Week 63 - Halloween

  • We went trick-or-treating for Halloween with the boys around the village. The curmudgeon in me grumbles about the Americanisation of my children, but I can’t argue with the fun they have with their friends. It hammered down with rain and they barely noticed.
  • We left pumpkins, decorations and a bowl of sweets outside our door for visitors while we did our own trick-or-treating. Our video doorbell kept me entertained later watching footage of children running up and down the drive to scoop up sweets.
  • I bought my car new nine years ago this week. It’s been solid throughout and sailed through its MOT once again. The warning light for coolant that L saw last week had disappeared and the mechanics couldn’t find a leak.
  • My car-buying tip is to add the optional extras that will make it feel premium and modern for longer. Mine had the higher-spec sat-nav, better wheels, reversing camera and heated seats - many of which are standard now, but have stopped me from upgrading for longer.
  • I love Twitter. For over 16 years it’s been my main source of news and views. But in response to the new regime, I’ve seen many decamp to (or at least explore) Mastodon. I’ve resurrected my dormant account and have started following people I follow on Twitter. It means there’s another app to check, but I’ll keep dipping in to see how it grows.
  • H had another football festival. His team did very well: two wins, two draws and H was player-of-the-match in one of them. However, before it started, the watching parents were instructed that this was a ā€œNational Silent Support Weekendā€ and that only clapping was allowed. Even the coaches couldn’t shout! We dutifully followed the request, but it was a bit miserable not to be able to encourage the team.