Boo to Hallowe'en: zombie mum too cool for tricks or too killjoy for treats?
At the eleventh hour, I've realised that I cannot be bothered with Hallowe'en. I am sitting next to a truly beautiful specimen of pumpkin, grown by us, from seed. We had two beauties from a virgin gardening project and have already roasted and frozen the contents of one, ready for a future soup or pie. I've googled "how to carve a pumpkin" and quizzed more experienced parents whose neighbourhoods all 'do' Hallowe'en. I imagined that I'd rather enjoy the artistic challenge and have been dreaming up novel ideas to impress my family and local community. I came pretty close to lugging a hand-carved home-grown orange gourd to an outdoor playgroup in the woods. I didn't. After all, no one likes a show off. However, I should admit that I have already paid one small homage to Hallowe'en this year (aside from the sleep-deprived zombie look I've been sporting since the dawn of motherhood). In preparation for the playgroup, I did plan ...