needless to say no more drum fires got to be lit…… :)

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