The All Purpose Halloween / All Saints / All Souls Service

Yeah bit of a mash up. We don't really like to dwell on Christian feasts too much, when there's celebrity birthdays, and this is a perfect accelerated whizz through two plus an e'en at once.

Early trouble of course. When young Keith wandered through the meadow, dressed as a zombie with that dead, white and hair, a couple of Beaker Folk assumed it was Julian Assange and made a citizens' arrest. But after we sang a couple of sad songs about the sun dying, and cracked on in the usual Beaker manner.

All Saints (8-9) - we got the kids out the way after the Halloween slot. You know kids are fine with ghouls, ghosties and long-legged beasties. But saints are about self-denial, heroism and discipline. You don't want to worry them with that sort of stuff. They will get enough of that when they're older.

But then at 9 we switched to All Souls. Not really understanding Purgatory, and not wanting to risk anyone who might come back, we just swapped anecdotes about departed loved ones. The same as last year, as it turned out. And then floated cockle shells, each representing the loved ones, out onto the duck pond under the Ultra Violet Light.

Very moving. Quick change of mood now and we're out to light the Wicker Person and bake some potatoes.

Anyone know who won Bake Off?

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