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"Sparkler 11" from Heldervue writes: Mr van Jaarsveld's letter of complaint (DistrictMail, January 11) about the fireworks from the Lord Charles hotel is an interesting one. I wonder what Mr van Jaarsveld does when we have one of these recently more regular, prolonged thunderstorms, in our changing climate.

The most recent one lasted about two hours and one before that went on in our valley for about four hours. He can look at the sky and see the type of cloud and conditions, but will not be sure if and when there will be thunder and lightning. And some of those thunder claps right overhead make the whole house shake and the windows rattle. New Year's Eve is on a set date each year. It is one night out of 365.

About 20 minutes and it is all over. Planning can be done by way of taking necessary precautions, like giving the dogs some tranquillizers, putting them in a room facing away from the hotel. It is recommended to turn on the TV or radio for the dog to disguise the sound of the fireworks. All these steps he can take beforehand. When there is an impending thunderstorm he may not have the time to make these preparations and give the tranquillizer time to work. What would Mr van Jaarsveld do for his dog when the electrical substation near him literally blows up unexpectedly? Or when there is a car crash nearby?

How much noise does his dogs make in the middle of the night, 364 nights of the year when he does not investigate why his dog has been barking for hours on end? The neighbours whose sleep is disturbed will be able to tell us. Fireworks have a very long history and quite frankly I thoroughly enjoy seeing them at the start of each New Year.

Thank you Lord Charles, keep this tradition going.

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