Sunday, February 04, 2007

Tribal games




The day had come, the marshmallows had been brought and apple tree growth spurts looked perfect as sticks to use. The only thing that was missing was a bonfire.
So when exactly is a good day to have a bonfire? Traditionally in autumn after the trees have been pruned many bonfires spring up in November when it is Guy Falks in the UK. A dry day is a must and if you want to make some smoke signals ( as we did) you need there to be very little wind.

The boys collected some dry straw from the shed and found small sticks to make that traditional wigwam shape. DS2 was cutting big branches into smaller ones. The logs had been carted away in the wheelbarrow and filed in the woodshed. Weeks have gone by where the field was simply to wet to do the job and a clear day seemed a perfect day to go out and get some fresh air and have some fun.
When the sun went down, the fire glowed on and the boys had enjoyed a magical outdoors day. Who said work could not be fun? let alone an opportunity to show them how to keep themselves warm with a fire built with small sticks. It grew enormous in the end and even too hot to stand next to, but perfect to roast those marshmallows.

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