yes this is a bonfire

One of my interviewees for my book invited me to a gathering or party on a very moonless night. Mercifully the tempest and rain of the previous days had died down and I was so glad to hear that the rain stopped just in time for the Wells Carnival (held 14^th November) to start. I had no idea what to expect. I was told that people had to bring their own food, the event would be held around a bonfire.

We both bought sausages and a roll to have them in. We turned up around 7 pm to find quite a collection of people with their dogs and their children chatting away. This was in an old barn and alfresco seating had been arranged but the star of the show was a round barbecue where people could cook anything they wanted. Outside there was not one fire burning but several.

It reminded me of the reference in the Bible to the fire of Gehenna that never goes out. The wind was making the sparks fly. There were a number of small bonfires one which was made from a tree stump that had been divided into four. The landscape felt dystopian in the dark but also elemental and exciting. There were about 20 people in the shed when we arrived and most of them knew each other and were talking animatedly. Strapping farmer’s wives were cuddling their children while their husbands talked shop.

It was nice to be with a bunch of younger people as my interviewees have been in the upper age range and it reminded me of the need to provide for everybody. As you know I am quite prepared to talk to anyone with a pulse but on this occasion, I felt more comfortable standing ground the bonfire with whoever cared to come out and join us. I think at heart I am a small group person.

We talked to a farmer called Martin who said that due to the weather he didn’t have enough feed for his cows and ideally would like to keep them out until December. He said that whilst the animals can cope with the cold, it is the damp that they could not manage.

He and his wife have a second job because farming is increasingly regarded as a business that must be profitable. He has two sons, neither of whom show any interest in farming and he thinks that since people are better educated, they are more aware of ways of making a living.

People can make as much money in one week as they can on three months running a farm. My goodness these farmers are a tough crowd. We cooked our sausages and sat and ate them and then decided to leave.

Our hostess took a few of us on a little tour of her wonderful little hut or shall we say construction where she stays and works on essential oils and the like. It was built from locally sourced timber and the only thing she had to buy were screws.

The party was not great for us for meeting new people but it was wonderful for just being there and sampling the atmosphere of genuineness and mutual support that is so typical of country areas. Long may it last.

On the way out we popped into Roger’s pub about which I have written and I had the most delightful local cider which gave me no bad side effects at all and I realize how most modern drinks are compromised by chemicals in some way or another and these are not compatible with human health. It is profit that is number one in this apparently dying world. I must get the name of the brand.

Long live the human being I say.