Hallowe'en

I've never been that keen on all the business around Hallowe'en. It's never really been that big a deal - I've a vague memory of apple bobbing and all that when I was little, and trick-or-treating just really being introduced. But that's about it. Then there's the annoying 'Celtic New Year' nonsense which is sporadically rehearsed, and which offends my staunchly non-Romantic nature.

But I think I'm coming round to it to a certain extent. The pumpkin jack o'lantern (see above for our amateurish efforts!) is really quite fun. It does look good on these dark evenings - and I dare say, like last year, it'll keep going until it shrivels up some time in November.

Trick-or-treating is the thing that tends to exercise people the most, on three counts. First, it's an American import. Second, it's an import we've seen happening in the very recent past and it's come through the mass media. And third, it's just about dressing up and then demanding some sweets (with the vague threat of menaces). Against these slightly grumpy objections, I'd point out that it is just about the only visiting custom we have left (excepting carol singing, door-to-door selling and pushy evangelism), when the briefest study of our customs turns up loads of them that have fallen away over time. If we give up our kneejerk reactions just a little bit, I suspect in time it will grow away from its American model and we'll put a stamp on it. Perhaps schools, who may have in part been responsible for the great growth of Hallowe'en in England, could teach the kids some songs to sing for their sweets when out visiting their neighbours?

Anyway, once we'd made our Jack this afternoon, there was plenty scraped out of his innards (see below) to make a load of pumpkin chutney as well as some pumpkin and bacon soup for tomorrow. Looking forward to that!