Some call it Samhain in relation to the ancient Celtic pagan festival, some All Hallows Eve, All Saints Eve, Feast of All Saints, Halloween etc. Nevertheless, the date was October 31st and it was getting dark outside…

Pumpkins are cured, the pub is heated, the games are organised.

This year we got some friends to carve turnips which is tradational up here in Scotland. Don’t they look great?

A suitably spooky feast was required, so we rolled up sleeves and went into the garden to get our hands on what was there and conjured up a banquet of …roast pumpkin, crushed purple potatoes, black kale and whiskey sauce…

And then the games commensed. Adam and Nic were in charge and complete with a few drams, we did an art challange, who could produce the scariest character, a game of ‘who stole the cookie from the cookie jar’ of which Richard was the reigning champion of getting it wrong.

All fun and games aside, this was a special marker of the nights drawing in. The summer has been so bountiful in terms of produce and energy this year. Darkness calls for death and decay…and there is a big lesson in that. The natural world is showing us the importance of rest, of sleep, of hibernation, so we can gather energy, process what has been and prepare for new life. Much love, the lightkeepers x