I saw my first remembrance poppies of the year yesterday.* Amazingly they were being worn by MSPs at First Minister’s Questions. (Mind you I hadn’t watched footage of the Westminster Parliament this week.)

That’s still a bit early. October 28^th. It’s not even Halloween yet.

And Remembrance Sunday is about as late as it can be this year being on November 14^th so yesterday was a full 19 days before the commemoration ceremonies.

At least the TV broadcasters weren’t sporting them yet.

*Today there were some at the till of shop I was in, so the public now has its chance to contribute to the poppy fund.

As no-one ever says round here. (And we Scots invented the damn thing.)

The picture above is from Astronomy Picture of the Day for 26/10/2019. It’s a photo of the Cheshire Cat galaxy group – the image is an example of gravitational lensing – but it looks to me more like a Halloween lantern.

Ignore most of the pictures in that lantern link.

A Halloween lantern should never be made from a pumpkin unless you’re North American. Emigrants to that continent adapted one of its native plants to the purpose.

In these islands – well the Scottish and Northern Irish parts anyway, where the tradition continues largely unchanged to this day and from which it was exported with those emigrants before being altered in its new setting – the only proper Halloween lantern is one cut out of a turnip (which our Sassenach neighbours insist on calling a swede.) A turnip is much harder to carve than a pumpkin.

Well it is Hallowe’en.

Donovan: Season of the Witch

(Since the video of my original posting of this song at Not Friday on my Mind 8 had been taken down this seemed a good opportunity to replace it. I’ve reposted a live version there now.)

Last night was spent at Writers’ Bloc’s Hallowe’en gig at the Scottish Storytelling Centre – a great venue with plush seating.

The audience was regaled with a collection of tales, all well received.

A reporter from Real Radio (I didn’t catch her name) was there too and interviewed several contributors for a show scheduled to go out on Saturday (2^nd Nov) either from 12-1 pm or 1-2 pm – around midday anyway, should you wish to tune in.

She had a microphone that served as a data recorder. She thought it might be on the blink so also recorded her interviews on her mobile phone, for back-up. It seems the quality is not affected. Modern life!

Don’t forget Writers’ Bloc’s annual autumn gig this year takes place tomorrow, 30 October, 2013 starting 7:30 pm.

Entitled The Year of Unnatural Scotland the venue is:-
Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High Street
Edinburgh,
EH1 1SR

Tomorrow’s a day early for Hallowe’en, but still.

Writers’ Bloc traditional autumn show is this year titled The Year of Unnatural Scotland.

It will take place, starting 7.30 pm, on Wednesday, 30^th October 2013 at:-
Scottish Storytelling Centre,
43-45 High Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1SR

“Even the Year of Natural Scotland has a dark side. Writers’ Bloc celebrates Scotland’s outstanding unnnatural strangeness in this evening of new fiction. For these modern urban storytellers, Halloween is traditionally the time when the stuff that doesn’t make it into the glossies slithers to the edge of your vision. From stunning unnatural and historic terrors, to art inspired by supernature, to wildlife from your worst nightmares. Don’t miss the chance to experience the great Scottish outdoors before it comes into your house after you.”

Yesterday on my way to work, queued up in traffic, I happened to glance in a window. There was a Christmas tree in it. It was 8.45 so no lights on but still…. it was a Christmas tree.

I know the shops do up their windows and displays but that’s to drum up business. Plus they mostly have the decency to wait till Hallowee’en and Guy Fawkes Night are over. But a domestic Christma tree?

It’s only November – not even past St Andrew’s Day. It’s enough to bring out the Scrooge in anybody.

The latest Writers’ Bloc Halloween show (titled as above) takes place next Tuesday 2nd November, 2010.

Due to a prior engagement (I’m working that night) I shan’t be able to attend.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t.

The promotional information is below.

Fresh from a barnstorming performance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Unbound programme, Writers’ Bloc announces an evening of spoken word with an uncanny twist.

No Country for Dead Men takes place at the Ghillie Dhu, 2–6 Rutland Place, Edinburgh EH1 2AD, on Tuesday 2nd November from 8 p.m. Admission is an affordable £4.00 (£2.00 concessions).

I know Christmas starts in about August for some shops (especially with the Children’s Annuals coming out then) but most nowadays have the decency to get at least Halloween, if not Bonfire Night, out of the way before setting out the bunting and the baubles.

(That’s the only bonus about the commercialisation of Halloween. It fends off Christmas for a bit. When I was a lad there wasn’t much “ghostly” tat, apart from perhaps paper masks or witches’ hats, on sale in the run up to All Hallows Eve. Certainly no pumpkins and none of the peculiar orange and black creations that seem to be the marker these days. We had our guising costumes made for us by the sweat of mother’s brow – or sewing fingers.)

In Kirkcaldy, Santa visits the Mercat and the town’s Christmas lights are switched on halfway through November but at least the latter has some point to it, as it brightens up the dark winter afternoons.

Yesterday, though, the 27^th of November, in my local corner shop I saw for sale not Christmas stuff, oh no, but creme eggs.

Creme eggs! In November. The leftovers from last Easter have barely cleared away.

It takes all the anticipation away.

Year round creme eggs. It’s just not right.

No. It’s not.
It’s guising.
Or at least it ought to be. Certainly in these islands.

“Trick or treat” is the American version.