TRICK OR TREAT ?

Years ago when I was a child no one had heard of Trick or Treat,we celebrated Halloween with apple bobbing and telling spooky stories,there was the occasional party but as a rule it was very much a family thing,and none the worse for that.

We did however at this time of the year trundle our Guy Faulkes effigies about yelling “Penny for the Guy”. Any money received would be spent on fire works,usually bangers and with these we terrorised the neighbourhood for days before November the fifth.

I rather like the trick or treaters and over the years we have had some wonderful witches,wizards zombies and vampires,so much effort had gone in to the costumes that the children deserved a reward. Unfortunately we have also had visits from very unpleasant teenage boys who did not care about getting a treat. Instead they would throw rotten eggs at the windows and damage the garden.

For us last years Halloween was the beginning of a nightmare few weeks when every night after dark these louts would come and steal out tools ,damage the buggy and even stooped to stealing Pa's crutches from the side of the house.

This year we are ready for the little blighter’s and shall deal with them as we have always dealt with such rowdies. At the side of the house is a tap located directly under one of my bedroom windows and it is my intention to pass a hose through that window,across the room to the front bedroom window...are you beginning to see?

Should we receive any unwelcome Halloween guest the will be on the receiving end of a pressure washer and I wish them joy of it!

Of course we also have treats for the little loves who come so beautifully dressed as devils etc. we hope for lots of those.

My own contribution to the occasion is a life size model of a skeletal monk whose eyes glow with an eerie green light. Deployed halfway down the garden path it should cause some amusement to passers by.

Light up the pumpkin masks shake out the skeletons and let us have a great time scaring the pants off each other.....Happy Halloween.