Bonfire Night was last Wednesday but it does tend to linger a little these days. Back in the middle of the last century when I was a small child there were bonfires on three local bomb sites. We were on the route German bombers took to get to Old Trafford, the industrial estate not the football ground and a few nervous bomb aimers had dropped the bombs a few miles short so where houses once stood we had handy play grounds and plenty of space for the bonfires every November. We all went down and lit the bonfire, let of our fireworks and went home and that was it for an other year. Then people began clamoring for a ban on fireworks as lots of people were getting hurt, mostly children. Not a complete ban, organised firework displays would be OK. Back in the fifties I could walk in a shop and buy fireworks, not a good idea really when you are ten years old, though I managed not to blow my self up. The government, over the years took a half measure, fireworks would not be sold to children but no outright ban. Now what we have is fireworks going off on Bonfire Night and then on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday closest to the 5th there are organised displays everywhere. So Bonfire Night gets spread out some what.
Last night I was watching TV when there was an almighty bang overhead. Now Ginger the cat was fast asleep in front of the TV, he woke up, gave me a nasty look if I had made the bang and went back to sleep. I looked round for Hector the other cat. Now Hector is a very nervous cat, no sorry nervous isn't even in the same street. Clap your hands anywhere near him and he won't go to sleep again for about 3 days. He was no where to be seen. I looked upstairs thinking he may have run up there, which is what he does if any seagulls land in the back garden. he's not keen on seagulls, they're bigger than him and have a sharp vicious beak. Still no sign, have I locked him in the back room? I went in and switched the light on, no where to be seen. Then I looked out the window and there he was, in the middle of the garden looking up at the rockets whooshing up in their desperate attempt to land on the moon before blowing up in a shower of coloured lights. Like he hadn't a care in the world.
4 comments:
What a fantastic cat!
Cats are masters to themselves, they do what they want, not what you think they will!
AMazing how cats will adjust. Here in NZ we have the same firework problem but the Government only allowed them to be on sale for three days this year and that seemed to reduce the number of nights with fireworks. Also raised the age to 18 years. - Dave
hopefully it was genuine fascination your cat was displaying and not madness. i am "blessed" with a truely nervous dog. although largely the fireworks are behind us now as soon as darkness falls the dog stares at the window and shakes. then comes the manic panting and should a bang actually occur she will try to dig into anything. then i am afraid its into her lockable travel cage. i do not like fireworks at all now.
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