Yesterday we went to the High Legh Pumpkin Patch. We used to go every year when my daughter was little to a place in Slindon (when we used to live down south) and get our pumpkins for Samhain. The Pumpkin Man as we called him (his real name was Ralph Upton) would create a picture every year on the roof of one of the outbuildings such as the pyramids or an underwater scene.
When I was a child we did not get to see pumpkins so my parents or I would carve turnips or swedes (rutabaga) which were more difficult to cut into yet still gave a nice place to create a lantern from. I remember the film ET seeming quite amazing as it seemed so much more spectacular than here. When I was younger it was rare for anyone to go trick or treating although we did. We never did play tricks and our parents would tell us not to. When I got a bit older I used to head off dressed as a stereotype witch some years as no one was bothering and knock on some of the doors around here to give out treats instead.
Whilst at the pumpkin patch yesterday we wandered around the muddy field and played pumpkin noughts and crosses whilst parking our wheelbarrow. We picked out four pumpkins including a regular, a goosebumps (the one looking warty which is good for soup), a Crown Prince (amazing for soup) and a Blanco, the white one. There is something rather fun about being in the middle of a field surrounded by pumpkins and we noticed chamomile growing too. Afterwards we had 2 hot chocolates from Tatton Perk's coffee van that was also parked there and had an Eccles cake to share.
Last night my daughter carved the big orange one and she also baked pumpkin spice cupcakes. When she was little the Pumpkin Man would also bring her a new toothbrush and toothpaste.
Last year we had around 80 trick or treaters; it was a lot of fun to see all the creativity put into costumes (I also do not mind if it's a bunch of teens who haven't bothered to dress up, as long as they respectful then they deserve to enjoy the evening too). We have a strict rule now in the neighbourhood that you can only knock on the door of someone participating by having a clear decorative feature outside like a jack 'o' lantern.
I am always mindful that for people who are of strong Christian faith Halloween is not something they wish to celebrate (even though if you look through history it was part pagan - Samhain - and part done by Celtic Christians).
