Remember, remember the fifth of November

Why are other countries' holidays so much cooler than ours? 

I mean, seriously.  We have dead presidents' birthdays and Thanksgiving and Independence Day, which actually is kind of cool in theory, but it celebrates signing a piece of paper, doesn't it.  Woohoo.

The French, on the other hand, mark their own revolution on the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille - how cool is that? 

And the British have Guy Fawkes day, which celebrates the foiling of a plot to blow up Parliament in 1605 and involves burning effigies, for heaven's sake.

Clearly, our national holidays are singularly lacking in coolness.

My friend E happens to a) be British and 2) have a lovely new camp on an itty bitty pond up near Liberty.

Last Saturday being November 5 and not a school night, she and her family threw a very cool bonfire night party.

(I mean the party was cool, not November 5 was cool.)

(I mean, November 5 WAS cool, but not too cool to have a cool bonfire night party.)

(Oh, never mind.)

The kids put together a couple of Guys.

And a bonfire.

And the grownups put together a potluck, complete with sausage rolls, beans and Yorkshire parkin.

And then there were the fireworks.

(Okay, so they were actually marine flares.  Marine flares are way cooler than fireworks.)

Very cool.