Happy Halloweeeeeeeen!

Canada, well North America in fact is an odd place sometimes. It could be government organised car insurance, or stupidly complicated cell-phones and bank accounts, or maybe even just people driving really, really big trucks but there's always some new thing to freak out at!

Today (or rather, back on 31st October - by the time I get this on the blog) it's their attitude to Halloween. And to put this into context, we should remember that there isn't much of an attitude to the last day of October in England - a re-run of Jamie Lee Curtis looking a lot younger, Jack Nicholson sprouting hair and chasing after Michelle Pfiefer or even Sarah Michelle Gellar's less well-known role. But. In England there's only mild trick-or-treating and very little else going on.

Not so in Canada. Here, we've been looking forward to it for weeks on end. The shops are full of costumes and props and everywhere you go there's a pumpkin incarnation - Pumpkin Donuts was the last one I heard.

Then there's the day itself. Oh my god. Half the college was in fancy dress! My (working) friends pushed off early and EVERYONE seems to be going to a party. The oddest thing I saw though wasn't the decorations on peoples houses, or even the ones throughout the tax office (where I work most weekends now) but the business man standing at the bus stop. He was alone, minding his own business, breifcase at his side, quietly reading the paper while standing at the road side.......

.......wearing a full Superman outfit, complete with cape and red boots!! Oh Canada!