Since Guy Fawkes' Day coincides with Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, we can expect some spectacular bonfires and fireworks tonight. Here in rural Oxfordshire I imagine the Diwali contribution will be minimal, but we expect a noisy evening. Fortunately, Duncan is not troubled by explosions and will probably snore his way through the bangs and blasts outside. I haven't seen any guys around, so whatever is burnt on the village bonfire is unlikely to be troubling to a Catholic conscience; not so, perhaps, in Lewes, where I understand an effigy of the pope is still burnt each year.

Why do bonfires capture the imagination so? Is it simply because they remind us, in a very controlled way, of the uncontrollable forces at work both in nature and ourselves? If so, Bonfire Night is as good a night as any for a little self-scrutiny (but don't let that spoil your enjoyment of the sausages and sparklers!)