Phone Home!

I was using my little wordbags with my new pupil on Tuesday morning. He really enjoys this activity - I cannot believe it is nearly six years since I made these - they have proved so popular with lots of pupils.
He put down 'et'. "What's that?" I said [we'd already established that foreign words are not allowed]

"Miss, you know  E T - Phone Home! " After a discussion about capital letters, Initials and abbreviations, I allowed it. But confessed I have never seen the film. He was amazed, and concerned.

"I probably should watch it" I said "I am quite fond of bicycles"
"There isn't much about bicycles in it, Miss!"
he informed me.
"Then why do they put one on the film poster?" I asked.
He wasn't sure...
I said that  'phoning home' was fraught with difficulties anyway, as my phonehas been on the blink for some time now. Just trivial things, you know ...

• the touch screen not responding at all to my finger
• so people call and swipe as I might, I cannot answer them
• the camera doesn't respond promptly, so lots of photos are of the pavement
• text messages have been even more random than usual with full. Stops appearing in quite. The wrong places, turning my. Messages into utter. Gibberish. Like that!

But the worst thing was on Sunday at 6.15am, when the alarm went off. And would not  be silenced. Poor Steph, sharing a double bed with me at Liz's mutterly sleepily "Can't you turn that off, Mum?" I was holding it under the duvet [not wanting to wake the entire household. It would not go off. In the end, Steph managed to switch off the phone for me. [Thank you Steph, apologies again for disturbing your sleep]

Bob did some research and on Tuesday afternoon I went and purchased a new phone. At least I am earning regularly so I can afford it now!]

It is a Motorola Moto G6 Play, very similar to Bob's phone [Argos were doing the best deal]

My old SIM card has transferred quite happily and I can do all the things I want to do [mostly texts, calls and WhatsApp messages - plus the camera]

I shall remain with my GiffGaff pay-as-you-go deal. It is only £5 a month, and that's a good deal for me. 

Last time I got a new phone was May 2010 - and that was a very basic little model. Every phone since has been a hand-me-down from someone else in the family. It is quite exciting to have one I have picked out for myself.

It may take a while to work out all the different features - so if you are a friend I communicate with by phone, please bear with me if I get it wrong occasionally.

What is strange though, is that although it is years since people had telephones like this in their homes, you often see this icon. It's started me wondering which other icons are still in use, even though technology has moved on? Any suggestions

A Chorus Line

A colourful rail of garments on hangers - skirts, shawls and mob caps for the two dozen girls in the play who are in the chorus. As well as singing all the songs, they also have to bustle along in the market scene.
Originally I had hoped these 8 year olds would be able to bring in an adult's skirt from home which could be pinned at the waist to make them an ankle length skirt. But so many said "my Mum and my Gran wear trousers all the time" it proved easier to just make them all.
It's a wonderful stash buster ; a rectangle 30" x 45". Seam the short sides, hem the bottom, and thread elastic through a simple casing at the top. 
I've recycled all sorts of fabric - curtains, dress lengths, sheets, tablecloths. 90% of these play costumes are made from repurposed fabric. The OED may have declared "single-use" the Word of the Year, but it's not a concept I encourage.
I'm really enjoying the sewing, especially since my overlocker was serviced. But when I took the project on I didn't expect to be teaching every morning. I couldn't have got so much done without Bob's support. 
The performance is next Wednesday - but I need to get everything finished by tonight for final fittings tomorrow afternoon.
Domestic chores will just have to wait! 

Time After Time

A recent blogpost by a dear friend, about how the pattern of her life has changed over the years, reminded me of a poem by the wonderful, warm, and witty, late great Joyce Grenfell. JG was a brilliant writer, raconteur, performer and actor. Many will remember her as the hapless WPC Ruby Gates in the original proper St Trinians films. Others think of her 'nursery teacher' monologues [George, don't do that!] She was a woman who had a deep faith, combined with a great sense of fun. 
This is her poem "Time". Written for a generation that knew nothing of feminism, where a wife probably gave up work on marriage - or at least once babies came along. And so there is no verse about online shopping, Slimming World, saving the planet or blogging, blogging, blogging...[and she does jump alarmingly from 'young' straight to 'elderly' !]
But the poem is a gentle reminder of how we can so easily waste time, forget to enjoy time, or take time to stop and think...and I love her ending
...there is just this minute, and I am in it thank the Lord!
Right now I have slightly less time than usual- I have just started a new part-time job. More on that later. But I am grateful for the busy-ness, and the opportunity to teach regularly. 
I hope you enjoy the poem as much as I do
TIME

When I was a girl there was always time,

There was always time to spare.

There was always time to sit in the sun;

And we were never done

With lazing and flirting,

And doing our embroidery,

And keeping up our memory books,

And brushing our hair,

And writing little notes,

And going on picnics,

And dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing--

When I was a girl there was always time to waste.

Thank the Lord.

When I was a young woman there was always time,

There was always time to spare.

There was always time to walk in the sun,

And we were never done

With going to weddings,

Our own and our friends',

And going to parties,

Away at weekends,

And having our children

And bringing them up,

And talking, talking, talking, talking--

When I was a young woman there was always time to enjoy things.

Thank the Lord.

And when I was an elderly woman there was no more time,

There was no more time to spare.

There was no more time to sit in the sun,

For we were never done

With answering the telephone,

And looking at the TV,

And doing baby-sitting,

And talking to our friends,

And shopping, shopping, shopping, shopping,

And washing-up, washing-up, washing-up,

Writing letters, writing letters

Rushing, rushing, rushing,

And we were always hurried,

And we were never bored.

When I was an elderly woman

There was never time to think.

Thank the Lord.

But now I'm an old old woman,

So I want the last word:

There is no such thing as time--

Only this very minute

And I'm in it.

Thank the Lord.

The Man In The White Hat

People, passion, poverty, power, politics and protests... These are the key themes of Mike Leigh's "Peterloo". 

It begins on the battlefield in Belgium - Wellington's army may have won, but the ground is littered with the injured and dying. 
We focus on one confused soldier, stumbling along [today he'd be diagnosed with PTSD] Jacob is played by David Moorst [top picture; shown here on set with Mike Leigh] He finally staggers all the way home, still in his red uniform jacket, to Manchester, and collapses in the arms of his mother (the redoubtable Maxine Peake) She's matriarch of a hardworking family, who are employed at the cotton mill... Down in London, Parliament is awarding Wellington £750,000 for saving the nation from Bonaparte. But up north, due to the Corn Laws, people are starving, barely able to buy a small loaf to feed an entire family. The film is shot on Saddleworth Moor, outside Manchester - and for city scenes, today's Lincoln stands in for Georgian Manchester.
Fast forward 4 years...the people want to make their voices heard - but the growing city of Manchester has only 1 MP. There is no proper proportional representation across the country. Orator Henry Hunt, is called up from London to speak to the people.

The people gather from all over the place, and march from the moor into St Peter's Fields, where they plan to have a peaceful rally, a "family day out" and listen to this important reformer, in his trademark white hat.
But the powers that be panic, convinced that there will be a bloody revolution [like those dreadful Frenchies] and send in the troops.

And they ride into the crowd, waving sabres -Men, women, children mown down where they stand. Including Jacob, who remains bewildered to the last by the carnage that continues to surround him, then crumples into a dead heap for his distraught mother to find.
The horrified reporters from the London Times and other papers, walk round the deserted square, looking at the bloody, broken bodies- struggling to find the words to send back to their editors. "St Peter's Fields...it is Peterloo" says one, and the name remains with us to this day. Hunt went to prison for his part in the affair [his hat, but not his head, stove in by a sabre!] Some ordinary people were punished by the courts, and others lost their jobs, at least one man died because the doctor refused to treat any of those at the rally.
Good points- a tale well told, with [from what I have read] a fair deal of historical accuracy. Stellar cast, with some of the best of our nations actors playing significant roles. Great costumes - but I did wonder if Philip Jackson's buttons were a just a bit too modern for the period? Peake portrayed a frustrated mother really well - torn between stoically accepting her awful lot in life, and supporting her family's desire to rise up and bring reform. The contrast between the cheery atmosphere as they march to the assembly, with singing and pipes and drums - and the violence that ensued - coupled with the bloated, selfish officials making foolish decisions was very effective.
Less good - Leigh's concern for using every fact he has unearthed means he seems to have thrown in every historical character connected with the event. Alastair McKenzie [from Monarch of the Glen] plays General John Byng- one of Wellington's officers at the battle,deployed to organise the militia 'up in the north'. Except on the day in question he is away at the Races. Considering his major contribution to the story is to be AWOL, he got an awful lot of screen time. Tim McInerney is the odious Prince Regent. Not sure if he wasn't just a little too OTT. In an effort to include everyone, Leigh did end up with some characters not being properly 'rounded'. Having fewer significant people might have helped a little. Bob felt it was a bit 'wordy' in places. Did they really talk in such high falutin terms? ["Just a light repast, my dear" requests Hunt of a baffled Mancunian servant girl]
Because it is how such historical films often end, we both expected a few facts to come up at the end - you know "15 were killed and estimates of up to 700 injured. The dreaded Corn Laws were later repealed. The incident led to the founding of the Manchester Guardian newspaper"...but nothing like that. Just the [extremely long] credits.
Despite my reservations, I would still rate it *****
Do go and see it if you have the chance - I'd be particularly keen to hear what current Manchester residents [like Steph and Gary] and any former Northerners now in the south [LH/Martha] think of it.
"Give me liberty or give me death!" shouts the young reformer at their preparation meeting up on the moor. I'm reminded of the line in Ward Howe's great Battle Hymn written 40 years later "As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free!" 
This is the week for remembering - and reminding ourselves that the price of freedom is a high one.

Remembrance Sunday 2018

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… And I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared and ready, like a bride dressed to meet her husband. 

I heard a loud voice speaking from the throne: 

“Now God's home is with people! He will live with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. 

There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain."

Look back - and remember with gratitude the sacrifice made by others for our freedom.

Look around - and see where we have an opportunity to work today for peace and freedom in our world.

Look forward- to that glorious hope, the promise of a new heaven and a new earth, and no more death, or crying, or pain.

A Bit Of An Enigma

I saw an old friend recently and we were talking about the 1980s "Do you ever hear from X?" I asked. "Only at Christmas - a long screed listing the children's achievements" came the reply.
Most parents are proud of their kids. But as I said to Bob, I know my girls have done well academically, achieved good jobs and generally they're doing OK by most people's standards. But what makes me really proud is that they are good and generous women. They share their time and resources to help others, helping with charity appeals, volunteering for things, and they're really thoughtful.
I cannot post much today - I'm in London briefly. My two wonderful daughters are taking me out for the evening. All I know is that it is something about Bletchley Park and very hush hush! But I'm so looking forward to whatever they have got planned, and being able to spend time with them. 

Ang's Anagrams

I've just earned the Old English Word tracen which means , among other things, to be on a set course, or following somebody. Well I was on set course, queuing behind others on Saturday evening.

I was attempting to reset a password for an online issue, and thought I could canter through the process, but got stuck in a loop



I went to the chatline, and discovered I was #81 in the queue, and the average time of waiting was 18 minutes. It was 4.24, and the chatline closed at 5. 

Should I go and put the kettle on, do some sudoku, or practise my cretan stitch whilst I waited? Instead I doodled anagrams.

By 4.43 [you are #19, average waiting time 15 minutes] I began to recant of my decision to attempt the exercise.

At 4.56 I had almost fallen into a trance, when ping! up popped a message- "hello, you are through to Rahul, how can I help?" I explained the problem, and after giving him two letters from a significant word, he said things were unlocked and I would get a code to my phone.

Goodbye! [it was 5pm, presumably he'd gone home to bake more cakes]

So I went back to the Nectar website. And still got nowhere - but the chatline was closed.
Fortunately my account is shared with Bob - he managed to get in and order our double-up points vouchers. 

But what a performance, just to turn £10 into £20!

Had Your Flu Jab Yet?

The one-L lama, he's a priest
The two-L llama, he's a beast
But I will bet a silk pajama
There isn't any three-L llama!

I have always been fond of this little Ogden Nash poem* [the poet is from the US, so I respect his spelling of the p-word]
I found a particularly heart-warming little story on the BBC News website last week, about scientists at the Scripps Institute in California, who have made an amazing discovery about the blood of the llama[that's the beast not the priest]
Every winter, people across the world become ill, and some die, from various strains of influenza. And scientists seek to find an inoculation to prevent people catching the virus [the word actually comes from the Italian for 'epidemic']  But this virus is a shape-shifter, constantly mutating, in ways which evade our immune systems. However South American llamas [which are bigger than their cousins, the alpacas, less timid, and with coarser coats - in case you were wondering] may have the answer. 

Proteins stick out from the surface of the virus, and antibodies in our blood bind to the tips of these proteins. The clever viruses are constantly changing those tips, so the antibodies are ineffective. Research shows that llama blood contains antibodies which are much smaller than those in human blood - so they can burrow deeper and affect the part of the virus which are not mutating.
Scientists have found antibodies in the llama blood which protected against 59 out of 60 flu strains [and the 60th didn't affect humans anyway] Furthermore they have been able to synthesise these antibodies in the lab.
"The goals is to find something which works from season to season, and  protect you from pandemics should they emerge" said Professor Ian Wilson. It's all in the early stages at the moment, but offers hope for future winters. 
I think is is quite amazing that this discovery has been made- who started the research? what prompted it? Is there less flu in Peru?
And how wonderful that the answer appears to lie within Creation itself. It makes you wonder how many other cures for our ills have already been lost along the path of extinction - killing off some animals may expedite the demise of some humans.

*Ogden Nash was contacted by a Firefighter from New York who said that there was a classification system for the size of fires. Nash appended this footnote to his poem...
"The author's attention has been drawn to a type of conflagration known as a three-alarmer. Pooh"

Date Night!

Or more accurately, date afternoon. Tuesday is Bob's day off- and we try and keep that one day each week to be together, away from other responsibilities. But this week, I was teaching on Tuesday morning, and he was at a School Governor's meeting in the evening. So we decided we would squeeze in a 'date' in the afternoon. 

With our Meerkat Movie Pass, and our 'seniors' status, we were able to get BOGOF cheap tickets for the Odeon BH2 in Bournemouth. The new multiplex opened last year, but we'd not been before.

I got in from school, and we drove over to the cinema. We went into Prezzo, where they were doing a lunchtime meal deal. Bob had a pizza, which he said was pleasant and quite spicy. I had the "Beetroot, puy lentil and butternut squash salad, with garlic bread". That was utterly delicious. I was a little disappointed that the 'soft drink' which went with the deal had to be a cold drink, I fancied a cup of tea [which was actually cheaper than the soft drinks on  the menu] but the waitress said if I had that I would have to pay full price. But otherwise it was a good meal.

Then into the cinema. We were in Screen One. I was a little overwhelmed by this. There were only about 40 seats, and Bob had prebooked our places [there weren't above a dozen other people in there!]

Just look at this! Huge double seats, with individual electrically operated reclining position and footrests. Plus a proper little table beside my right arm-rest for my bag, and a cup holder for my coffee!
[and yes I am wearing purple tights!]

We went to see Peterloo [In August, I blogged about the film here] It was exciting to realise some of it was actually filmed in Manchester!
It was a great film - and at the end a number of the cinemagoers applauded [how frightfully British!]
But I'm busy with school prep etc right now. A proper review will follow later.
I consider myself so blessed to have had an uninterrupted afternoon with Bob in the middle of his very busy week.

FOB-bed Off - Profits v. Prophets

I know very little about betting. I don't participate in the Lottery, buy raffle tickets, back the horses, or know how to fill in a pools coupon [do paper coupons still even exist?] Even if I didn't reject such activities because of my Christian principles, I wouldn't bother because I have studied enough statistics to know that the biggest winners are the bookies, Camelot and that Government Department which collects the excise.
But I do know that gambling has become a massive problem in this country. I am aware of people who have been quite caught up in this dreadful addiction. For some it is an online problem - in the privacy of their homes, they tap away blithely losing their income, their earnings, their futures. But for many the activity takes place in betting shops, using the "FOBT" - fixed odds betting terminals.
I read of teenagers going out of school in the lunch hour, to the FOBTs in betting shops- and spending their lunch money in the vain hope of winning a fortune. They get a small win, and then plough it all back in, in the hopes of a bigger payout. And it doesn't come - but they are hooked -so they beg, borrow and steal, in the hopes that the next try will be the winning one. And often end up losing everything. University students are doing it in attempt to clear their student debts- but falling into deeper holes.
It is a fast activity, people at the terminals click away almost in a trance, unaware if the money they are committing. And many people have found themselves homeless, on the streets, cut off from families, out of work, caught up in a debt spiral...and the suicide statistics are horrifying.
Isn't that awful? YES IT IS! Charities, pressure groups, bereaved parents, MPs, clergy...many people have lobbied our Government for a long time to limit the maximum stake every 20 seconds to £2, not £100. And yet when last week's Budget Statement was read out, the chancellor said this could not be implemented till next October. THAT'S A WHOLE YEAR AWAY. Statistics show that there are likely to be more than 300 FOBT-related suicides in that time - people who are addicted and see no other way out.
There were statements in the budget about putting money into Mental Health Issues. But because of lobbying by the Gambling Agencies, and MPs whose income derives not just from their £77K Parliamentary Salary, but also from investments in the Gambling Industry, Philip Hammond backtracked and deferred this much needed change in the regulations, even though it is a cause of so much mental distress.

This is Tracey Crouch - formerly "Under Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage". She has resigned over this issue. She couldn't stomach the thought of the number of young men and women dying because the change in regulations has been deferred. 
The support she has received from so many of her colleagues in both houses of Parliament and elsewhere has been quite overwhelming. But Mrs May accepted the resignation letter with waffly weasel words about the delay is to ensure the changes are implemented properly.
I've waited a few days before posting this rant in the hopes that there might be some sort of back-tracking, and the stake regulations would be altered more quickly. No sign of it yet. Just an announcement from Paddy Power that they have had a signoificant increase in revenue from FOBT - but will lose £46M a year when the changes do finally [if ever] come into force.
I am so conscious that as I get older I am standing up to injustice, shouting more loudly, speaking out more often, and following the lead of the Old Testament Prophets - even if it sometimes makes me unpopular with my hearers. If FOBT gambling leads to poverty, and addiction is a form of imprisonment for those trapped in its grip, then the words of Isaiah 61 are more important than ever

The Sovereign Lord has … sent me
To bring good news to the poor,
To heal the broken-hearted,
To announce release to captives
And freedom to those in prison.

May God bless this young woman, and send more principled-people like her to serve at Westminster. People seeking to serve their constituents and their nation, not to benefit the rich and selfish. Rant over...

Wimborne Wow!

On Saturday morning, I was in Wimborne. The poppy sellers were everywhere, and the local Town Crier looking stunning in scarlet and black. 
I discovered this is the weekend of the Wimborne GREEN Festival, and there was a programme of activities celebrating the town's "greening" and giving opportunities to develop environmental understanding.
All good stuff.

In the Minster, various groups had set out their stalls- including Friends of the Earth,The Allotment Group,  Stop Ocean Plastic!, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Hilfield Friary Retreat Centre, and WOW! the Wimborne War on Waste group, who have spearheaded this initiative in the town.

Here's the local WOW committee, 'saving the planet 'one coffee cup at a time' [I am not altogether sure why they wear them on their heads]

I couldn't stop long, as the Car Park Ticket was close to expiring. So I was unable to listen to the any of the talks, taking place under the rainbow canopy of origami butterflies. I did manage to be photographed as a mermaid, lying on a plastic littered ocean bed.

The Friends of the Earth rep gave me a large disc protesting about Fracking. I shall have to consider where best to display that. I wish I didn't feel that Cuadrilla will not be persuaded to stop their desecration of Lancashire until Blackpool Tower falls down.
That lady bottom right is Charlie, and she managed to answer a question I posed back in April - what should I do with my plastic straws? Wimborne are taking part in a massive straw collection, as there is a company [Terra Cycle] which will take large quantities. Charlie is going to email me the details so I can hand mine in. What a committed campaigner!
I'm very pleased that this little town is working so hard - they've already been awarded the 'Plastic Free Community' Status.
But one tiny [plastic] fly in the ointment - I went to Wimborne specifically to collect something I had ordered from the Minster Bookshop. My purchase was waiting for me, already packaged in a single use flimsy plastic bag ! The poor gift shop assistant was in a state about her till not working properly, so I didn't have the heart to point out the irony of this. 
Keep going Charlie! You are doing a great job with WOW - but it is going to be one small step at a time.
I got back to the Car Park with one minute to spare - which was very satisfying, as the Warden was at the other end of the row, working towards my car with her little penalty-printed machine. Better a 70p ticket than a £30 fine!

Still More Cake Is Coming!

Come rain...

 ...or shine...

...you'll always be my hero

I'm really sorry I shall be out preaching tonight, as it means I will not only miss The Bible Course session - but also the birthday cake!

[this should have been a home-made cake, but life has got even busier over the last few days...more about that next week]

She's Playing The Harp - And I Really Need To Get A Head

The play costumes are coming on very well. I went into school yesterday with my trusty clothes rail loaded with outfits, and was happy that everything fitted except one item. The sleeves on the coat for the trader were rather long. But it was easy to shorten them. The majority of the costumes have been straightforward, but two were particularly challenging.
One little girl is playing the harp. And I don't mean she is making music on the instrument, she is the instrument. The production notes suggest fixing the harp to one arm, so she can strum with the other.

I made a simple slim tunic, with no sleeve on the right, and a plain sleeve on the left. There is a casing on the bottom of the sleeve, into which is inserted a slim bamboo cane, to keep the girl's arm rigid.

The main fabric is golden, and the harp strings are golden mesh which shimmers beautifully in the light.
I added a treble clef on the tunic for interest and made a little crown. Many concert harps have a crown at the top of the main column.
When the actor raises her arm, the curved golden harp appears and she pretends to strum it with her left arm.

My second challenge was Baa-Bara the Sheep. I had intended to make this in the same was as all the other animal characters- a hooded tunic with a separate mask for the eyes. But the producer requested an over-the-top Marie Antoinette 'mouton' wig, and muttered about cotton wool and toilet rolls.I've made similar wigs before [tutorial here] 

Wadding is better than cotton wool - It doesn't shred and is easier to sew. One day I will get A Head [the polystyrene sort you see in hairdressers and shops] Then I won't have to mess about with two pudding bowls and a beer bottle anymore. Here's the wig in progress, and the finished outfit.

I'm happy to say that it looks considerably better on the actor than it does on the carpet!
Next week I will post more pictures and give some notes on making animal costumes. Having developed a rapid, relatively simple, system I think I should share it. 
I did the nativity costumes tutorial in 2010 -  but that's just people stuff. There may be folk out there who want to have animals in their Christmas production!

Cake Is Coming!

The woman, the dog and the walnut tree. The harder you beat them, the better they be.
So runs the old rhyme. Clearly the bit about women and dogs is cruel and wrong. Walnut trees - I have no idea, but it is believed that traditionally people hit the trees with heavy sticks and this both brought down the nuts and broke off dead or diseased branches.

I quote it here because two weeks ago, we came out of church and as we walked back to the car we saw a basket of walnuts on a table - plus paper bags and a 'help yourself' sign.
So I did, just a small bagful.
"They'd make a good coffee and walnut cake" I said to Bob [knowing that he likes c&w cake] As we were all going to Adrian and Marion's the following Sunday for lunch, I offered to bring cake.

I found this recipe on the BBC GoodFood website. However that required 85 grams of shelled walnuts, I only had about 50 grams. I set aside the three best looking halves, and chopped the remainder. I folded them all into the mix, but ignored the instruction about "scattering roughly chopped nuts on top of one half"

I made up the filling as per the recipe, but used half to fill and half to top the sponge. The three halves decorated the top.
Judging by the speed with which it was devoured by the family, I consider the cake a great success. I discovered that c&w is a favourite with my brother too. 
Sadly there were no free walnuts on the table on our second Sunday in Norfolk. But I may buy some and make this recipe again. 
I recently won a £5 gift card from Grape Tree Health Foods so a bag of walnuts seems a good use of that. 


The BBC GoodFood site also makes a number of claims about the health benefits of walnuts. They may help your brain, heart and digestion, as well as boosting your mood and aiding weight loss. I'm not sure that eating lots of c&w cake necessarily brings such benefits! 

Alas, Poor Yorick!

I am not one for celebrating Halloween really. As a Christian, I'm just not comfortable with the idea of children dressing up as witches and zombies and scaring the life out of people whilst demanding treats. So many of the customs which have come across the Atlantic seem unnecessarily gruesome.

Yes, I do know that the origins date back centuries to Celtic folklore, and apple bobbing and turnip lanterns etc started here in Britain, emigrated to the States, and returned again. It doesn't mean I have to like them! For many years I've been involved in 'Light Parties' arranged by church youth groups, providing safe, un-scary fun - and even tea parties for OAPs so they could be with friends for the evening, and avoid being home alone when the T-or-T mobs besieged their doors. 

But honestly, it seems awful that this week Britons will waste 18000 tons of food, in the form of pumpkin flesh [that's equivalent to the weight of 15000 double decker buses] No ZeroWaste there, then. And parents will spend a fortune on green facepaint and cheaply made, possibly flammable, costumes.

When my daughters were in Primary School, in the 1980s, their Headteacher banned 'general' Trick-or-Treating [except visiting friends or family members] . He said that he felt it was not a safe activity, as it worried vulnerable people in their homes, and it meant children were out crossing roads in the dark often not fully concentrating on the traffic. 99% of the parents back then were in full support. Maybe they would not be so supportive now. [spoiling their fun...]

But I'm becoming slightly more tolerant. A young Norfolk neighbour has mobility issues. A few years back, we were there at halfterm, and her Mum asked me 'Do you do Halloween? I know you're a Christian and I will understand if you don't. But she is desperate to do Trick-or-Treat and all the other people living in the close are OAPs who don't like opening their doors once it's dark." It was one of those WWJD moments.

I said that if she came at 6.30pm I would be prepared. I peeped through the window, and saw the wheelchair being parked behind the fence, and watched my friend - in a fairy costume, but with green make-up - struggling bravely up the path to the front door [Mum-the Witch close behind] I pretended to be scared, and handed over the chocolate, and there was much giggling. I was really impressed that Mum had begun by giving me an escape route - she'd obviously considered that I might not want to support 'pagan rituals'. It would have been churlish to take the high moral ground. This year she won't be able to do T-or-T, but I still left a bag of sweets with her Mum before we returned to Dorset.

Rosie's nursery asked that all the children went in Halloween costume yesterday.

Ever practical Liz decided my grand-daughter could go as a witch's cat. After all, her gran made her that splendid cape back in the spring. Why spend money in Asda on another outfit? And she can easily slip off the cape if it impedes her activities.

Here she is, preparing to go into Nursery yesterday morning, being a scary cat. "Cats have prickly feet, Grandma" she told me last week.

Here in Ferndown, people have decorated their gardens with pumpkins and hung banners on their doors. Further up the road, they've clearly been to Argos and wasted splashed out fifteen quid on a DIY graveyard, with bones and tombstones. Their front garden now looks like a neglected cemetery. The skull blew away down the street - I was rather amused to see someone come out of the house and retrieve it.

Sadly it was neither David Tennant nor Kenneth Branagh.

Now they would have been a treat worth opening the front door for!