For three nights in a row, the wind was howling and keeping us awake. We could hear tiles moving, branches cracking, and unknown objects being tossed about like Tumble Weed.
Then two days ago I woke to the above (if you enlarge the photo, you can just see our church spire).
Still it blew, still it brought down trees, and still it made us fear that Lady Magnon's flight to London would be cancelled.
But since then it's rained, the wind has calmed, and, yesterday, Lady M boarded her aeroplane for Blighty as scheduled.
So Cro is once again Home Alone for a few weeks (if you can call being with two huge boisterous dogs 'alone').
My only real concern is having to cope with whatever ghoulish children turn up on the night of the 31st, demanding sweets, and threatening to burn the house down if they don't get enough.
Last year I bought a big bag of sweets, and an even bigger bag of my favourite licorice wheels. Guess which they all grabbed first? I was left with a huge bloody pile of sugary sweets (I think I chucked them).
I'm not big on Halloween; especially having to cope by myself.
Then two days ago I woke to the above (if you enlarge the photo, you can just see our church spire).
Still it blew, still it brought down trees, and still it made us fear that Lady Magnon's flight to London would be cancelled.
But since then it's rained, the wind has calmed, and, yesterday, Lady M boarded her aeroplane for Blighty as scheduled.
So Cro is once again Home Alone for a few weeks (if you can call being with two huge boisterous dogs 'alone').
My only real concern is having to cope with whatever ghoulish children turn up on the night of the 31st, demanding sweets, and threatening to burn the house down if they don't get enough.
Last year I bought a big bag of sweets, and an even bigger bag of my favourite licorice wheels. Guess which they all grabbed first? I was left with a huge bloody pile of sugary sweets (I think I chucked them).
I'm not big on Halloween; especially having to cope by myself.
Thanks for the Halloween reminder. We didn't have any "visitors" last year but did the previous Halloween.
ReplyDeleteI must remember to buy some sweets.
Pleased to hear the storms subsided for Lady M's flight.
Halloween is commercial blackmail.
DeleteIt is blackmail and I really dislike it although I will buy a bag of sweets, just in case.
DeleteThat's what we all end up doing.
DeleteI really hate Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night even more, because it upsets Paddy so much. Hallowe'en is, as you say, commercial blackmail and I tend to turn into a nasty witch and refuse to even answer the door, much less hand out sweets. :)
ReplyDeletethat is one spectacular photo, Cro.
ReplyDeleteHere in the states, if we don't want the little creatures at our door, we turn off the lights and retreat to the bedroom to read or watch t.v. Bah hum bug!
Thanks for the reminder about Halloween. I hate this particular American import. Blackmail as you point out but I had better arm myself with some sweets. Even though I live well off the beaten track some of the more determined local kids manage to find my house.(Is it American? Or UK? I don't know but I hate it.) Closely followed by Guy Fawkes which I dislike almost as much.
ReplyDeleteI believe it was originally an English idea, which we very wisely exported to the colonies. Unfortunately we've now got the bloody thing back.
DeleteI've always rather liked bonfire night. I was brought up in a small Surrey village where it was taken VERY seriously.
Fantastic sky - I hate strong winds that wreak havoc - glad everything has settled back down for you. There are hardly any children living in our village now so we don't get bothered any more. The thing is when they say 'trick or treat' if you say 'trick' they aren't prepared for it and don't know how to react. Worked every time.
ReplyDeleteI love licorice wheels...
ReplyDeleteLet's share a bag one day!
DeleteWicked! I like to slowly unravel them, nibbling the end as I go.
DeleteFantastic sky,wind is woeful I detest it ,it is quite scary.
ReplyDeleteHope you and the boys survive Lady M's absence,and of course the chooks..have a good evening and no more wind we hope.
Turn off all the lights and keep very still and quiet, they might just go away. lol
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
We got that sky last night. Living over commercial premises, we don't suffer from Halloween, or Jehovah's witnesses. There are some benefits, but I miss real fires.
ReplyDeleteWe did indeed have that sky last night. It's rare that I attempt a photo (with my phone-camera-thingy) but it was spectacular, so I did. Unfortuantely my phone didn't do it justice.
ReplyDeleteI hate Halloween, it's gone crazy over here. Two whole aisles in Asda devoted to Orange, purple and green stuff . . . Madness.
You'll have to blame those early Christian reformers for trying to cover up the pagan holiday of Samhain! Can't blame the colonies for that one....
ReplyDeleteI blame that wretched Emperor Constantine and his wretched Council of Nicaea. The whole wretched caboodle stems from them.
ReplyDeleteIt may be the same wind we had and which caused a few dust storms out in western Kansas. It's trying to blow all the leaves down too soon!
ReplyDeleteIt blew all the Chestnuts and Walnuts down here; as well as plenty of trees.
DeleteYou could just turn out the lights and ignore the door. Not nearly as much fun though.
ReplyDeleteHope you survive the little ghouls. Yesterday evening (20th October) we had the goldenest sky I've ever seen. The whole of it was . . . well, couldn't possibly describe it except that despite a lifetime of skies, I'd not seen anything like it before. It will buoy me up for years. Yours, too, is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to have been almost world-wide. Everyone enjoyed it.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAw, they're just kids looking for candy. Now that mine are past trick or treating age, I go to a friends house where we have pizza and beer and hand out chocolate bars. Although it's not a favorite holiday, I do like seeing the little kids dressed up. And I have wonderful memories of trick or treating myself when I was growing up. But here no one actually threatens to do anything bad - if you don't have candy to give, the lights are off and kids go to the next house.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sky.
You've take time to appreciate the beautiful sunrise and fret about not having sweets for the kiddoes. NOW, back to work in that storage room/office of yours! After you walk and feed Monty and Bok so they can snooze while you work.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea Beggar's Night is so widespread. I too would keep the licorice for myself.
ReplyDeleteGood luck surviving on your own! :) I do like Hallowe'en, but we rarely get any kids venturing down our 300m laneway. Occasional one intrepid soul will show up. I just give 'em a dollar nowadays, otherwise I end up with a bag of chocolate I inhale all by myself!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind Halloween. I have fond memories of making costumes for my children years ago. Today, families mostly buy their outfits, and it is all so commercial, but I still like to greet the children when they knock on my door. They are all so cute and mostly polite and they seem to be having a good time. I am all for that. We usually answer the door for an hour or so and then go over to see the grandchildren and enjoy our time with them.
ReplyDeleteCro, I have to admit that when giving out candy, I tend to hold back on the items I like the most till the end - just in case there are leftovers.
What a beautiful photo! I love all the colors in it. Living very far from the road, we NEVER get any visitors on Halloween. I love this time of year. There seems to be enough apples in the super markets here. I don't even try to grow an apple here in the southern states. I love a good Macintosh.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Maxfield Parrish sky.
ReplyDeleteWe had rain all day Saturday and into Sunday, and living on the coast, we nearly always have wind. Um, the stuff that blows in the sky, that is, the personal kind varies from person to person.