Next Friday, Bermuda's skies will be ablaze with a kaleidoscope of colours.

And with only one week to go until the first Good Friday of the new Millennium, locals are busy gathering their sticks, rope and tissue paper so they can devote countless hours, blood, sweat and tears to creating one-of-a-kind kites.

To help locals with their kite-making projects, The Royal Gazette recruited well known kite guru Al Seymour Jr. to share his expertise and vast knowledge on kite making with the public.

It's that time of year again when we bring out the glue, tissue paper, sticks and good ol' brown string, combined with lots of patience, the wonderful aroma of hot cross buns baking in the oven and cod-fish cakes frying on the stove.

It seems that the older we get, the faster each holiday blurs into the next -- even though the calender shows that Easter is much later than usual this year.

(Easter is determined by the closest full moon to the Spring solstice). I think I still have bits of confetti in my hair from New Year's Eve! As a youngster, I remember the anticipation of Good Friday at our house (it was a lot like Christmas, but with more outside activity). No other sound in the world compared with the afternoon drone of kites on a `good weather' Good Friday.

How many of us remember the kite-safety books we got at school which were sponsored by BELCO and featured the character, `Reddy Kilowatt'? The book had many kite-safety tips along with plans for several kinds of kites and gave detailed instructions for making a `Malay' or a `Cross' kite.

In honour of `Reddy Kilowatt', here are some tried and true kite flying survival tips: Never fly a kite in wet or stormy weather.

Never attempt to climb trees or utility poles to rescue kites.

Avoid the use of any metallic material in kite making. The Bermuda kite does use a nail in its construction, however, it is small and is protected by the sticks.

Watch-out for the thin nylon twine that comes with many of the plastic kites on the market today. This twine can easily cut or burn hands, particularly those of young children.

Dual-string stunt kites can reach high speeds and may be extremely dangerous in inexperienced hands.

Many on the exotic kites on the market require a moderate to strong breeze to get and keep aloft (eg. the `snowflake'). These kites require some detailed assembly and should only be used by experience kite flyers. When in doubt, stick to simple designs for maximum kite-flying fun! GOOD FRIDAY FLYING HINTS Here are a few hints and tips you can use to get the most out of Good Friday: Construction: Avoid sticks with knots as these can fracture in mid-flight -- you know the rest! Apply glue to the string on the kite frame at the notched sections to prevent the string from falling off.

Do not bend the protruding part of the nail down. Cut it of with pliers and file down till its smooth.

Contrary to tradition, brown string will line a kite better than the white cotton, which has a lot more stretch.

Always apply lighter colours first when pasting the panels (patches).

Be sure to drill holes in the bottom ends of the kite to attach the tail loop.

Scotch tape can be applied to the rear of bigger Bermuda kites in strips to prevent patch blowouts in mid-flight.

When pasting on the hummers, apply glue only to the middle of the fold (the part that touches the string) and be sure that the string is as taut as possible. This allows for maximum vibration (humming).

When ripping or cutting tail for the kite, always taper the last few feet to a wisp, about 1 inch thick.

Large Bermuda kites require long, double or triple tails and an extra loop on the outer top sticks creating a four-point loop. The first ten-feet or so of tail should be thick (six inches across) to keep the kite stable during the initial launch. This is particularly important in `rounies' or `moonies'.

To avoid `cantanary' or `belly string' (see illustration), use a thin and strong string and use more of a `pulling loop'.

Absolutely do not let small children launch (pitch) Bermuda kites. The head-stick can cause serious injury in case of a mishap.

When flying your kite, avoid the leeward side of hills as wind tends to be turbulent and erratic (see illustration).

Be aware of possible sudden wind shifts that could take your kite string across power lines or streets.

Though it is tempting, do not leave our kite up overnight. Some of the nylon strings do not break easily and can result in serious injury if it comes in contact with a vehicle or cyclist.

Most of all, be careful and have fun. Happy Good Friday everyone! No caption