The title about sums up my reason for getting through this past week. It's been...challenging, to say the least. There's also nothing quite like a British cold to smack you down and show you who's boss (hint: NOT ME). But I digress!
For all those Americans who watched V for Vendetta and have thusly heard of the man, yesterday was Guy Fawkes Day (or Night, or the 5th of November, or merely a lovely excuse for fireworks and a bonfire). While Occupy London chose to remember him in a way very familiar to fans of the movie (or Anonymous), the rest of the land (aka Buckingham) celebrated in the traditional manner: fireworks and bonfires and probably also burning an effigy (I never saw it).
Y halo thar.
Naturally I roped friends into going with me. Laura, arguably just as excited as me (see: the title of this post. It came from her), Mikko (may his photos constantly be more artsy than mine), and a friend of Mikko's joined on the Long Walk to the fireworks display (you did need to be there. Also, I had no idea the River Ouse was so wind-y! Not windy. Wind-y. As in serpentine). It started a bit before we got there, but trusty Mikko snapped some artistic shots through the trees...
BUT WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM?!
Oh wait, this is from the Mitre...but it's still pretty. :D
Regardless of where they emanated from (and believe you me, they were everywhere), the fireworks were pretty awesome! Vids and more pics below.
Let's start with a pretty picture from Mikko.
OH NOEZ, NOT THE VICIOUS FIRES OF MOUNT BUCKINGHAM!
Meet my new desktop! This was an awesome lucky shot.
MOAR.
Y'know, the fireworks setting is kind of cool.
Happy campers.
After the fireworks, they quickly moved into the bonfire and effigy-burning (supposedly) part of the evening. A select group of individuals marched with torches (no, not the flashlight kind) to a drumbeat and lit the bonfire on the first try (apparently a big enough deal to warrant mentioning by the announcer).
Real men use old school torches.
And whoosh!
Due to my autofocusing issues with my camera (as you can see in the video), I missed the critical poem. WHAT. NO. NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!
As such, YouTube will have to do.
And this website gives a better history than I could capture in the video.
So after the initial round of fireworks, we trekked back to the trusty Mitre. But definitely not before harassing Sim, who was an absolute party pooper for not joining us! Except that, like the focus of my camera, failed. We don't know why...[cue Twilight zone music]
But onto the Mitre!
Last Sunday we were promised SHOCK AND AWE from the fireworks display. And pumpkin beer. At least we got one...
We half expected this, but then again, we were chilling in the garden
Why did we never come out here before?!
on the bench under the apple tree
This is why we can't have nice things.
You knew this was coming, Mikko...but I'm prepared to offer cookies and free paper edits for the rest of the (academic) year if you let me keep this picture up!
with our (FREE AND DELICIOUS) jacket potatoes (read: baked potatoes)
Guess where they kept the jacket potatoes?
and it wasn't too cold and then BANG! right over our heads! No, literally, that's what it sounded like--BANG! is no joke. Onomatopoeia ftw, y'all.
Shock & awe: DELIVERED.
Also, since this is a very video-happy post, allow me to add one more that's relatively unrelated but still very dear to me...
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