Like people only set off fireworks on bonfire night. More like bonfire month.

You're thinking of Divali.

Gah. Seriously? Bah humbug etc.
You honestly expect people to have a quiet night in and not disturb your sleep on *New Years Eve*?

That's crazy, man. You gotta enjoy yourself in this life and having a good party once a year with some fireworks is hardly excessive. (You must've had a few parties in your youth, surely, and don't give me that 'yeah but we never pissed off anyone, not even some grumpy old sod EVER')

Work hard, play hard, I say.

What an absurd thing to say. I'll come and set them off outside your house at 4am each morning and see if you change your mind.


Aren't they thinking about banning them for members of the public?

[edit] No, they are not.

To be honest. I think they should only be done at displays.

Well you live out in the sticks a bit don't you? This would put a different slant on things.

I live in a built-up residential area, as such, whichever fine reveller decided to set off his personal wank-factory of high explosives over the neighbourhood at 12:15am was, with pretty much 100% certainty, going to wake people up, cause distress to animals, disturb children, and so on.

I'm not even raising an objection on behalf of myself, I was awake anyway and the rest of my family slept through them, I just think launching a barrage of really noisy fireworks into the air at well past midnight is a lousy thing to do and shows a complete disregard for other people in the area.

Isn't it likely to be the one and only day they're least likely to wake people up?

It is, but I'm less convinced about waking people open.

You've obviously not watched my sex tape.

Like people only set off fireworks on bonfire night. More like bonfire month.

Well you live out in the sticks a bit don't you? This would put a different slant on things.

I live in a built-up residential area, as such, whichever fine reveller decided to set off his personal wank-factory of high explosives over the neighbourhood at 12:15am was, with pretty much 100% certainty, going to wake people up, cause distress to animals, disturb children, and so on.

I'm not even raising an objection on behalf of myself, I was awake anyway and the rest of my family slept through them, I just think launching a barrage of really noisy fireworks into the air at well past midnight is a lousy thing to do and shows a complete disregard for other people in the area.

Learn by heart at least three famous poems or dramatic speeches (minimum 10 lines each). Recite them at the next New Year event and on at least one other occasion.

Just volunteer for something.

Blimey, Easter's late this year!

so a friend's toddler could see them. It was extremely wet and very windy.

Blimey, Easter's late this year!

My daughter is very excited that it is the day after her birthday this year.

EDIT - It's actually on my birthday twice in the next 15 years. Hopefully I'm around to see them!

Crikey, that's morbid.

1 - Yes. I'm like that, sadly.
2 - It stopped someone else saying, "Unfortunately..."

1 - Yes. I'm like that, sadly.
2 - It stopped someone else saying, "Unfortunately..."

Crikey, that's morbid.

Mate, worldwide, there must be literally a dozen people that would miss you.

Glad 2016 has finally fucked the fuck off

I feel the same way - but totally get that this could also be due to my state of mind at the moment.

The year started with me almost having a nervous breakdown about my uni work as I was really struggling to fit it all in time wise.

At least I suppose this got explained when a couple of months later I got diagnosed with Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, all sorts of things started to make sense then.

Then there was the eviction. I had a couple of weeks of uni work to finish off before we could sort the house out, I think that took it's toll all of the traveling and working at weekends as well as the expense (I have good tenants in there now who have always paid their rent on time to date and are clearly looking after the property - so there is a positive end to it.).

Darryl went off the rails a little (to put it mildly) there was a time he thought he was going to prison, thankfully that didn't happen. After this he finally got a diagnosis of PTSD. This also explained a lot of his behavior/irrational decisions. He's under various mental health people now, but unfortunatly he also a criminal record which restricts him from doing most things he has trained for.

We managed to find some time to get some work done on the house which was nice, but also tiring, then I had to go back to uni.

Around this time I was very aware that all was not well. I have suffered from SAD for as long as I remember, but this year I don't think I ever came out of it. Cue a very bad day at work and a trip to the doctors and meds for depression and anxiety. Everyone has been very supportive though and bent over backwards to help me - I must not forget the positive side of this.

A couple of weeks before Christmas Chloe had a couple of seizures at school, she'd fainted earlier in the year at home, but after some tests they decided she was just dehydrated. They are now investigating her for Epilepsy. Her blood tests have come back clear, she is now waiting for a date for a brain scan.

So, 2016, as the saying goes, 'can get to fucking fuck'.

Oh, and we wrapped up the New Year challenges. Seven were successfully completed, two more were attempted, and one is being carried over to this year. Oddly enough a friend didn't get close enough to a royal to shake hands with them.

People enjoyed the game so much we did it again with new challenges for 2017.

The list...

- Spend one night wild camping
- Learn a new skill and demonstrate it at the next New Year event
- Grow an impressive vegetable or plant, and bring it or a photo of it to the next New Year event
- Learn 10 common British wild flowers and 10 birds
- Cook from a new cuisine
- Try a new veggie recipe every 2 weeks
- Volunteering for an activity not done before
- Appear on TV or radio
- Visit the burial place of 3 different royal dynasties
- Light a fire using a bow
- Learn 3 poems or dramatic speeches and perform them on 1 occasion and at the next new year event
- Go to an art gallery and report back on a picture you liked

Whilst last year the general theme was 'travel', this year the collective unconscious of my friends all seemed to go for 'skills'.

That is an awesome idea. I might try a few of these.

Print the list out now and tape it to your wall so you still remember it come June.

[...]and you've cleared your Christmas credit card!

Fucking lulz

Their business is now failing (because of Brexit, genuinely[...]