Fireworks.

Thousands of people attended last night’s Carols by Candlelight at Jell’s Park. There was hardly a candle to be seen and Carols by Glow Stick would be a more accurate name for the event. We listened to performers, winced at the host’s jolly banter and tried our best to ignore frequently repeated sponsorship acknowledgements. There were long queues at the fried food caravans and even longer queues for the portable toilets. A young pop singer performed her latest single and encouraged the audience to join in the chorus. Not many sang because it was difficult to know what was verse and what was chorus in a song with so few lyrics. Some had brought their fashionable pooches to hear the music and be terrified by the fireworks. We did wonder what would happen if we’d taken Jazz and accidentally lost her in the crowd, most of whom were seated on the ground. It was easy to picture a happy labrador tail zig-zagging its way through silhouetted pockets of panic. Not being fans of traditional carols or boppy tunes like Jingle Bell Rock, we didn’t stay very long. Behind the stage, Santa donned his safety harness and chatted with the crew who would operate his platform lift machine. Further back, an ominous explosives truck was parked in a fenced and patrolled area. As we headed home to the kitchen, we stopped in a dark and empty field to marvel at the sparkling fizz, whistle and bang of the grand finale fireworks display.