A quick step back in time!

Oh, I am so conscious of time slipping from me at the moment.  Today I picked up a pack of yoghurts from the supermarket and the best before date is my birthday... shock, I am nearly another year older, Christmas is nearly here, and there is so much to do and think about before then!!!

Yesterday I finally uploaded some photos from last weeks bonfire, so I thought that I would take a step back in time rather than rushing ahead of myself and creating a whirlwind around me.

We had a lovely bonfire weekend, spending lots of time with the children and doing lots of activities with them.  The bonfire we had was at my mum and dad's, and was a very small affair.  I'm not really a fan of big bonfires, they don't quite create the same ambience the bonfires of old created (although I'm sure less accidents occur)... oh, how old do I sound?!!!  

Bonfires in the village I grew up in were a  real community affair, a party really, where everyone came together to create a fantastic evening.  Wood was collected by the children (and big children), and bonfires were fiercely guarded!!!  Hotpot, parched peas, parkin and treacle toffee was available in abundance, and eaten until we felt sick.

I wanted to try and recreate this experience for my children (albeit on a smaller scale) so we made...

... a Guy Fawkes using clothes that weren't even fit for recycling...

The Fairy gave him a sad face as he was going
to be killed!  Quite sinister eh?!

... made Parkin (I won't be sharing the recipe.  It was the first time I'd made it, and I wasn't happy with the recipe I used... not a patch on Granny Kitty's but I didn't have time to decipher her recipe(s), so need to work on it!), and Grandad Tom's treacle toffee (Grandad Tom was Kitty's husband!).

 

For tea, I made a cheesy vegetable hotpot with a suet crust (I have just discovered I love suet pastry, it gives a fabulous chewy texture, and is so easy to make... we're having dumplings in tomorrow nights tea!!!), and then we made our way up to the allotment (where the children had been helping grandad with the bonfire while I made pie) armed with the parkin, treacle toffee and a flask of Vin Chaud (mulled wine).

The fire was small, but perfectly formed!!!

We had great fun 'bigging up' tiddley little fireworks.

And Guy Fawkes got what he deserved (?!!)

The Fairy wasn't sure what to think when he caught alight, and the
Little Tinker kept informing me his trousers were on fire!

A perfect Bonfire experience for the children (and us!).  I loved it.