Fireworks For Guy Fawkes Night In The UK

 

Stanmore sign. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Fireworks night is November the 5th. That date commemorates the Guy Fawkes plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The plot was thwarted and the event is commemorated in the UK by Guy Fawkes night. This year, 2021, public displays are held on the nearest weekend night, which is Saturday the 6th of November.

The fireworks were on sale in supermarkets, as well as newsagents. At the supermarket you could not just pick them from the rack. You had to collect them from a counter. I presume they were checking your age.

Useful Websites

wiki Guy Fawkes

About the Author

Angela Lansbury was born and bred in Britain, and has lived in the USA and Singapore. Her family has worked in or lived in Spain and Switzerland. 

She is the author of several books on public speaking and quotations.

She is a member of Toastmasters Clubs meeting on Zoom with visitors from the UK and USA, India, Sri Lanka, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Through the Toastmasters mentoring program Angela has connected with individuals in Vietnam and Romania, and Belize, a different connection each month. Please come to the next BHA Toastmasters meeting on the 3rd Saturday afternoon every month.

Angela is a member of Harrovian Speakers, London (two Monday evenings each month (BST or GMT) currently part in person and part on Zoom, and VP PR for BHA (1st Monday evening and 3rd Saturday afternoon Singapore Time; and TCA, one Tuesday evening a month, both currently on Zoom, as well as secretary for Singapore Online Dynamic which is online only and always, Friday evening 9.30 pm Singapore time.   

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Halloween, Ice Skating, Santa Dash and Fireworks

What a busy time for restaurants and families worldwide in October and November.

*We've got Halloween celebrations on Saturday 29th. Chuck restaurant has had signs on the pavement (called sidewalk if you are reading in America) this week. As an added prompt, leaflets landed through the letterboxes to remind local residents on Friday.

*On the same shopping parade in Hatch End, The Broadway, the Party Shop has a window full costumes and flashing lights.

* Tesco and Morrisons supermarkets are full of outfits to wear; and paper plates; and decorations; and festive cakes.

*Diwali celebrated by our Hindu friends on Sunday 30th October this year.

*Fireworks have been heard in London this week, I presume for Diwali.

*Fireworks again: then in the UK we have November 5th, Guy Fawkes Night, and banners are up all over north London for the public firework displays. Harrow has a firework display. You have to go into the display grounds but I'm sure you'll see many fireworks from a distance.

*The Londoner newspaper reminded me that Ice skating has already started outside London's natural History Museum, where Christmas lights have been turned on.

*The Evening Standard, which is a free newspaper given out on stations and in shops, has a full page advertisement summons everybody to prepare to join in the annual Santa dash in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.
Saturday 4th December 2016. Clapham Common.5 k or 10k festive run.
londonsantadash.co.uk

*Final Fireworks - Dec 31st - New Year's Eve at midnight in: central London; Edinburgh in Scotland; and worldwide; because of the time difference starting down under and in Asia and the Far East, for example in Singapore, then Europe.

Natural History Museum Ice Rink - information, pictures and booking tickets
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/ice-rink.html

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

What's new in November? Travel, Quit Smoking, Novel writing month. World Travel Market. Quit Smoking.

November national writing your novel month. If you are stuck at home, or on the move in public transport, time to start that novel, writing a minimum number of words every day to finish first draft by the end of the month.

My problem is not writing the novel. It's converting to an ebook. I keep trying and getting told that it is not formatting correctly. This is the month I shall try to get my first ebook published. Even if I have to do two pages and sell if free to get it in the right format.

From Monday November 2nd to Thursday November 5th (Guy Fawkes night) it's World Travel Market at Excel in London. DLR (Dockland light railway) has a predicted strike Tuesday to Thursday but WTM is negotiating. Maybe there will be buses. I expect to get an update during Monday. Let's hope for good news.

Guy Fawkes Night, celebrating saving Parliament in London, England, is November 5th. But many official displays will take place on Saturday, eg in Harrow.

How about writing a travel book? Or a novel taking in 30 destinations? Too many? One destination. Not A Month in the Country because that's been done but November in Norway, November with the Navajo, November in Nantucket. November in Norwich, November in Newcastle.

Combine all three events. Giving up smoking whilst writing a novel travelling the world's town's beginning with the letter N.

For a list of cities starting with the letter N see
http://www.wunderground.com/weather-by-city.asp?L=N
Nagoya, Japan might suit somebody.
I picked out some well known places and some amusing names.
Nan, Thailand.
Nairobi, Kenya
Name Unknown, China ???
Nancy, France. Also Texas and Kentucky.
Nantes, France.
Nantucket, US.
Napier, New Zealand.
Naples, Italy.
Napa, California.
Narawilli, Northern Territory, Australia.

If you like a place with a girl's name, there's Nancy in France or Naomi in the USA.
In addition to New York, lots of New ... towns, New Castles, Napoleons, Nelsons.

Halloween Sale Items
Today is the day after October 31st which was Halloween so the supermarkets are reducing prices of their Halloween items, useful for those of us who buy in advance for next year. I have been on the phone to a relative in a UK supermarket and they have described what's for sale. I opted for a hand puppet kit in Waitrose. You do have to sew it yourself.

National Rail in November.
nationalrail.co.uk
National Novel Writing Month
http://nanowrimo.org
World Travel Market
http://www.wtmlondon.com
American quit smoking Thursday in November
http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/greatamericansmokeout/index

Remember to keep readers interested, end each chapter with a question.

Every year for the travel trade and travel press there's the World Travel Market in London,

Next year World Travel Market will be at Excel November 2016 Mon 7 to Wed  9.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author.