Monday, October 31, 2005



Scottish Halloween was very exotic for me. The weather was invariably driving rain. You went to very few houses, which had no special decorations. You had to go into the houses and do your "party piece"--in my case "My Heart's in the Highlands(piping soprano mix)"--after which you were given something, candy sometimes, but not always--sometimes small change, a cup of tea, I think I remember being given a slice of Battenberg cake once. All of which could take half an hour plus, particularly if some kid after you had a watchable act, which many did, Scotland in those days full of accomplished child performers. Consequently a dozen houses was considered a good night, with not much to show for it however good a time had, and the weather never made it seem like going far afield would be worth it, unlike those endless warm October Ontario ones where I would roam for miles through the sugary elm backroads of Huron County, gathering pillowcase load after pillowcase load, mugging and being mugged, vomiting mojos into a ditch...

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