Saturday 1 November 2014

I love Halloween...

Oh Jesus (is that appropriate?), so that’s another Halloween come and gone and this year there were a record ninety-eight (yes 98! I put it in letters and numbers so that there is no mistake) Trick or Treaters a’visiting our house. I have to say I was impressed. The costumes were brilliant and the children so involved, little devils.

It was almost like I was taken back to my childhood – except I wasn’t. My Halloween childhood was the smell of burning turnips – no pumpkins for sale in supermarkets back then – and the threat of witches. These kids were dressed to the nines and their parents had spent big on their outfits. Witches, warlocks, ghouls, ghosts, Star Wars characters with light sabres, vampires, grim reapers, axemen, princesses of the night, cats, a robot, a moon and the cutest not quite three-year old girl pumpkin I have ever seen.

Of course I played my part, knife through my head and drooling blood. One group screamed and jumped back when I opened the door, the smaller kids just looked very nervous and quivery lipped. Apparently it’s healthy and part of the learning process for kids to be scared occasionally. So that’s alright then - conscience clean.

Most of the children were well behaved and very polite, but inevitably there were a couple of brats – well aren’t there always, cheeky little tykes. I only wish that my knife had been real so that I could have pulled it out and waved it at the little witch who repeated screamed that my knife was a fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, FAKE!

Ninety-four children came to the door, running the gauntlet of pumpkins, their parents (many in fancy dress) standing at the gate watching on in various levels of wine induced oblivion. My wife had made up thirty bags of sweets and, with the frequency of our spooky callers, these were all gone by half-past six. She was pretty much on a sweet bagging production line, bagging sweets all night with no cupboard unrifled in the quest for confectionary.

The last trick or treater, a lone boy in a torn grey suit covered in dust, arrived at about nine. ‘Trick or treat,’ he mumbled. I’m not at all sure he was into the spirit of things. It was probably a last minute decision to come out and have a go; either that or he really was a risen spirit. I gave him his sweets anyway and he wandered off.

Then I blew out the pumpkins, closed the door, and drank myself to sleep. Well, you have to escape the evil spirits somehow.

 

11 comments:

  1. Clare Pritchard on FB
    I'm glad you got into the spirit of things mate x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andrew Height
      Wait until next year. My front garden is going to be a pumpkin legend. I have plans...

      Delete
    2. Clare Pritchard on FB

      well hopefully i will be more in the mood for it and come and see legendary garden x

      Delete
  2. Lynda Henderson on FB
    98, wow.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Comments on Pic 1.

    Nick Jones
    Dalektable!

    Andrew Height
    The girl done good Nick.

    Jayne Butterworth
    Paul and i say brilliant holly. She must take after u andrew. Paul requests davros for next yr? Ha ha! X

    Andrew Height
    I might do Paul Jayne.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Comments on Pic 2 - I grew this one myself...

    Tim Preston on FB
    I don't believe you. I think that M&S carve them for you and bring them round in a basket with a lavish black silk bow around them................ with a free bottle of wine

    David Jones
    Is that a selfie?!?! Lol

    Andrew Height
    Lovin the pumpkin - this was the only one I managed from two huge plants Tim.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Comments on Pic 3 - Ouch, I guess I should have said treat...

    Andrew Height
    Now where did I put that knife?

    Lindsey Messenger
    It,s behind you.....

    Andrew Height
    It was actually through my head. No harm done, I just pulled it out.

    Lindsey Messenger
    Phew pleased to hear that....was a little worried about the blood!!

    Cloe Fyne
    Very scary

    Emma Cholmondeley
    Mmmmmm I had a dream like that once!!

    Andrew Height
    I made a few children scream when I went to the door. We had 98 trick or treaters last night. It was fun. Bonfire Night next! (I am a child again I think).

    Emma Cholmondeley
    Were you ever an adult that's the question?

    Andrew Height
    Depends upon your definition of adult I guess. Short answer - Nah.

    Emma Cholmondeley
    Me neither

    Fraser Stewart
    Andrew…you've cut yourselves a little.

    Andrew Height
    It's just a flesh wound Fraser.

    Fraser Stewart
    Oh that's a relief. Sticky plaster job?

    Andrew Height
    A quick splash of Brut did the trick Fraser.

    Fraser Stewart Sounds like torture.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Pic 5 comments - One of my pumpkins this year

    Tim Preston
    cool

    Liz Shore
    Love it!

    Jayne Butterworth
    Another sideline? Ha ha! X

    Gloria Brown
    Good job

    Sarah Rawden
    Love it!

    Lindsey Messenger
    love yer pumpkin...... Eeeeeeeeek happy Halloween

    ReplyDelete
  7. And the build up - 36 so far. Really great costumes.

    Andrew Height
    42 now Debs. Gaynor has made up sweet bags on a production line... scrub that just had another 4 so 46. Running out againn..

    Andrew Height
    Scrub that again... another 6. Gaynor making up more bags. 48 so far...

    Andrew Height
    actually 54

    Andrew Height
    And another 8! 62!

    Andrew Height
    66..and then 3 more... so 69. We are running out of sweet s and we have lots of sweets in this house usually.

    Andrew Height
    Another 5... 74!

    Andrew Height
    WE have another 10 bags made up. But the sweets are really naff unless you like Green and Black's and Ferrero Rocher...

    Andrew Height
    5 more. 79!

    Alison Kirkham Eaton
    Are the bags made up to ensure even distribution? We just had a rather heavy handed Spider-Man !

    Andrew Height
    Yes, Gaynor makes the bags up. She's making up some as I key. We have no Moams or Maltesers left. I may have to start turning away the poorer kids in home made costumes. One boy vampire just asked for gluten free!

    Andrew Height
    I came back from Wales especially for Halloween. The kids love our pumpkins and i can't disappoint them. Mind you - this year's prize goes to Holly for her Dalek Pumpkin.

    Alison Kirkham Eaton
    Box of raisins for him it is then

    Andrew Height
    More at the door

    Andrew Height
    only 3 that time.

    Andrew Height
    a single skeleton takes us to 83!

    Buffey Glandon
    Wow that is really awesome. We don't get trick or treaters anymore. We just deliver treats to the little neighbor boy. I miss seeing all the costumes.

    Andrew Height
    89 now. Yes Buffey, it really is great. But then it is still newish over here and I live in that sort of area. i love it though. planning something a bit special pumpkin-wise next year.

    Andrew Height
    Can we make it to the 100? Slowing down now.

    Andrew Height
    2 latecomers. one in her nightdress another in a leotard... oh, well they tried. 91... don't think we will make the ton.

    Andrew Height
    2 more and then another 5 - that's 98!

    Andrew Height
    Just 2 more... Here's hoping.

    Tim Preston
    do you need 100 to perform your "experiment" Andy?

    Andrew Height
    Yes I do Tim. Looks like they get away with it for another year unless...

    Buffey Glandon
    Did you make 100?

    Andrew Height
    Sadly not Buffey.

    Buffey Glandon
    Oh that is too bad. Maybe next year.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pic 5

    Phil Morgan on FB
    Brilliant Andy!

    ReplyDelete