New Years Eve party

[steve_b_wales]

Well, for the first time in 16 years, I won't be holding a family party this year. I know I'm not alone but I feel gutted. I've always let a few fireworks off at the stroke of midnight, in memory of my late son, David, who I lost 17 years ago. It all started in Dec 2003 when I had one rocket left over from bonfire night. My son had recently departed and I let the rocket off in his memory. Fast forward the many years later, when my family and myself let off loads of various fireworks. This year, I will let off one or two in his memory, joined by my wife. It's not going to be the same of course. This is also our first day out of isolation after us both getting CV19. 

Edited December 31, 2020 by steve_b_wales

[figgy]

Still let the fireworks off in memory of your son. Chin up for hopefully a better year than we have had.

[243deer]

I think the memories of those we wish were still with us always seem to hit home at some point at this time of the year. I lost my best mate at school to a speeding driver nearly 50 years ago, I still wonder fondly what sort of trouble we would have managed to get into. Send two rockets up.

[blackbird]

Steve send those two rockets up mate I will be looking out for them further down the valleys,  your son will always be in your memories.

Edited December 31, 2020 by blackbird

[steve_b_wales]

Thanks all. I know that both my wife and I are very lucky to 'get away' with what we had. Two people in my street died of Covid 19. There will be 'one or two' rockets and a few 'cakes' let off later in his memory. Next year, well hopefully it will be a better year for us all.

                                                     Steve. 

[team tractor]

I lost my sister 23 years ago at 19 years old. I sat and cried on her birthday this week . I haven’t really celebrated New Years since . 
I’ve a few little fireworks left over for tonight with the girlfriend. New beginnings 

 

it’s great that you still do it 

[steve_b_wales]

Well, at the stroke of midnight last night, The first of a 'few' rockets/cake fireworks were let off in memory of my son. I had a pack of 5 large rockets which cost me £30, but they were brilliant. A very loud 'boom' and a huge expanse and  cascade of colours. I also had smaller ones which were okay. As I cut back on the amount I purchased this year (normally around the £250 mark) it was over pretty quick, but at least I managed to continue the tradition.

Next New Years Eve will be an even more spectacular one than previous years, providing public sales of fireworks have not been banned by then. The company I buy them off sell them throughout the year, but I'm planning on getting most of them before bonfire night.

Edited January 1, 2021 by steve_b_wales

[team tractor]

7 hours ago, steve_b_wales said:

Well, at the stroke of midnight last night, The first of a 'few' rockets/cake fireworks were let off in memory of my son. I had a pack of 5 large rockets which cost me £30, but they were brilliant. A very loud 'boom' and a huge expanse and  cascade of colours. I also had smaller ones which were okay. As I cut back on the amount I purchased this year (normally around the £250 mark) it was over pretty quick, but at least I managed to continue the tradition.

Next New Years Eve will be an even more spectacular one than previous years, providing public sales of fireworks have not been banned by then. The company I buy them off sell them throughout the year, but I'm planning on getting most of them before bonfire night.

1 firework is just as important as 100. It’s a great memory. 
I stood outside on the girlfriends drive with the kids and sparklers and was questioned by the police about a breakin 🤷🏻‍♂️. 

[AVB]

Fireworks have been let off for years (more so at New Year nowadays) but the opposition to them is growing every year. Normally complaining about the impact on animals but also nowadays about people with autism. Personally I’m not bothered by them but I reckon they will be banned in a few years. 

[WalkedUp]

My boys love them, you can buy low noise fireworks to avoid upsetting anyone and avoid e.g. rockets that litter fields. I always get amused that people complain about fireworks upsetting their dog, just highlights bad training! A proper dog will have a 12 bore firing off a salvo of 36grabs at a skien of geese, whilst sat a few feet away and not flinching. 

[ordnance]

28 minutes ago, WalkedUp said:

My boys love them, you can buy low noise fireworks to avoid upsetting anyone and avoid e.g. rockets that litter fields. I always get amused that people complain about fireworks upsetting their dog, just highlights bad training! A proper dog will have a 12 bore firing off a salvo of 36grabs at a skien of geese, whilst sat a few feet away and not flinching. 

A dog i had loved to get out with me with the gun never flinched with the noise of shotguns etc, but was terrified of fireworks. 

[foxbuster]

48 minutes ago, ordnance said:

A dog i had loved to get out with me with the gun never flinched with the noise of shotguns etc, but was terrified of fireworks. 

My ess is exactly the same, loves going out with the shotgun but **** scared of fireworks.

[Jim Neal]

1 hour ago, WalkedUp said:

My boys love them, you can buy low noise fireworks to avoid upsetting anyone and avoid e.g. rockets that litter fields. I always get amused that people complain about fireworks upsetting their dog, just highlights bad training! A proper dog will have a 12 bore firing off a salvo of 36grabs at a skien of geese, whilst sat a few feet away and not flinching. 

I'm a bit surprised by that comment, tbh.  With respect to you I don't think it's very well thought out.

I felt blessed on bonfire night that I could walk outside with my son and both springers I had at the time, stand in the street and watch with the dogs just sat next to us as if nothing was happening.  But it's a simple fact that many dogs can't cope with loud bangs such as fireworks in close proximity, and it's not the fault of the dog or their owner.  Let's not forget that with us being shooters we have dogs that don't bat an eyelid to gunfire or loud explosions because we've exposed them to it in the right way to begin with, but the majority of dogs are just pets and haven't had the training, or indeed don't possess the inherent temperament, to be impervious to the sound of fireworks.

It's not all about dogs though.  Locally to me, around last bonfire night, I know of three cats and two dogs that ran scared from their houses/gardens and were subsequently knocked over and killed by cars.  There are other animals such as horses and livestock which can be affected.  Ewes are in lamb at the moment, and any animal can miscarry if traumatised;  there are some horses in foal (if that's the correct term) in the field behind some local houses - people were setting rockets off right over the top of the horses for hours last night, causing them great distress.  That's not even to mention the unseen impact on local wildlife - who knows what sort of effect it has?  How many birds of various types might be scared off their roost and get predated on because of that displacement?  There's probably many more examples.

I'm not a killjoy, I don't want fireworks banned but I really don't think they should be available to the general public in the way they are now.  Organised displays, where it's done properly.... no problem with that, it's actually an art form the way they do it at the good ones, but when people live surrounded by other houses and they're just letting off any old random rockets and bangers all night, it's just ASBO, it's way too much.  I'm sure if a bit of thought was applied there could be a way of continuing firework sales but without the excessively loud bangs.  Difficult to police but must be do-able.  But it would cost money and therefore the status quo will remain the same I fear, and  peoples' pets and livestock will continue to lose their lives every year.

 

[Retsdon]

12 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

My boys love them, you can buy low noise fireworks to avoid upsetting anyone and avoid e.g. rockets that litter fields. I always get amused that people complain about fireworks upsetting their dog, just highlights bad training! A proper dog will have a 12 bore firing off a salvo of 36grabs at a skien of geese, whilst sat a few feet away and not flinching. 

I nearly lost a very valuable border collie once on account of a thunder storm (the dog I used to use as my avatar). The thunder scared him so much that he tore his chain out of the wooden wall of his kennel and just took off. As he was outside, I didn't know he'd gone until I went out of the house after the storm. Eventually, about 5 hours later, as I was driving around a large suburban village/ development about two miles from the farm in the landrover, whistling out of the window, a woman came out of her house and told me their neighbour had a strange dog trailing a chain in his back garden that was too shy to let anyone near him. And I got him back. But it was a very, very, worrying few hours.

And that dog was trained well enough. I had run him in the Scottish national championship.

[stuartyboy]

12 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

My boys love them, you can buy low noise fireworks to avoid upsetting anyone and avoid e.g. rockets that litter fields. I always get amused that people complain about fireworks upsetting their dog, just highlights bad training! A proper dog will have a 12 bore firing off a salvo of 36grabs at a skien of geese, whilst sat a few feet away and not flinching. 

The majority of dogs aren't trained for shooting though, why would they? Majority of people don't shoot, their dogs are pets. Fair enough, that a shooting dog will cope with fireworks but the average pet dog won't.

My (pet) dog is a rescue dog and struggles with any loud noises. I've tried to train him but the damage was done before he came to us and is deep rooted in him. To see him shaking in fear and stressed when fireworks go off is a shame. I also know a dog that died due to the stress of fireworks. 

[WalkedUp]

Apologies. I didn’t intend to offend anyone and agree mine may be an extreme (and incorrect) view. My point was more that you can train a pup to overcome fears of loud noises etc by gradual exposure. Maybe I’ve just been fortunate but I’ve always exposed my dogs to as many different stimuli from a young age and I’ve remained neutral.

Anyway, back to fireworks. You should be able to enjoy them responsibly, it would be a sad day if they were banned due to a few people being unable to make sensible decisions. Online I have seen many advertised on being the “loudest” etc. Probably not sensible! Nor are rockets due to littering. Unless you can walk the land. 

[stuartyboy]

10 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

Apologies. I didn’t intend to offend anyone and agree mine may be an extreme (and incorrect) view. My point was more that you can train a pup to overcome fears of loud noises etc by gradual exposure. Maybe I’ve just been fortunate but I’ve always exposed my dogs to as many different stimuli from a young age and I’ve remained neutral.

Anyway, back to fireworks. You should be able to enjoy them responsibly, it would be a sad day if they were banned due to a few people being unable to make sensible decisions. Online I have seen many advertised on being the “loudest” etc. Probably not sensible! Nor are rockets due to littering. Unless you can walk the land. 

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