Hallowe'en Fun

Well, I had to wait for my flatmate to return from her trip to upload the pictures from her camera... which is why I'm explaining all about Hallowe'en today instead of the first ever blog of the week!

In any case, I am a massive Hallowe'en fan. I love it. It's a great time and it always feels, well, magical to me. So, to honour the one evening that remains of the very ancient three day festival of Samhain, my flatmate and I decided to throw a dinner. Of the countless number of people who we invited... only three showed up. Oh well, better luck next year!

Jasmine rather foolishly decided to decorate while the kittens were loose in the house. Smeagol took a liking to the streamers.










This is my favourite picture of Smeagol, about to climb the pumpkin with his half guilty, half crazy expression. Isn't he a handsome boy?

I'm very fortunate to have a flatmate like Jasmine. She's very laid back and we get along really well. It so happens that she's (despite what she would tell you) quite well organised and she smartly decided to buy a pumpkin well before the pumpkin carving party. I, on the other hand, am not so well organised, and, having Saturday off, I decided to try and find a pumpkin then. Well, the gods wouldn't permit it... they were all sold out. Everywhere. So I went home all sad and dejected and Jasmine very kindly allowed me to carve one side of the pumpkin and she carved the other side. Thanks Jazz! I heart you.

On Wednesday night just past I was discussing this with my Kung Fu sister and she mentioned someone buying a watermelon to carve and I could have kicked myself! A watermelon! What a good idea! Well, I know what to do next year if the pumpkins are all sold out again!

It seemed our guests also had that "all the pumpkins are gone" problem... and they brought a capsicum to carve. In North America, you call it a green pepper. In any case, I laughed hysterically. As soon as we were all done with the nibblies and the wine, we sat down to carve. Jazz and I with our pumpkin and Kevin with his capsicum.

DEATH TO PUMPKIN!

Myself, in my rags, and Sharon get ready to start.

Yummy! Pumpkin guts. I look like a maniac!

I'm gutting the pumpkin, Jasmine is getting the seeds for roasting (yummy!) and you can just see Kevin carving away at his capsicum. Tee hee hee!




They talk, I carve. Mine was quite detailed, so it took a while to do. Poor Jasmine had to be all patient while I worked on my masterpiece!







Below: Kevin carves, look at the focus. I carve, look at the... uh... day-dreaming... again!

So this is what mine looked like without the candle. Weird looking, I know. I didn't think it would turn out so great. And then we all put a candle in our creations....

See! Looks much better with the candle in. The black across his cheek was because Jasmine carved out the other side with the crescent moon and bats... but I still think it looks awesome! Not bad for the first attempt at real pumpkin carving, eh? I'd like to take the opportunity to thank Noel of fantasypumpkins.com for the printable mock-up of this image (from the game Vampire Masquerade, I believe). You should check out the stuff he does. Sheer brilliance!

Then after the carving there was:

DESSERT!
(Kindly provided by Kevin, who made this awesome marble cheesecake... but forgot Jasmine was allergic to nuts....)

Having missed the carving, Jasmine's friend and soon-to-be owner (read here: staff) of Callie-Rose, Matt arrived dressed as Obama. He looked freakishly close (except for the ears. Matt has better ears). He then dressed up as Frank, complete with guarders, fishnet stockings lacy black undies, a leather corset and pleather jacket and, funniest of all, heels. I've never seen a man try to walk in heels before... and it was as funny as it looked painful. Poor Matt. However, he does have my eternal admiration for appearing in public, in late October in nothing but what I described. He is officially my hero!

The movie itself was bizarre, and seemed to me to be simply an excuse to behave as poorly as possible in a movie theatre. All the same, it was fun and I was grinned as I walked out of the Mayfair, covered in rice and water.

All in all, a wonderful Hallowe'en celebration... and a pleasant distraction from the torturous wait I am still enduring for my book proposal. I think I might make this a annual thing.