Death by artwork ...

... the first news report I heard about this horrific incident in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, indicated that a bouncy castle had 'taken off' after breaking free from its moorings (even though the wind was apparently not very strong) and some people had possibly been injured - in other words a dramatic but not too serious an incident. Now that the full story has been reported it is clear that the incident, which in fact involved an inflatable 'artwork', is a real tragedy with two killed and thirteen injured!

I've never used a 'bouncy castle' myself although I recall that at one summer party I attended a few years ago, one had been hired and erected at the end of the garden for the children of adults present at the party to amuse themselves on, and let the adults get on with the serious business of barbecue food and wine/beer. At one point in the evening it did become quite windy and I seem to recall that a couple of the children bounced out(!) of the castle - I thought then how glad I was that such amusements hadn't yet been invented when I was a child.