A trip to the Pumpkin Patch - Avon Valley Adventure and Wildlife Park

Last year Bob and I visited a Pumpkin Patch in Ledbury. Just the two of us and why not? We also decorated the house (AD)

I love Halloween. I've always decorated the house, me, the dog and even the kids when they were still interested.

I was disappointed to discover they don't do Halloween in South Africa, but I still decorated the table with a more autumnal theme.

On moving to Dubai, I was super excited to see that Halloween in Dubai was done in full swing. 

This years plan involved a trip to the Pumpkin Patch at Avon Valley Adventure and Wildlife Park with Bob of course, decorating the house and a Halloween party over the weekend for our 2 year old grandchild and the neighbours children, pumpkin carving and answering the door to trick or treaters on Sunday evening.

Do you do Halloween?

Next up I'm getting ready for Christmas, but won't be decorating the house until December 1st. Do your decorations go up earlier?

Week 42 - One Daily Positive and Project 366. Dubai to Newport.

It's been a super busy week. very little sleep with the demands of work, governors inspection, online learning journeys, baselines and upcoming visit from the Ministry of Education, I can't help but think, Harry Potter, Ministry of Magic and Monty Python, Ministry of Silly Walks.

Sunday #nature

In Zabeel Park

Monday #you

Blog hits and comments are slowing down, there used to be a time where 'publish' was good enough for starting a conversation, but nowadays it's just too much hard work to keep promoting and for what? Another offer to review baby products.

Tuesday - Orange

Changing room doors at the school pool. 

Wednesday -Treat

I'd been up since 4am, dropped Peter at the airport for a day in Saudi, in work at 5.30am and got 

home at 6pm, dinner on the go, packed suitcase, tidied up, took cat to vets, planned next weeks lessons, bed midnight.

Thursday - Family

peter wouldn't play ball with this photo, but it's just me, him and the cat and dog in Dubai. Work at 6.30am, observation by the school governors, staff meeting, classroom prep for when I'm away, home, out for dinner, shower, airport and flew to Qatar.

Friday - What I'm doing now

Transfered in Qatar and fell asleep on plane before take off at 1.30am local time. Woke at 5am over the English channel. Arrived in Birmingham, messed up the rental car booking, got to daughters house at 11am, drank tea, lunch at friends, arrived in Monmouth mid afternoon, signed papers at solitors for the apartment I've bought, transferred money and met up briefly with eldest son. Said Hello to my niece, went to parents at 7pm, spent 2 hours in the attic looking at family photo's, bathed and collapsed into bed.

Saturday - Eat

Stopped at garage to buy coffee and picked up Heinz chicken soup to take back to Dubai and a pumpkin to carve with niece, collected the teen, drove to Bristol to see MIL, called in to see Aunt and Cousin in Newport and back to Monmouth. Struggled with 3G and internet to send work email, blogged and off to bed very soon.

Halloween with HDYGG?

I miss having seasons. This is our first autumn in Dubai, there aren't many trees around to watch the leaves fall from. The trees we do have lose their leaves all year round due to the heat and no rain.

In South Africa the seasons were the opposite than they are in the UK. It's spring now in South Africa. Take a sneak peak at the Jacaranda's, there will be a post dedicated to them soon.

It took a while to get used to spending Christmas in the middle of summer, yet last christmas despite us now being back in the Northern Hemisphere and Christmas being in winter, we spent the day on the beach.

Without kids at home and no job and the weekends being Friday and Saturday, I have no idea of what day it is, let alone season anymore. I like to follow the seasons and decorate the house accordingly. The garden is proving slightly more difficult in Dubai and I'm currently in South Africa where it is spring.

And before I go any further, yes, they do have halloween in Dubai.

So I've decided to revisit our last halloween in the UK, were we had autumn and leaves on the ground

 Kids still at home who appreciated the decoration of the house.

I still bake cakes to hand out at Halloween even though my children don't take part in it anymore

I've also been known to dress up when we were in South Africa and scare the kids who knocked on the door

Finding Pumpkins large enough to carve has been difficult in Dubai and South Africa, so here are my favourite two carvings from the UK

UK

Dubai

Carved out of a Pomelo, a large citrus fruit.

I love the colours of autumn in the UK also, I love getting my boots out the wardrobe, putting wellingtons on to go for walks and adding some colour to the garden. Sadly I won't be doing any of this for a few more years, until we move back to the UK, but it's nice revisiting.

Sadly there is no/little trick or treat in South Africa, as unless you live inside a security estate it's just too dangerous to be walking door to door at night (and in the day, some places)