Penny for the guy?

Today is (was?) Fireworks Night or Bonfire Night in England.

Otherwise known as Guy Fawkes Night, it commemorates Guy Fawkes, an English soldier, and his attempts to detonate barrels of gunpowder in order to assassinate King James I and the members of both houses of Parliament. Why we celebrate this attempted murder is beyond me, but we do it all over the country, and with gusto. There's usually a bonfire -- carefully poked to ensure there are no sleepy hedgehogs taking a nap inside -- and fireworks, cocoa and hot soup, hotdogs and burgers and of course, sparklers. There are also children who make a "Guy", a scarecrow like figure from old clothes, then toss him on top of the bonfire. Lovely.

Sadly, fireworks are illegal in the state of California, as I discovered to my dismay on July 4th this year, so there will be no impromptu celebrations here. It makes me nostalgic for my cold, wet November fireworks displays that we attended every year at my old primary school.