As the autumn chill settled in and the term reached its midpoint, Table Talk gathered at the manse for a well-earned pause before fifth-week blues could take hold. The evening was a chance to unwind, eat together, and experience one of Britain’s more unusual traditions — Bonfire night.
Our international students were intrigued (and mildly baffled) as we explained the story behind the event, commemorating the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. As Rev Jenny cheerfully summed it up, “we burn perfectly good wood to celebrate something that didn’t happen!” That seemed to capture the essence of it rather well.
The fire crackled in the garden as everyone tucked into baked potatoes fresh from the oven, their hands warmed by mugs of hot drinks and the glow of the flames. Then came the fireworks — and the real entertainment was watching everyone’s reactions to them. Bryony’s startled jumps and delighted screams every time one went off had us all in stitches, while Jacob’s borderline evil laugh as he ran away from lighting the fuses gave the whole display an extra edge of comedy.
Once the last rocket had fizzled out, we moved on to sparklers — and somehow managed to coordinate a long-exposure photograph spelling out “Castle Street” in the air. The results were surprisingly artistic, if slightly chaotic!
It was a brilliant evening of food, fellowship, fun, and fireworks — a reminder that sometimes the best conversations happen not around a table but around a bonfire, sharing laughter, light, and community spirit under the November sky.
