Bonfire Night!

Although we haven't done one of these in a few years, my family decided to host a Guy Fawkes party this weekend.

Family and friends from all over gathered around the fire to keep warm.

And some of us escaped inside the cottage too.

It was a great party with a real mix of people, but everyone got along great. Its hard not to bond over a big fire, great food and plenty of fireworks!

Of course, there were lots of s'mores to be made!

Even the dogs stayed outside for the night, mingling with all the guests. (or in Shadow's case, hiding away from most of the guests, while still keeping on eye on everyone)

There as even a cute little mini Australian Shepherd puppy named Tilly there. My sister was quick to snap her up for a little cuddle.

The little pup easily became the star of the show. Who could you resist her?

It was great having some of my friends up from the city to join in the festivities!

Everyone really got into the spirit of the night, even if we did have to bundle up to fight the minus 1°C temperatures. (It meant that we didn't need ice to keep the beer keg cool!)

No one got into the spirit as much as my friends from England. To them this is an annual tradition and to be able to celebrate it in Canada is a real treat.

They even brought fireworks with them! And lots of them!

Despite all the noise, this little pup was happy to be cuddled in by the fire.

While this little monster crawled into my big down vest. I have to say that he was pretty cosy the cuddle up with.

To keep with the Guy Fawkes Tradition, we made a dummy out of old clothes, newspapers and leaves to look like "Guy". Then he was unceremonially tossed on the fire.

Another family bonfire tradition if a bake-off between my sister and I. This year her sweet friend from the US teamed up with her to make their creation. I'll be posting about what we made later this month. Trust me, the recipes were DELISH!

Baked goodies weren't the old food that we were serving up to the troops. We had plenty of food lined up at the cottage to help keep everyone warm.

Beef Chili, Sweet 'n' Sour Beef Meatballs. Mini Cornbread Muffins. Vegetarian Chili and so much more!

As the evening went on, the fire got bigger and bigger. Very quickly we all forgot that it was a cold November night!

Group photo with the inferno in the background.

It was a wonderful weekend full of family and friends, and a great final outdoor party before the snow gets here. Actually, it snowed the night before the party but thankfully melted by lunch time. Here's hoping we can keep it at bay a wee little bit longer!