Halloween & Bonfire night

Do you think Halloween has become more Americanised over the past 20 years or so. When I was a child we were lucky if we had a party on All Hallows Eve but these days even the local supermarkets sell fancy dress costumes & accessories for the occasion and the pubs now have fancy dress nights it's all very commercialised. On Halloween there are now groups of people in fancy dress trick or treating with parents and that's okay with me but it does worry me because we also have groups of youths knocking on the door and have had eggs thrown at windows on the street simply because the people on our street are mostly elderly and are afraid to answer the door. One 84 year old lady was very frightened last year as youths continued to shout through the letterbox and throw eggs at her windows when she didn't answer the door. I know it's fun for a lot of people but it isn't for everyone and I think it should be kept to organised party's or events and kept away from doorsteps.

Bonfire night was the big deal on our street, we spent weeks collecting wood and the adults made a big bonfire on what we used to call a croft adjoining. It was more like a street party and everyone was involved, fireworks were kept in tins and only adults ever went near them. The fireworks when I was a child didn't compare to the ones of today but we thoroughly enjoyed them, they didn't shake the house with the noise but were pretty and the atmosphere was fantastic with all of the mums arranging food such as black peas and baked potato's, Potato pie, home made treacle toffee, toffee apples and parkin whilst the dads sorted the fireworks and the bonfire. We also bobbed for apples and part of the fun was the helping build the bonfire, it got bigger by the week, we collected the wood during the week and our dad's put it on there at the weekends.

i agree, it's got much more threatening as well with kids doing real damage in some areas. some people are already setting fireworks off and i pity all the animals that are facing weeks of fear with the noise.

one of the reasons i dislike this season is that it seems to last longer every year and i worry about fireworks being thrown at people. once upon a time the worst worry for children was burning your fingers on the baked potato, now they think fireworks are toys

For many years i've wanted to have only organised and licenced events with no fireworks sold in shops. i know this probably makes me a killjoy but they really frighten me - or rather the idiots that throw them at people and property frighten me

When i where a lad Halloween was a bit of fun at night and nothing else,bonfire night was the main event two gangs in our village one at each end we both had realy big bonfires and had to guard them in the weeks before,it was a time every one got involved we used to dig a den near the bonfire to be in while we watched over it had the wood scattered in the field and then threw it up on the day,i often used to do a weekends potato picking to earn money for the fire works as my parents didn't have a lot to waste on them,one year i spent £1 of it on 240 penny bangers and was still selling them at Christmas threepence each.

Halloween is definitely getting more Americanised I have just spent a few hours carving pumpkins for my niece and nephew I remember when I was a kid it was a big potato or turnip with a birthday candle in and if you were lucky it had triangle eyes and a jagged mouth
however I'm rather pleased with these efforts of mine must be getting creative in my old age


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You are clever, I could never do anything like that.

Well done Vicky. They look brilliant.

haha thanks just 2 hrs of my life i will never get back still my niece and nephew are really pleased with them

They look wicked

They look really good, they would have taken me all day and longer to do. What have you made with the remains?

cazz wrote:They look really good, they would have taken me all day and longer to do. What have you made with the remains?

pumpkin soup which my mum made i don't like but everyone else thoroughly enjoyed it

damn you're good at that

Did you remember to put your clocks back an hour

Just a little reminder

vickoir wrote:

cazz wrote:They look really good, they would have taken me all day and longer to do. What have you made with the remains?

pumpkin soup which my mum made i don't like but everyone else thoroughly enjoyed it

I've never had pumpkin soup, but then i've never carved a one so never had the need. I wonder how many people just throw it away?

Helen - yes we did.

most of mine do it automatically as they are on the tv and laptop lol my alarm clock is the only one i need to change and that's currently still flashing after my failed attempt to fix my sky box no watch so no other easy way of setting the time right on that one til i take the laptop up to my bedroom lol

We have one that doe's it automatically its a dab radio alarm clock but the rest have to be done manually, we have just had a visit from a neighbour who has just had a new oven fitted, the man set it for them in anticipation of the time change but it was 2 minutes out so her hubby decided he would sort it

She now can't get the oven to work as it has gone on to timer

helen wrote:We have one that doe's it automatically its a dab radio alarm clock but the rest have to be done manually, we have just had a visit from a neighbour who has just had a new oven fitted, the man set it for them in anticipation of the time change but it was 2 minutes out so her hubby decided he would sort it

She now can't get the oven to work as it has gone on to timer

Ah you need my 2 year old great nephew to sort that lol he's the only one in the house that can figure out the oven time

Eilis wrote:most of mine do it automatically as they are on the tv and laptop lol my alarm clock is the only one i need to change and that's currently still flashing after my failed attempt to fix my sky box no watch so no other easy way of setting the time right on that one til i take the laptop up to my bedroom lol

Sky box i took the engineering course for those,switch it of for two min and then back on,if that doesn't work take the card out and wipe it gently then replace,as far as i know that's the complete training sorry to joke about it the problem is you own them dont you.

mike

cazz here's another one for you

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maybe you could do one like this for next year vicki

mike wrote:

Eilis wrote:most of mine do it automatically as they are on the tv and laptop lol my alarm clock is the only one i need to change and that's currently still flashing after my failed attempt to fix my sky box no watch so no other easy way of setting the time right on that one til i take the laptop up to my bedroom lol

Sky box i took the engineering course for those,switch it of for two min and then back on,if that doesn't work take the card out and wipe it gently then replace,as far as i know that's the complete training sorry to joke about it the problem is you own them dont you.

mike

mike i tried both of those things lol they usually do work but not this time, this time the blue 'sky' writing has gone out which has never happened before, gonna nip and get a fuse and see if that works

Eilis wrote:cazz here's another one for you

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maybe you could do one like this for next year vicki

no worries if you buy the pumpkin

Eilis wrote:cazz here's another one for you

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maybe you could do one like this for next year vicki

That is fab, i've seen a pic of it lit up, the skinless parts glow nicely. Just Kampers I think are doing a pumpkin competition.

Perhaps I should have a go, perhaps do one for Christmas, lol.

been at it again today for Halloween



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Moment of weakness cute