Crazy Neighbours !

[glojo]

John , do you actually look like Victor Meldrew ?

It's something i've been curious about for a while ...

Yup,
The series was based on me and just around the corner we have the Glen Eagles Hotel which was was the inspiration for fawlty Towers

When I said 'We have all dabbled' I include myself in the 'we' part of it.
Don't forget you have had the oppurtunity of coming down here.

John

 

[Howard]

The Agency work me too hard ......

Never seem to be able to get the time off when theres a do at your place ...

I am a real person though , other members have met me !!

 

[kjay]

Did their house burn down? Presumably not.
Did your house burn down? Presumably not.
Was anything damged? Presumably not.
Is it very close to Bonfire night and is this sort of thing traditional? Yes.
Should you leave your neighbours to it and not take pictures of them without their knowledge? Almost certainly.

so, judging by your logic - if you drive through a housing estate at 50 mph, as long as you dont happen to kill anybody, then its ok???

No, I dont think the worst did happen, but the guy has every right to be concerned about what could of happened, and was commenting on their selfish behavior.

 

[R129mine]

i would have taken a picture of it, just in case my house would have burned down and they tried denying all knowledge of a certain fire in their backgarden

 

[andy_k]

it's a bonfire in a garden.

Fires always look more impressive in photos.

If you have a problem speak to your neighbours don't post their pictures on internet forums

Andy

 

[jaymanek]

I think its perfectly fine to have posted the pictures here... why not... i dont think he really has a problem as nothing happened but is just sharing with us the fact that his next door neighbours have a screw or two loose..

its plain obvious that with a bit of wind, either of those fences could have caught fire...

 

[andy_k]

its plain obvious that with a bit of wind, either of those fences could have caught fire...

But there was no wind (or there hasn't been around here recently)
No fences caught fire
The bonfire was safe enough under the circumstances.

Maybe......

They had a hosepipe on standby just in case things got out of hand

They had buckets of water lined up against the fence out of sight of the camera

So many ifs and buts


My point about hiding behind curtains and posting pictures on internet forums is that it solves nothing and if they were to see the pictures then they could potentially cause a lot more trouble than popping round and having a friendly word with the neighbours and expressing your concerns.

Andy

 

[robert.saunders]

Think that's crazy??

Take a look at these wonderful folk with their Tar Barrels!!

Fabulous

 

[glojo]

Think that's crazy??

Take a look at these wonderful folk with their Tar Barrels!!

Fabulous

You have to go there to believe it. I have seen spectators sitting on five foot high walls watching this crazy event and as the person runs by they lean back because of the awful heat.... and the wall collapsed. I've also witnessed someone falling through a large, old fashioned sash window to escape this awful heat.

The really worse and most crazy thing is straight out of the Howard school of fire control. One competing athlete (drunken local) was running with the barrel and the fire was dying down, so an official chucked a bucket of paraffin into the burning barrel. The outcome being the paraffin spilt through the burning gaps between the barrel spars and onto the man's clothing! Luckily he was near the river, another athlete (drunken local) , grabbed the barrel before this lunatic reached the river and carried on with the spectacle.

CRAZY, crazy. The streets are quite literally jammed pack with spectators and it is the heat from the burning barrels that always clears a path through the onlookers.

Rumour has it that this pastime contravenes a few Health and Safety Regulations. Before the main event there is also a children's run!

John

 

[robert.saunders]

I saw it on BBC Country File today and couldn't quite believe it! The kids seemed to enjoy it as much as the adults, and their participation was just as intense.

I must go and see this for myself!!

 

[glojo]

I saw it on BBC Country File today and couldn't quite believe it! The kids seemed to enjoy it as much as the adults, and their participation was just as intense.

I must go and see this for myself!!

It will be an experience you will NEVER forget. I thought they were having problems with the dreaded public liability insurance? Any damage to property has traditionally been repaired by both the committee and competitors just to prevent any insurance claims. Because of the Health and Safety weirdo's that try to monitor this event, the competitors (drunken idjuts) will NEVER report any injuries, they fear the event will be stopped if it is deemed dangerous. It is amazing how many kitchen accidents there are in Ottery St Mary 'just' after the event finishes The chap I saw that had been liberally dowsed in paraffin was whisked away by committee members and no way would he go to hospital.

I have just watched some of your very good links and you can see the type of sash windows I referred to in my previous post. I don't know if things have mellowed but this event never used to have a large police presence, (unlike your London festivals). The competing athletes (drunken locals) would target any police and deliberately (accidentally) aim right for them. For those of us who are not as daft as we make out.... we (I) would stand next to a lamp-post

If you were ever silly enough to go to this event, I believe all the roads into this asylum (town) are closed off quite early in the day and the asylum (town) fills up with university students from both Exeter and Plymouth.

I must confess to never witnessing anything that compares but we are talking about in-bred locals that have done this since before fire was invented and their children are born with Hessian sacking stitched to their backs.

An experience you will never forget :bannana:

 

[gl boy]

thats just crazy what about the safety aspect...just mad

 

[Howard]

Who cares about the safety ?

Its a tradition going back hundreds of years , under no circumstances should the killjoys at H&S interfere with it ....

Life is for taking risks ...








And running with the barrels in Ottery St Mary is one of them !!!

 

[gl boy]

Who cares about the safety ?

Its a tradition going back hundreds of years , under no circumstances should the killjoys at H&S interfere with it ....

Life is for taking risks ...








And running with the barrels in Ottery St Mary is one of them !!!

i do agree but not in a confined space like the photo show..

 

[glojo]

i do agree but not in a confined space like the photo show..

I dare you to go their and criticise it

In years gone by the streets were far more congested than those video clips show. I also note how one end of the barrel is now blocked off.... bunch of fairies

John

 

[PaulE230]

WOAH WOAH don't shoot the messenger

I wasn't complaining I was only showing the pic
It was a big fire and not long after that pic was took they had the hosepipe on the fences and the fire.
If I would have had a problem I would have gone and complained to them

Red hot embers were going into peoples gardens so I think thats why they got the water on it to reduce it.

I have done a lot worse in the past

 

[glojo]

You have to go there to believe it. I have seen spectators sitting on five foot high walls watching this crazy event and as the person runs by they lean back because of the awful heat.... the wall collapsed. I've also witnessed someone falling through a large, old fashioned sash window to escape this awful heat.

Nothing changes. This is a report of last night's celebrations. Me thinks that wall should either be reinforced (it has to be there) or methods taken to stop folks from sitting on it. Note how the committee went around to examine the wall. There will not be any insurance claim.

On the A30 there was a four car pile-up involving cars taking students to this festival and unfortunately the road was blocked for a while and this perhaps accounted for a drop in numbers.

John

 

[Spinal]

We don't need no water, let the m***** burn!

Is that a clothes pole right next to the fire?

 

[andy_k]

We don't need no water, let the m***** burn!

Ah, but that song's about the roof not the fence