.....ooh. aah, whee, yay........

Charlotte's first real Bonfire Night.

Over to see Dad this morning...left very early....drove through rain showers, fog and strong winds.

Spent some time with Dad...the sis turned up....we went out for lunch...and then I drove home for some sort of fireworks "do".

The last fifteen miles drove through the most spectacular lightning storm I've ever seen....the lightning was purple/pink....the clouds lit up....and then the hail came....visibility dropped to almost zero....no fun when you're doing sixty on a motorway....the road was covered in hail stones.........and then the road began to flood!....speed dropped to a crawl.......the grassy sides of the motorway were white.......and then it stopped!

When I got home I discovered that the S & H, YH and the Boss had opted for the do-it-yourself fireworks display as the weather forecast was for more rain, hail and strong wind. They'd purchased the £20 party pack and a load of sparklers....and hot dogs...onions..... and bread rolls. " We decided it wasn't worth spending money on entrance fees when the weather is so bad...and Charlotte might get scared if the bangs are too big", they said....but I also heard the quiet comment...."and it's ok if it rains, your Dad can go out in the rain to set them off".

And it did!

And I did!

But after about 20 minutes of steadily heavier and heavier rain...we gave up.....tomorrow is supposed to be better...and Monday even better....so we'll set off the rest then........

Das vidanya moy padruga.

p.s. As a follow up to yesterday's blip I have just found out that the Education system in Holland and Belgium doesn't work on grades and grade boundaries....just a simple %age....more than 50% is a pass...less is a fail....simples!..... and the Dutch system is a phenomenal success.....well have you ever met a Dutch person who doesn't speak perfect English?