Halloween 2022.

Happy Halloween.

I'm feeling a bit reticent about writing this blog. Halloween is a big thing here and I went for a couple of thoroughly enjoyable walks around the streets of Discovery Bay where I live. There are two streets in particular that decorate their buildings and gardens for Halloween. First, I went around these alone and then I went again with my friend, Iris. Both excursions were lovely. I had intended to go again on Halloween itself, but I woke up this morning and saw the news about the horrendous crush in Seoul as people went out to celebrate Halloween and it has made me feel really, really distressed and sad. In fact it has really put me off Halloween all together, even though I guess it could have happened at any time.

We have been to Seoul twice, including Itaewon, where this tragedy happened. I remember Seoul as being filled with people who, although they couldn't speak much English, did everything they could to help us find our way around, use the subway, locate sights etc. What happened there is awful, and even more so as many of the people killed were very, very young and should have had their whole lives ahead of them.

This type of tragedy upsets me a great deal, because I am extremely claustrophobic, and by that I don't just mean that I don't like small spaces. I actually have an absolute terror of not being able to move. Personally, I blame my older sister for this. As kids her favourite game was shoving me into small spaces and not letting me out until our mother came to investigate my screams and freed me. I used to be pushed under the bed and have to lie there sobbing while my sister worked on cutting off all air supplies. I was so naive and stupid that she used to ask me: "Can you still breath?" and I'd say: "Yes." Then she would try to find my air source and block it off. Her other favourites were sticking me under the bottom shelf in the kitchen larder, a game she called 'prisons'. She would open the door intermittently to give me bread and water. Soon I would be in dire need of a pee from being constantly force fed water, but she wouldn't let me out. The third horror was to lift me up and place me in a closet at the end of the hallway. We called this closet the toy cupboard. It stored toys, coats, shoes, tools, all sorts of things. With the door shut, it was pitch black in there and I couldn't move without risking toppling the things I was sitting on and injuring myself. Anyway, all of these events, have left me with an absolute terror of confined spaces and restricted movements, so the idea of a crush or stampede is hell on Earth to me. I know the events in Seoul weren't about me, but I'm just saying they tie in very closely with my fears. By the way in case you are wondering my sister and I get on ok nowadays and no I am not in therapy.

Anyway, trying to return to more positive things, as I said, there are two streets here which the residents decorate for Halloween. On the actual day of Halloween these streets are inundated with people out trick or treating. There are masses of kids desperately seeking candies. I have been on the actual day, but this year I won't do that. After the events in Seoul, I don't want to be anywhere crowded for a while.

I don't think it is traditional to celebrate Halloween here. I think it is due to the influence of Americans and Europeans that it has caught on. The area I live in is very popular with expats, so it's no surprise that Halloween is popular here.

When I walked around by myself I was pretty much the only person there so I could enjoy all the decorations at my leisure. I especially liked that some of the ghoulish displays were surrounded by stunningly colourful flowers, which kind of rendered them beautiful rather than horrific.

Pumpkins.

Pumpkin.

Crashed witch.

Scary witch.

Witch's hats.

Scary letter box.

Creepy guy.

Skeletons.

Skeletons.

Indian skeletons.

Spiders.

Spiders.

There are some odd people out there.

Ghosts.

Ghosts.

Ghosts.

More Ghosts.

Graveyard.

Monsters.

Melty faces.

Cobwebs.

The grim reaper.

The grim reaper.

Flowers and carnage.

Demon baby.

I liked that people had even decorated their doors and stairways.

Decorated doorway.

Decorated doorway.

Scary doorway.

Decorated stairway.

Decorated stairway.

Decorated garage door.

Later, my friend Iris came over to visit and I took her around the same route. Again we mainly had the place to ourselves. We took some photos of the displays and some photos of us with the displays.

Iris in front of one of the displays.

Iris in front of one of the displays.

Iris in front of one of the displays.

Iris in front of one of the displays.

Iris in front of one of the displays..

Me in front of the displays.

Me in front of the displays.

Me in front of one of the displays.

Halloween selfie.

Halloween selfie.

One really good thing was that by the end of our walk, it was just beginning to get dark and some of the displays were lit up. Some of the residents were out finishing off their displays, but none of them seemed to mind that we were photographing their houses and gardens. There was one house that was decorated like a creepy circus and even had a dead clown wrapped up in packaging and lying in the street. The owner joked with us: "Look, what happened to the last guy who photographed my house."

Halloween displays at night.

Halloween displays at night.

Halloween displays at night.

Halloween displays at night.

Halloween displays at night.

Night time.

Scary circus with dead clown out front.

When we had finished looking at the displays, I brought Iris to my home to collect Peter and go for a meal. He had got into the spirit of Halloween by hiding from us when we got back, then leaping when we thought he must have gone out. It was news to me that anyone could hide in our flat as it is so small.

Iris very kindly bought as a beautiful selection of Chinese teas which we will enjoy at our leisure.

A selection of teas from Iris.

We headed off to the North Plaza for a Thai meal. The setting was pleasant, the company was lovely. I'm afraid it's not the best food that there is here, but it was all right and they did not mind that we sat and talked for a long time. It was after ten o'clock when we left.

In the North Plaza.

Out for a meal.

Out for a meal.

While we were waiting for the bus, we suddenly realised Peter had lost a shoe. Due to diabetes, Peter cannot feel his feet and this is not the first time, we have suddenly discovered he is walking around outside in his socks. I found his missing shoe back in the restaurant.

All in all it was quite an eventful day, but it was certainly lovely to see Iris again.