Sunday 4 November 2012

Shrapnel, hail and explosions on a Brompton

As you know if you read my blog entry earlier today, I reported that I braved the elements to pop out for a litre of milk as the fridge was devoid of all such items. I have just come back from another journey to get another litre of milk as cereals for two children and lots of cups of tea required a new supply. As today is not supermarket shopping day (trying not to sound like Dr Sheldon Cooper there) I was forced to make another trip on my beloved Orange Brompton.

Tomorrow is Guy Fawkes day. In the UK we celebrate his failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament by having bonfires and letting off fireworks. The latter seems to go on at least four days before and after the 5th November. I thought I would add this little snippet of information as it is quite important to understanding what happened on my way home, for those not from the UK reading this.

I arrived at the same shop, bought my litre of milk and was again quietly smug that I could fit said milk - all one litre of it - in my Carradice Roll Saddle bag. As I cycled home, glad it was not raining I was bombarded with the loudest bangs, crashes and explosions I have ever experienced in peacetime. In fact it was like Desert Storm all over again! This shocked me so greatly that I jumped visibly in my Brooks saddle, inducing an involuntary twitching of the handlebars. As I righted a possible skid, for reasons unknown said out load, 'whoops a daisy.' I was thankful that no one walking along heard me utter this above the cacophony of sound. Luckily I weathered the storm of shrapnel and hail and ear bleeding explosions and made it home.

In case you are wondering, these fireworks were not those seen at an organised public display but ones fired off in someone's back garden. They were certainly better than the ones I bought which could have been pet friendly, in terms of their noise and duration.

So, if you live in the UK and are cycling home tomorrow, brace yourself for an assault on the senses and remember remember the fifth of November!



2 comments:

  1. "Whoops a daisy" ?
    Do you live in Notting Hill, own a travel bookshop and have a glamorous film start wife?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No to the above. Unfortunately I have uttered this particular phrase from time to time long before that particular film was written.

      Delete

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