Bonfires- Is it a man thing?
Discussion
After a few days of clearing out stuff and then finally getting started on tidying up the green stuff in the garden, I had a large pile of stuff that was just crying out - Burn Me!!
So this afternoon I lit a bonfire in the garden at about 1pm. Kept it going all afternoon, nurtured it, tended it, shared a beer with it. I discussed it with my neighbour over the fence. I even checked up on it this evening - still glowing hot. I know I will just have to check if she is still warm in the morning.
Is it just a man thing, or do bonfires satisfy a primal urge.
So this afternoon I lit a bonfire in the garden at about 1pm. Kept it going all afternoon, nurtured it, tended it, shared a beer with it. I discussed it with my neighbour over the fence. I even checked up on it this evening - still glowing hot. I know I will just have to check if she is still warm in the morning.
Is it just a man thing, or do bonfires satisfy a primal urge.
Definately a man thing 
Also included is pouring excessive amounts of petrol to start it, resulting in a huge whoosh while you top out the trees in close proximity and singeing your eye brows. Then follow this up with piling on way too much wood or tossing empty aerosol tins into the fire and waiting for them to explode
Primal? Neo man would do the same if they had access to the same toys we do
Also included is pouring excessive amounts of petrol to start it, resulting in a huge whoosh while you top out the trees in close proximity and singeing your eye brows. Then follow this up with piling on way too much wood or tossing empty aerosol tins into the fire and waiting for them to explode
Primal? Neo man would do the same if they had access to the same toys we do
We had a huge garden 30 yearsa go and my dad had this big bonfire going and was piling stuff on like no-one's business when a guy he recognised as a neighbour from about three doors up came marching along behind the back fence - backed onto a golf course – comes up and me dad thinks he's gonna say, could you throw a few things on for me as well ...but he said: "Could you do something about your bonfire, my wife's just put the washing out ..."
Twat.
Twat.
It is totally a man thing, we just love playing with fire.
This summer us lads were camping in the woods and we werent allowed fires, just a small bbq on a stand, and that was our plan - but of course being lads we had to end up with a huge fire. We were all chilling out but as soon as the fire started to die it was action stations run in every direction into the woods to get firewood, everything that would burn went onto the fire - there was eventually a log that probably weighed more than i do that went on. Its like a mother and a baby only nurturing it with candle wax, getting it to burn evenly - fascinating, even though it shouldent be - definatley a primeval trait.
ps dont you feel really sad when it eventually dies - its like loosing a friend you grew up with!
This summer us lads were camping in the woods and we werent allowed fires, just a small bbq on a stand, and that was our plan - but of course being lads we had to end up with a huge fire. We were all chilling out but as soon as the fire started to die it was action stations run in every direction into the woods to get firewood, everything that would burn went onto the fire - there was eventually a log that probably weighed more than i do that went on. Its like a mother and a baby only nurturing it with candle wax, getting it to burn evenly - fascinating, even though it shouldent be - definatley a primeval trait.
ps dont you feel really sad when it eventually dies - its like loosing a friend you grew up with!
My bro used to like lighting bonfires when we were kids. His crowning moment was when he lit one in our bedroom. Luckily it wasn't a very big one, and it was on the concrete slab where the fireplace had once been (we couldn't afford wall-to-wall carpet back then). It burned itself out and we went to bed.
Mother's reaction next morning was (and the 'think-of-the-kiddies' will love this) to pin him down and burn his fingers with matches.
He went on to become a downright upright member of society... well, apart from when there's a full moon...
Mother's reaction next morning was (and the 'think-of-the-kiddies' will love this) to pin him down and burn his fingers with matches.
He went on to become a downright upright member of society... well, apart from when there's a full moon...
Great.
Fires are a source of fascination for most blokes. The above tales remind me of a BBQ that we had some 4 years ago.
You know the sort, a Sunday with friends. Everone gradually getting drunk. The women retire indoors prematurely and the blokes, still clutching their tins, stand in silence watching the flames.
The only difference this time was that the fire was the BBQ and the fuel was masses of wood and burnables from the garden.
The nett result: One destroyed (originally expensive) BBQ, a bare garden, some smelly clothed drunk blokes and a satisfying smugness that only fire can bring.
Fires are a source of fascination for most blokes. The above tales remind me of a BBQ that we had some 4 years ago.
You know the sort, a Sunday with friends. Everone gradually getting drunk. The women retire indoors prematurely and the blokes, still clutching their tins, stand in silence watching the flames.
The only difference this time was that the fire was the BBQ and the fuel was masses of wood and burnables from the garden.
The nett result: One destroyed (originally expensive) BBQ, a bare garden, some smelly clothed drunk blokes and a satisfying smugness that only fire can bring.
Snoremeister said:
So this afternoon I lit a bonfire in the garden at about 1pm. Kept it going all afternoon, nurtured it, tended it, shared a beer with it. I discussed it with my neighbour over the fence. I even checked up on it this evening - still glowing hot. I know I will just have to check if she is still warm in the morning.
Is it just a man thing, or do bonfires satisfy a primal urge.
Very much a man thing. But what do you mean you checked up on it in the evening? The evening is the ideal time to spend some quality time with your fire over a few beers
The only problems with bonfires is when the neighbours start whinging.....Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff