h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sort of like a lit-up mummy.

An Incan mummy, perhaps. Last week, I found out that the Incas used to invite their dead relatives to parties - they'd mummified them, sitting down, so it was convenient, you see...

I've a cousin from Central America. He insists that his dead father comes to see him at least once a month or so. He's completely unfazed by that and seems to see it as the normalest thing in the world.

I wouldn't be surprised. I've been studying ancient Mesoamerica and South America for my current writing project, and their attitude seemed to be very affectionate towards ancestors, and expecting them to drop in.

A bit like the ancient Egyptians, that way. Those folks used to leave notes in the cemetery. Sort of, 'Hi, Grandma.'

I'm getting tempted to actually do all hallows eve, err, hallowine decorations... for the first* time ever (as an adult).
But.
Only vegetables.... carrots.. sweeds, turnips... etc... tied to bits of string.... hanging down from my balcony.... so they'll hover just above or near head height, in front of my front door... nothing else... no plastic, or bought stuff, that'd make it too* obvious... just weird, hanging in mid-air vegetables..... yeh... then, afterwards, I can pull them up, on the rope, and kill them... and put them into a stew

Shortly after we'd moved into Yarreau's house, I dreamed that the previous occupant - an old woman who'd died in what was now my bedroom - came and sat on the end of my bed in the night and demanded to know all the latest village gossip. Sounds much more likely than all this scaring people nonsense...

Isn't the headless huntsman from Yarreau's area, too? I think you met the preferable ghost.

I'm amused by the thought of 2legs' random unexplained vegetables on strings. Broccoli, radishes, green beans, the more the merrier!

If I do it, I'll have* to err buy the veg, and some sutiable (hopefully invisible string/fishing line), and* must* get someone to photo it for me I'm thinking.... carrots... defaintely.... turnips, sweed, definately.... potato for sure....maybe a large marrow... or courgette if they're still in season.... leeks! oh... yes, defaintely leeks, a couple of onions... mushrooms might be tricky though... oo! a 'braid' of garlic! and.... a large knarly 'lump' of root ginger... mmmm... not a bad mix for a stew now I come to think of it Mind, given the traffic up this road, and the dust and dirt, I'm not sure I'd want to stew them, even after several hours soaking and rinsing them

Maybe I should just carve a pumpkin instead... into either soemthing really rude ... or, something really* frightening.... maybe carve it into the face of Jimmy Saville... that's probably both rude and frightening... and certainly bad taste

Last year we left it too late and the co-op had run out of pumpkins

We carved a pineapple instead, it had great hair and all

Pineapples!
*worships at the temple of the pineapple*

This is turning into the Vicar of Dibbley harvest festival more than Halloween...

I'm thinking of making cheese and pineapple hedgehogs, putting them on a platter and offering them to the trick or treaters instead of a lolly, along with some melon perhaps?

Prepare for disgusted trick-or-treaters.

Fruit instead of candy is usually a downer.

I've just sent a care package of cheap chews and licky-lollies to my daughter in that Lahndahn, where they don't go in so much for what she used to call "trickle treating".

hang on... Pineapples? ARn't they that new fangled fruit from our outpost in the Americas? pah.... new fangled rubbish... It'll never catch on....

If* I answer the door to any trick and treaters, who come up this road (we don't normally get any), I'll just hand them my slightly limp carrots that I meant to use up but which are still lurking in the fridge actually I must find something to do, to use up slightly limp not quite bad enough to throw out, carrots

2legs, you are *not* to be handing your limp carrot to any youngster who comes to the door. I'm going to have to insist upon that!

2legs if you put your limp carrot in cold water it will firm up,

not that you should offer a firm carrot anymore than a limp one to youngsters knocking on your door

Or you could use it in soup...when it's all brewed up with a bit of stock you'll never know it used to be flaccid and uninspiring.

I'm trying to redirect the conversation here but it's going nowhere

At least he'll the temptation to add any chilli to liven it up.

Not after last time, you mean?

This thread is becoming scary for reasons altogether non-Halloween...

I love butternut squash soup, would add chilli to that,

*wonders about carving*