almost... blaaaack...

Maybe it's not having any children. Mayhap it was the busy day at work and late finish. Perhaps the distracting thoughts of what to have for tea. Whatever it was, it let me walk past two fancy-dress costumeries looking in puzzlement at the line of people queueing up outside before I remembered that they were probably waiting to collect (or search in vain for) an suitable Hallowe'en costume. When I was a student I just attached a coat-hanger to a broom-handle with duck tape to form a makeshift scythe and cut some arm-holes in a black duvet cover but apparently now Hallowe'en costumes can comprise anything from a french maid's outfit (without even any white face-paint to contextualise it) to a sort of zombie-monk (if I read the combination of clothing and make-up correctly).

I suppose I can't really complain. As children my neighbours, sister and I would dress up as squirrels, a Bernie Clifton-style ostrich and a parrot to go out trick-or-treating. We just happened to have squirrel, ostrich and parrot costumes handy as that's what my gran made us.

The parrot had one of those noise-maker things in its beak so that if you bowed whilst wearing it it made a noise like a donkey.


I still don't know why.