Yesterdays beacon organisers and builders were well rewarded last night, the weather held fine with fairly clear skies and a good attendance of local people started arriving at nine in the evening to be marshalled into the designated car parking spaces by folk in hi-viz gear. As we arrived the full moon was just rising just above the horizon in the east. Looking like the rising sun, it was an amazing colour very befitting the event. Already scents of hot dogs and baked potatoes wafted on the breeze as people gathered together by the silhouette of our huge bonfire. Across the valleys in the darkening skies we could see the orange glows of other beacons already burning with folk working out whose beacon was were. The Queen was due to light hers in London at ten thirty, so at ten past ten our own fire starters set light to our carefully built pyre.
Just visible against the darkening skies our pyrotechs lit the masses of dry newspapers stuffed under all the pallets and old fence panels and all around me I could here muted whispers of "Is it going to work?" Then small areas of orange glow started to appear and smoke started to rise into the sky. Now ... luckily for us the weather forecast only an hour previously had stated south easterly winds for our area, which would have meant that our sturdy cooks and tea makers would have been smoked out but ... the breezes stayed easterly and blew the smoke away from the patient and expectantly waiting crowd .
From their safe area behind the barriers there were sounds of "Oohs" and "Ahs" as the bonfire started burning brightly, lightening up the darkening sky over the folk gathered together. The kids voices could be heard clearly ... "Wow!" and close to me I overheard one organiser mutter "Thank goodness for that." All credit to the guys that spent nearly all day building it, the structure remained sturdy as the blaze really took hold and bright sparks flew westwards away from the people gathered together. The ground was damp enough for the rushes not to catch fire and as I wandered around with my camera all I heard were compliments to all the folk who had worked so hard, they'd done a grand job of it all.
Just after I took this photo, the barrier tape melted in the heat and I was ducking and diving the sparks flying like fireworks in the air above me, but it was well worth it.
Far across the valleys the Brecon Beacons beacon could be clearly seen and they had massive fireworks lighting up the sky with a multi coloured display of exploding flower shapes. We wondered how our beacon must have seemed to others. Looking out across to England across the Bristol Channel we lost count of the number of beacons we could see, whilst above us the moon rose steadily in the sky, slowly turning into her normal silver.
We stayed on until our brave beacon had collapsed leaving a pile of glowing embers.
This morning, late. I returned to last nights blazing scene >>>
it was almost hard to believe that a 10 metre high pyre had been set light to last night, with over 200 folk to witness it. All around the commoners sheep were grazing nearby and apart from the burnt patch of earth there was no litter, no other signs to show that we had been here just twelve hours earlier, but there was this ...
One last piece of wood still dancing with bright, flickering flames. As I stood there, guess what ... in came the rain to douse out the remains of our Jubilee celebrations.
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