Two days after the holiday, Stratford’s firecracker fans are still indulging their jones for cordite, and one of the neighbours bought some that make a whistling noise before the ear-splitting CRAAACK! I’ve never been shot at in anger, but I dislike fireworks in general, and firecrackers in particular, because they make a noise like small arms fire where no small arms should be. Except that whistling thing; that sounds like a mortar bomb in flight.

Beautiful weather. Hot, but not too hot, not a cloud in the sky.