Costume Dramas

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Any excuse, eh?!

And I'm proud to say that most of what you'll see in the accompanying pictures was handmade in Scotland, right here in your correspondent's kitchen, in fact. Everything but the lederhosen, I'm not taking credit for those!

Oktoberfest is a time honoured celebration of our American friends, and of course one of Daddy's personal favourites. He supplied two 'pins' (half kegs, i.e. 2x40pints) of beer for the event. He in the rather enviable position of having more beer than he knows what to do with right now, producing 160 pints most weekends, but not quite being able to sell it yet. And it was warmly received by all the men (and one or two ladies) in leather shorts at the party.

I went for the more demure 'dirndl', with a long apron made out of an old crib set, I think. J's lederhosen were safety-pinned together, luckily it all stayed together!

Then a few days later, it was Hallowe'en, which J has enjoyed tremendously. The kids had a hallowe'en birthday party to go to and we doorstopped a few people on the way home. We put pumpkins out on the doorstep and left the lights on, inviting trick or treaters (How things have changed since we had children ourselves!) We had about a dozen visits. Every night since he's been asking if there are any scary people outside, and when I say no he looks really quite disappointed!

I think my abiding memory of the night will be J opening the door to two larger boys in masks. I asked them to lift up their masks, so as not to frighten J & G, then tell us a joke, then they earnt their sweeties which they dropped into their overflowing buckets. J suddenly rushes off going 'Wait, I show you mine!!' He came charging back to the door, hugging his tiny little pumpkin pot (containing four packets of raisins, some mini hobnobs and a mini twix) and said to the lads 'Look, mine is brilliant, it's got sweeties in! It's brilliant!' Grinning from ear to ear with the excitement of it all, as he showed off his booty with fellow trick or treaters. The boys were kind enough to look into it and mutter words of encouragement. I nearlly cried at the innocence of it all!

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Photos

Whooo Ghosties!
A favourite game at the moment