Well, the fecker's arrived.
in [UK Mac]
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From: Pd on 21 Feb 2010 06:50 Sara <saramerriman(a)blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: > > Besides, where I come from being a gentleman means letting her press the > > button when you're blowing up tree stumps with gelignite. > > Ohhh! Yes! I'd *love* to do that. When can we come over? You and Rog can > shake your heads sadly whilst I get over excited blasting stuff. Such > fun. My first experience of explosives was aged 8, when we went on a class trip to our local open cast coal mine. We watched a blast from about a mile away. There was a huge silent billow of smoke and coal dust, then a few seconds later the WUMPooooossshhhhh knocked down half the class, some of them burst into tears and I nearly discovered ecstasy. So began a lifelong infatuation with things wot go bang. I used to make my own fireworks, until my best friend and I set fire to his dad's garage. We nearly removed ourselves from the gene pool with that one. -- Pd
From: Pd on 21 Feb 2010 06:52 Steve Firth <%steve%@malloc.co.uk> wrote: > zoara <me18(a)privacy.net> wrote: > > > Steve Firth <%steve%@malloc.co.uk> wrote: > > > Pd <peterd.news(a)gmail.invalid> wrote: > > > > > > > I can't help with the job. > > > > > > Or, if you're honest, the other thing either. > > > > Actually, I have it from reliable sources that PeterD really does have a > > huge book. Whether he'd let Bella make use of it is his decision. > > Now I'm suffering from book envy. No need. It has no pictures, is in such a tiny face I can't even read it and is printed on that stupid thin paper that means you can see the writing on the other side. All it's useful for really is as a bookend. -- Pd
From: Ian McCall on 21 Feb 2010 06:54 On 2010-02-21 11:50:07 +0000, peterd.news(a)gmail.invalid (Pd) said: > I used to make my own > fireworks, I keep toying with the idea of this. Every year for the last ten years, I've done a medium fireworks show for friends. It's big for a private show, small for a public one. To get my hands on anything bigger than I'm already launching, I'd need to study and be licensed. Is something I'm very interested in doing, as ever is purely time constraints stopping me. Cheers, Ian
From: Tim Streater on 21 Feb 2010 08:48 On 21/02/2010 11:50, Pd wrote: > Sara<saramerriman(a)blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: > >>> Besides, where I come from being a gentleman means letting her press the >>> button when you're blowing up tree stumps with gelignite. >> >> Ohhh! Yes! I'd *love* to do that. When can we come over? You and Rog can >> shake your heads sadly whilst I get over excited blasting stuff. Such >> fun. > > My first experience of explosives was aged 8, when we went on a class > trip to our local open cast coal mine. We watched a blast from about a > mile away. There was a huge silent billow of smoke and coal dust, then a > few seconds later the WUMPooooossshhhhh knocked down half the class, > some of them burst into tears and I nearly discovered ecstasy. So began > a lifelong infatuation with things wot go bang. I used to make my own > fireworks, until my best friend and I set fire to his dad's garage. We > nearly removed ourselves from the gene pool with that one. When I was about 7 my Dad used to go to London a lot so I was left alone in the house. Dad smoked and had a petrol lighter (one of those where you pull the bottom off to refill it, it had cotton wool inside). We had a Rayburn, and to assuage the boredom I used to get his bottle of lighter fuel, open the Rayburn door, and swish some in. It went WUMPooooossshhhhh every time. One day it did that a bit more forcefully, and the flash ignited the bottle's cork stopper (it had a little glass tube through it). So there I was, aged 7, holding a Molotov cocktail in my hand. Luckily I was awake enough to just blow the cork out. I put the bottle back on the shelf AND DIDN'T DO IT AGAIN! -- Tim "That the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament" Bill of Rights 1689
From: Peter Ceresole on 21 Feb 2010 09:15
Pd <peterd.news(a)gmail.invalid> wrote: > My first experience of explosives was aged 8, when we went on a class > trip to our local open cast coal mine. Mine was when I was very small; the second world war, which was nice and lively round our bit of South West London. Anti aircraft batteries nearby in Richmond Park, wonderfully noisy, lovely bangs as the bombs came down, night sky full of interesting lights, all tied together by the sounds of sirens and aeroplanes. In the morning we'd go out to see what all those bangs had done, and look at the insides of the houses that had been opened up. Luckily I didn't have a clue what was going on; by the time of the second blitz I must have been three or four. I just remember that it was huge fun. Much, much later I went to some firepower demos on Salisbury Plain. They gave us ear plugs (really, really necessary especially for the anti-tank shoots). As they were all firing firmly *away* from us, that was great fun too. I remember that when they were laying down a mortar barrage, you could see the black dots of the shells at the top of their trajectory. Curious. But for bangs, the military are hard to beat. However, although I enjoy the public fireworks displays in London in the summer, I've never used any myself- except for thermite fizzers and coloured matches. I think I'm just a wuss. -- Peter |