A Ghoulish time

Did someone mention spooky parties last week?

Well, against the odds I actual to one this weekend held by a friend.

 

 Everywhere was spooky, corners, outhouses, the lot with bats, spiders, ghosts and lanterns as I talked with people and enjoyed a home made burger with onions that was scrumptious.

 

This one looks like it escaped from Harriet's farm!

On the other hand one really has to ask Grub's owner just what it was doing stuck in the spider's web about to become dinner.

We had a treasure hunt, looking for Halloween Bags very well hidden around the grounds although the one indoors seemed to fox all of us.

 

Most of us made lanterns from Pumpkins, mine was bought for me as it would of been too much to had carried with me on the train.

They came out really well.

By that point we were in need of food which was a buffet from various bits and bobs brought be people attending.

There was a quiz with general knowledge section and  music section relating to significant anniversaries of our late Queen, Elizabeth II. I scored nineteen which was pretty good going not being too familiar with much British tv from before the 70's.

In any event it was a good laugh. 

 

Seeing it was close to Guy Fawkes Night, we had a bonfire blazing from wood and cardboard and many rockets, catherine wheels with pretty colours which went well although one seemed to an idea of direction very much of its own like a  straight line!

Those of us who stayed overnight, losing an hour to the clock change went out for a meal at midday on Sunday which was very tasty having had a Turkey roast and Sticky Toffee Pudding with cream.

After which I caught having spotted the 16:29 train home after a kind lift from Andi.

That was it, a lovely time with friends with ghoulsh groovy theme.

Getting set

 

Something tells me they may well be a party or two next weekend across the country especially when it can involve Guy Fawkes Night events too.

It is beginning to get cooler across the day apart from the long nights drawing in which will mean next Sunday the clocks go back an hour and paws crossed here we'll be able to have the radiators running a bit in the evening.

Around this time of year, if you've been out you'll have noticed the leaves slowly falling off the trees and a little before those golden crispy colours that look so great in the autumn sun plus lots of little acorns about for the squirrels to bury for next year.

Next weeks post may be a a little late but don't worry!

Damp thoughts tail end of the week

Greetings from Kitty Towers.

It's a bit of a damp weekend so I wasn't out Saturday although The Grump was which was a relief about the earache following getting a letter to say gas was going up three times and I really don't need constant background noise as much as obviously it is a concern especially for those less well off compared with ourselves.

It's hardly surprising then  that you're back to reading books of the sort that not only written for an audience that I share the same reading age with but the same sorts of topics that such stories centre upon.

It may sound odd but I feel so much more at home sat on a floor reading or playing with groan ups around than the whole older child in chair discussing more grown up topics with them, not least with the craziness of the last week in adultland admittance £80 per annum, under 18's not allowed.

There's always music to be played here, just don't ask how many records or compact discs they're are, a good many hundred is the short answer but that was what I was doing as a kid back home anyway.

Just enjoying and being wept along in way that was more comforting from some of the realities of that time, whither it was closer to home or the wider world.

That's a favourite recording from the mid 1980's of mine in its original Japanese cd pressing form.

Then on Sunday there was more Castle Hangnail! by Ursula Vernon in storytime which saves reading it off the page aprt from being more like the storytimes we had at school then.

Ciao!

Ghouls and notes

 It's Monday again and the choo choos aren't chooing much today.

The world is getting spooky with lanterns and giant spiders webs emerging as we progress through October although the spiders wed I'm sleeping with is fairly small as I just don't have the heart to evict him.

Marshmallows  have been declared VAT exempt following a court ruling because they are primary for toasting which of course we all love to do over an open camp fire on sticks.

While war rages over Ukraine and the City of Liverpool is to host next years Eurovision song contest for that country I did pick up a box set of symphonies to play as the nights get darker and my legs get soaked.

Rachmaninov's symphonies always had an appeal having bought a record of the the Third in 1989 which was to be the last record of classical music I had bought until last month and this rounds up over four full discs all the symphonies and some interesting shorter works such as Symphonic Dances in well performed versions in digital sound.

Someone should tell Mr. Hifi Bore digital recording is the norm for classics

Blown about start to October

So it's wild and so far in blowy October which meant I didn't get anywhere Friday and Saturday here so yes it was dolly and colouring time at chez Jo's and reading this weeks Beano cover to cover.

I mean you can't call grown up news exactly suitable material for relaxing to with strikes, talk about nuclear strikes,money value going up and down like a yo-yo plus if "that" book actually comes out or not.

Sometimes then it makes sense to switch off all that stuff in much the same way we did with The Troubles, P.L.O terrorism and all that in the past cos after all kids and as kids we had to focus on what we needed and the regular day and then like now you might be told you can't go someplace due to a threat or transportation workers being on strike and just get on with it.

I also did play this record I had in the second half of 1979, the late Tom Petty's Damn The Torpedoes being chocobloc with great songs like Don't Do Me Like That, Louisiana Rain, Even The Losers and my all time favourite of his, Refugee.

Sunday I had on some Rachmaninov piano music from a box set I bought some years ago on compact disc which I feel has some of best performances in it.

Hopefully today will be drier so I just get out and enjoy the fresh air.