Yes it's Bonfire Night and someone out the back has just set off the most amazing firework. It went on for ages. Here's something from today's Forgotten English page. The word is pants - by the ears: fighting, meh; but the fascinating information on the day will give bertie456 something to ponder:

Guy Fawkes Night Tradition
The streets of Oxford used to be the scenes of great encounters between the townsmen and the 'gownsmen', or college students, on this night, who on any other night of the year never thought of fighting. Happily in recent years these fights have ceased, but even now the gownsmen are gated (confined in their colleges) on the night of 5th of November lest there be a renewal of these encounters.

So fierce were the encounters in ancient times that the tower of Carfax church was lowered because the townsfolk used to ascend hither and shoot their arrows at the undergraduates, and the butchers were obliged to operate outside the city walls because they had used their knives and cleavers in their annual fights.
Source Old English Sports, 1891.

Now, further to the telly people. The rather nice Kev was in all my lessons today. The star of the show that will be filmed week commencing 17th November is Denise Welch, former pupil and reasonably famous actress.


She is going to try to be a teacher for a week, taking on two lessons of my Year 7 as well as a range of Yvette's classes. I'm quite excited. Will give you a running diary type thingy during the week. I may appear. It will be on the BBC.


Oooh more big bangs. I hate them.

Celtic are currently beating Manchester Utd who started with no real forwards. Hoist with your own petard Sir Alex? They are showing more effort in the second half though.