Sunday 28 October brings the annual extra lie-in with the clocks going back one hour. Halloween is widely celebrated on 31 October. Commercial interests have made much of this date now with witches and evil spirits. It is rumoured that this date will bring forward several ancient visitors, Ann Angrimob (serving wench from behind the bar of the new local hostelry, ‘The Cross and Garlic - a Big Stake Inn’) and her friend, Ivanna Bytiznek, the Romanian Princess and presenter of TV’s ‘Fangs for the Memory’ could be around then, even our friendly Welsh Vampire, Dai Monsterdai, affectionately nicknamed ‘Taffy, the Vampire Slayer’ may be seen.

Fordingbridge Camera Club will still be full of good spirits and humour, and a few ghouls and ghosties, but what does it have to offer? www.fordingbridgecameraclub.org.uk lists our programme for the year. We meet at Avonway Community Centre at 7.30pm most Wednesdays of the season for a mixture of talks by visiting top photographers coupled with opportunities to show your work and have it commented on by experienced photographic judges. Visitors are always welcome for a small fee. In addition to our regular meetings we are devoting many evenings for those who want, as a group, to set themselves new challenges and then to review the results collectively.

Druids claimed that on this special Halloween night, they could communicate with the spirits of the departed.  Furthermore, far from being threatening, the ghosts of the ancestors could assist the druids in foretelling what was going to happen. I think we would all like to know ask them where we will be with Brexit on 1st November 2019. A final thought, I suppose that a vampire has a motto – ‘blood is thicker than water and tastier too’.