On the eve of Halloween....

Happy Halloween!!

I have no Halloween plans this year and avoided the bars in town like the plague this weekend due to the fact that I am still getting over my virus. I still wanted to be festive so yesterday I carved my first ever Halloween pumpkin. I also helped my sister make some Jack-O-Lantern biscuits today for the school.

I have always been fascinated by Halloween, the holiday associated with all things spooky and scary. It is such a fun time for children and adults alike and I love dressing up and making autumn goodies to eat. I found a few bits of trivia to mark the occasion.

 All Hallows Eve or Samhain is an old Celtic festival that once marked the end of summer and the end of the harvests. It would also mark the passing of the year and the start of a new one, a time when the earth began to 'die'.


It was, and still is, believed that the veil between this world and the next is thinnest at this time of year and so spirits could wander between worlds. It was a time to honour and remember those who had passed. All Saints Day, on the 1st November, remains a Christian day of remembrance.

The general association of this holiday with death is not all macabre and gloomy. It is a time of new beginnings and change. Pagans use this as a time to take stock of their lives and move on to new things, make changes and learn new things.

I am not a Pagan but I do find myself drawn to the old religions. I think this is more to do with the fact that much of my country's history, myth, and legend comes from the old Celtic religions. Also there is such a connection with nature and the seasons and I love that the old festivals are still celebrated in some form at different times of the year.

Whatever you are doing this Halloween, have fun and be safe. xo

October is nearly here....

Time to start practising my baking for Christmas. I'm thinking Chocolate Roulade or a Swiss Role. The latter might be a better idea as all I would have to buy would be the raspberry jam. I might also try a Genoise sponge cake maybe with raspberries and cream....depending on how easily it would be to get hold of some raspberries.

BBC News - October's weather predicted to break temperature record:

'via Blog this'

Apparently it's going to be hotter here than in Ibiza this weekend and I am planning on getting some last minute sun tomorrow. I'm thinking park, book and maybe my netbook too for some outdoor study. Tomorrow I officially start my course study topics, the first being "Teaching Assistants Today". I have had a quick read on ahead and I will be learning about how teaching assistants fit into the teaching industry and some history of the role and its predicted future. Exciting stuff (no that is not meant to sound sarcastic!)

The only thing bad about this weather is that I cannot get in the mood to knit anything remotely wintery or Christmassy at all! I should really be getting started on some scarves for the family but buying wool is the farthest thing from my mind in this heat.