Fi Phillips

Hallowe’en is a bit of a non starter for me this year. The whole family are working on the new house we’ve bought (but not yet moved into), decorating our teens’ bedrooms in readiness for when new carpets arrive tomorrow. We’ve spent the last few days steaming, scraping and generally manhandling woodchip off the walls. Each morning we’ve woken up stiff and tired from our evening stints, so by tonight, all we’ll be any good for is watching a scary movie on TV, phoning for a takeaway meal, and staggering to the door to hand over sweets to the trick or treating kiddies. This time last year, I wrote about what Hallowe’en means to me in A Hallowe’en Dilemma . All of that still holds true. Hallowe’en will always be a special day to me, and before I drag myself off to bed (I’m beginning to sound more and more like a zombie as I write), I’ll spare a thought for my loved ones who are no longer with us. Wherever you spend it, and whatever you do, have a wonderful Hallowe’en....

Seeing as it is Hallowe'en in a matter of days, I thought it only fitting that this month's photo inspiration should be suitably scary. Or perhaps, you don't find this image or graveyards scary. There's a leaf strewn path leading through a shady graveyard to an area of bright sunlight. Do you walk along the path? Do you stay where you are? Do you investigate the gravestones, leaving the path to tread in between the stones? Are you walking the dog? Are you meeting someone? Are you escaping someone? What does this photo inspire you to write?

A couple of weekends ago, I took my teens to a local artisan market, the Makers Market at Chester . I bribed them both with a fiver to spend and they happily pootled round the market with me. Near the entrance of the market, I spotted an artist's stall when we first arrived. In our new house, we'll need some new artwork and there were all kind of gorgeous prints to choose from. Donning my sensible hat though, I decided to save my money until I'd been round the rest of the market. If you ever have the chance to visit a Makers Market (and that's your kind of thing - food, handcrafted goods, artwork), then get yourself along there. My teens were especially impressed with the  macaroons and burgers. By the time we got back to the entrance, on the way out, I half expected that the one print that had really caught my eye would be gone, but I was in luck. If I'm like a kid in the proverbial sweet shop with stationery and books, then artwork comes a close third....

It's cold. My coat is rarely off my back, the garden has gone into hibernation, and my feet are freezing all the time. I finally gave in and switched the central heating on yesterday. My feet are still cold. I may have to buy slippers. It's going to be a weird month as 'real life' takes over. Well, not so much real as mundane and non writing. The house purchase has progressed, although no dates are firm as yet, so that frantic decluttering I mentioned this time last month has become even more frantic. Frantic-er? Is that a word? It is now. You know in the film Top Gun  where Tom Cruise's character Maverick and his friend Goose say, "I feel the need, the need for speed"? Well, I feel the need, the need for obsessive and to within an inch of its life organisational skills at the moment. Energy would be good too but I've given up caffeine. This is probably the last full month I'll have in this house so along with the household organising, ...