Happy Halloween

To get into the mood for Halloween, and because you just can't buy your pumpkins at the shop, I organised an outing for Nicholas and some of his classmates (and their brothers) to Garson's Farm.  We had loads of fun searching for the perfect pumpkin in the field and trying to find the biggest one in the farm shop.  We also picked apples, gem squashes, cabbages and beetroot.  Nice to have farm fresh vegetables for a change!

Picking pumpkins

And apples

And beetroot

Checking out the Halloween display

Carving pumpkins is not something I grew up with even though I lived on a farm, but it has become a tradition in our household.  As the boys get older they enjoy it more and more and this year they came up with their own designs.  I think Dad secretly enjoys the challenge too.  And then there is the dressing up that creates even more excitement.  This year we went for a ghost and a zombie and met up with a skeleton and a werewolf for trick-or-treating.  The 4 boys had loads of fun roaming the streets together looking for pumpkins (which shows that the house welcomes visitors).  People are really generous and we got home with a massive stash that will last months in our house!

Carving pumpkins

The end result of our Jack-O-Lanterns

My scary boys and their pumpkins

Getting ready for Trick-or-Treat with Jake and Ethan

Bumping into a teacher from their school was fun!

Little ghost and big zombie

(old sheets and beetroot juice came in handy)

Counting their loot the next day

I always like looking back on occasions like this!

(2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012)

More Halloween Fun

One of our half term outings was a trip to Petworth House with Phillipa and some of her new friends for Professor Grimble's Magic School.  The boys loved it so much last year so we thought it would be fun to go again.  I find that, at annual events like this, the boys enjoy and learn different things with each passing year.  They both seemed to get a lot out of it this year.  Nicholas Morag and Danny Pepperpot graduated as wizards!

  

The best wizards in town with their favourite witch

Enjoying magic school

Playing in the autumn colours

The monument at the top of the hill

Warwick Castle

The main reason why we picked the location for our half term break was its close proximity to Warwick Castle.  In my opinion it is definitely one of the best castles in England especially for children.  It transports you back in time with all the actors and activities that are continuously on the go.  We watched the birds of prey display, saw the trebuchet in action, learnt about the ghostly past of the castle, enjoyed an interactive show in the witches tower, watched a fencing duel, saw a headless horseman - the list of exciting things is endless - you really need an entire day there to make the most of it.  Since it was almost Halloween we also went on a Spooky Trail in one of the many gardens - it was so well done - the boys were intrigued and terrified at the same time.

Warwick Castle

The view from the top

Watching the trebuchet in action

Headless horseman!?

The Fencing Duel


A bit of sword fighting (inspired by the professionals)

Birds of Prey

Lots of interesting things inside too

The witches' tower

Pumpkins everywhere

The spooky trail

The view from a bridge over the River Avon