A Hallowe'en invasion

The smaller residents of our Edinburgh crescent came a-calling at our front door this evening, all dressed up in their spookiest outfits while clutching receptacles in their little hands. Thanks to email we knew that the latest that we would see them would be about 7:15pm (because they all have to be in bed by 8pm) so we had a box of sweets ready for distribution at this time.

I have to say that it's quite an experience to open your front door to a dozen or so very excited children aged between 18 months and 10. They swarmed into the porch eager to tell jokes, holding out their boxes and buckets wondering what I would put in them. I was quite overwhelmed, but loved it - as can be seen in the extra taken by one of my neighbours!

Fortunately a couple of parents came down the steps with the children. They helped control the throng and round everyone up for this photo. The other parents watched from the railings above (and gave permission for this picture to be posted online).

After all this excitement this evening the rest of the day sounds rather dull: a short run (to test my knee); a bike ride; some blogging (about last night's lecture); and work on some journal paper corrections. We did, however, book a trip to Naples in March.

Exercise today: very short, slow run around the block; 10 mile bike ride (54 minutes)