Budgie on a Balcony: Happy Halloween

All Hallows Day is November the 1st. "All Hallows Eve" is an Old English term for Hallow-e'en (short for evening). The eve of All Hallows Day. Also recognised in Mexico as the Day of the Dead, Remembering the Dead or the day the dead will rise. I love Halloween. After Christmas, it is my favourite holiday. Not even Easter comes close.

Growing up with parents who recently returned from living in Canada and having my older sister there, Halloween was always celebrated in our household. Overall it was reasonably uncommon to recognise Halloween in NZ in the 1980's. The craze of trick or treating quickly caught on in our street once the other kids in our neighbourhood saw the spoils from our own door-knocking. The great thing about this was that because our visits were unexpected, our bounties would be generous. Whole packets of chocolate biscuits. An unopened 2L bottle of lemonade. An entire packet of family-sized chips. The pantries of our cul-de-sac would be bare and our knapsacks full.

And of course Mum would make our own costumes.

This picture of the Ghost outfit still gives me a headache. Mum sewed sheets for us. I distinctly remember having to hold my eye holes in alignment the entire night just so I could see. I received three fairly could knocks to the head and consequent "egg" contusions from getting my foot caught and tripping up on the front of the sheet. Of course my arm holes were too big and I couldn't brace my fall. So I fell like timber.

And mandatory cat costume complete with matching white jelly shoes for my older sister and I.

So in keeping with tradition, I decorated my apartment this weekend.