Approaching Samhain

So the wheel turns, and with it all of us.  Normally as Summer approaches I get into that garden and you won't see me back in the house until the skies begin to darken and the last tomato ripens and drops from the vine, but this year I hardly even made it into the garden to plant them!

We let the backyard grow wild (last year I'd planted teasels and this year they just took over the backyard, along with all the "weeds" and herbs that are a stalwart when it comes to our gardens.  With regard to the allotment, well.... our mayor from Watford did an about face and decided that we could keep our allotment after all (although, apparently, we've now been told she's back to her original plan of ousting us all).  It's so confusing!  Next year I've decided to ignore the prophets of doom and actually get down there and start digging regardless of the weather and regardless of whether we get to keep the land afterwards of not.  We may have to, D and I plan on moving somewhere a little more urban, so we may lose our backyard altogether. 

Of course I cannot solely blame Dorothy Thorn(y)hill for our lack of gardening this year- partly it was also due to us just really needing to "take a break".

I like an overgrown garden anyway, for at least two reasons:

1. It's messy so looks like an abandoned plot, is mysterious and one can imagine pixies, fairies, gnomes, etc come dancing under the moon on certain special days; and
2. It's messy so when you tidy it (if you tidy it) you get a wonderful sense of achievement by actually doing just that.
3. Even though this is actually more than two reasons, this reason should be the main reason, because wildlife don't really flock to tidy gardens - nature is chaotic, even when it's trying to be ordered.  If you are wanting to help the environment, let that garden overgrow.

Anyway - following on from the sunny season, around the end of July usually, I start to plan our Hallowe'en celebrations (or Samhain for the initiated) event.  It's my favourite time of year, and we put a lot  of effort into decorating our house, our front window and the hallway for when the trick or treaters come a calling.

Our Hallway in October 2011

This year, however, we will be heading to non other than New York City USA to celebrate the scary season - and even though our boy has professed that there really is NO other city on this planet that he would rather see before heading back to Oz at the end of this year, I think I may just be a little more excited than he that I will actually be celebrating this holiday in the country that truly does the best job at celebrating this holiday altogether.  Somebody remind me that this trip is all about Zack... quick, before I book tickets for Blood Manor.

Funnily enough, because Americans have embraced Hallowe'en as an actual celebration to be enjoyed by all the people over here in Blighty have erroneously come to the conclusion that this holiday was actually invented in America. I've even had arguments with little old ladies in the Pound Shop who were starting to complain about all the American things that were seeping their way into the British culture.  "It's a Celtic tradition" I tell them.  They don't buy it.  After all, Celts didn't have pumpkins they retort.  I won't be beaten even though they are already exiting the store.  I run chasing after them as they try to evade my fervor "They used to hollow out gourds," I shout after them as they scurry on down the high street towards Marks & Spencers with surprising speed.  "The kids in Scotland would travel from door to door...." I continue to shout but they've already managed to lose me in the crowd.

Darn it, I nearly had them convinced.