Damn the fireworks and the idiots too

I HATE Guy Fawkes.

I used to love it as a kid, all very exciting, looking forward to staying up late for fireworks. We had lots of fun with the sparklers and my brother spent days blowing things up with Double Happies. Typical boy.

But now, it is just days of stressed horses, late nights out in the paddock with them, trying to syringe them with sedative and a cranky me. Where I live there are 7 ponies, most of whom are old and sensible enough to not bat an eyelash as whatever goes on. But come Guy Fawkes, when they start selling fireworks, it all goes out the window.

Little Choco is terrified and will stand and shake in a panic. So far, she hasn't tried to run away, but it is heart-breaking to see as she is such a lovely little pony. It puts her off her work as well, once the local idiots start letting them off every night. They seem to start as soon as they are on sale, and unfortunately the idiots are smart enough to stockpile some so they can continue for other nights such as New Year's Eve. We have to spend hours at the paddock, holding on to her, talking to her and then letting her walk out her anxiety as she needs to.

So far this year we have got away with sedating her lightly each night, but tonight our dear neighbours have a HUGE bonfire. And I mean huge - they spend all year building it up with a frenzy of activity in the last weeks of November. It is about 2.5 meters high as at this morning, and no doubt by the time I get home they (and all the kids they have ever met) will be running around, shouting and dying to get burning. They also like to take the kids for rides behind the quad bikes and other vehicles, which means hours of varooming, and shrieking kids and did I mention it makes me a bit cranky?

R. and I will have some quiet wines, keeping an eye on everything. Once it is dark we will go out into the paddock and sit there to be close enough to intervene in any mayhem. I think the plan is to put all the ponies in together and hope for the best. The older ones will hopefully offer a bit of sanity, and with all of them, their motto is "if in doubt, eat" so that should help.

I will have to hope that Possum is far enough out of town not to be bothered, and I know there are people there to keep an eye on her and the others. It hasn't been a problem the last couple of years. She, too is pretty sensible and I can't imagine her being silly enough to waste energy running around like a loon.

Must remember to lock the cat door to keep the cat inside too.