HALLOWEEN PUMPKINS
“You couldn’t just look after these two could you?” A friend of mine has just called in and is looking flustered. “ I have to go into Derry on short notice and I can’t take them with me.” Before I have time to answer, I’m babysitting. Well childminding actually, the two lads are both nearly ten.
“Well lads, what do you fancy doing?” I ask them, hoping that they will say they can look after themselves, which will leave me free to carry on my afternoon power nap. David, the eldest lad suggests the telly, which sounds fine to me. Walking across the sitting room, I turn the television on, but before I have time to change the channel, Jess chimes up.
“I don’t want to watch the TV. I’m bored, I want to do something else.” He runs out into the garage and appears a brief second cradling a large pumpkin in his arms. I had bought some pumpkins to decorate for Halloween, as well as to make some warming soup. “Can we cut this out?” He puffs as he heaves the pumpkin on to the table.
I had hoped that we would be decorating our own pumpkins this year. We had a bit of a mishap with our veggie patch though as some sheep, and later cows, got in through the fence and destroyed everything. They even pulled up the carrots. The pumpkins were not eaten; the cows trampled them on route to the curly kale and broccoli that were destined never to grace our plate this winter.
“All right.” I said “Have either of you done anything like this before?”
“Yes!” they both shout and go running to the cutlery drawer to pick out the sharpest knives they can find. “Hang on a minute!” I shout, desperately trying to slow things down a bit. “Now, we need to cut the top off first and then hollow out the innards.” I have adopted my best teacher voice. I cut off the top and then give Dylan and Jess spoons, which are a bit safer than the carving knifes they were just holding. They are having none of this and plunged their hands straight inside to pull out the seeds and pulpy flesh. “Ugh! It’s like witches guts.” They both shout as their hands went in again to pull some more out. I am bustling out to get some old newspaper.
“You can dry the seeds and string them into a necklace.” I say as I transfer the ‘guts’ from the table to the paper. “You could make one for your mum later.” This was ignored.
“How do you grow them so big?” Jess asks me as he splats the last piece of mush onto the chair. He thinks I grew it and I am not about to disappoint him by saying I bought it from a shop.
“Well,” I begin. “ You need good seed and good luck.” I say vaguely, then realise a bit more information is needed. “Well you need lots of manure, a big patch of ground, sunshine and you also need to keep the slugs and cows off of them.” Jess and David have lost interest in me and now have the knives. “Lets draw a scary face on the pumpkin first and then we’ll cut it out.” I am stalling for time again, anything to spare me the anxiety of seeing two under 10’s hacking the orange flesh of the vegetable to bits with knives. I draw the face as simply as I can in bold marker pen. “Here, cut those shapes out. They do and they make a good job, even though I am hovering, anxiously. The eyes are like diamonds and the mouth has that toothless grin that you would expect a ghoul to have at Halloween. “Here put this in.” I light a tea light candle and pass it to them. I keep hold of the matches. It looks good.
The lads wipe their hands on the curtains and look at their masterpiece. “I’m bored” David announces, “Have you got any good videos?” I put on Snow White in the hope that the witch will scare them silly and spend the next half hour cleaning up.
Maybe I will read a few ghost stories to them later to keep in the Halloween mood.
COMPETITION
Don’t forget to get your answers in for the competition to win three fabulous Dr. Hessayon gardening books. Simply tell me: What is your favourite season and why? And send it to me on info@gardening.ie or drop it into the Inishowen Independent office. The closing date is Friday of this week
“You couldn’t just look after these two could you?” A friend of mine has just called in and is looking flustered. “ I have to go into Derry on short notice and I can’t take them with me.” Before I have time to answer, I’m babysitting. Well childminding actually, the two lads are both nearly ten.
“Well lads, what do you fancy doing?” I ask them, hoping that they will say they can look after themselves, which will leave me free to carry on my afternoon power nap. David, the eldest lad suggests the telly, which sounds fine to me. Walking across the sitting room, I turn the television on, but before I have time to change the channel, Jess chimes up.
“I don’t want to watch the TV. I’m bored, I want to do something else.” He runs out into the garage and appears a brief second cradling a large pumpkin in his arms. I had bought some pumpkins to decorate for Halloween, as well as to make some warming soup. “Can we cut this out?” He puffs as he heaves the pumpkin on to the table.
I had hoped that we would be decorating our own pumpkins this year. We had a bit of a mishap with our veggie patch though as some sheep, and later cows, got in through the fence and destroyed everything. They even pulled up the carrots. The pumpkins were not eaten; the cows trampled them on route to the curly kale and broccoli that were destined never to grace our plate this winter.
“All right.” I said “Have either of you done anything like this before?”
“Yes!” they both shout and go running to the cutlery drawer to pick out the sharpest knives they can find. “Hang on a minute!” I shout, desperately trying to slow things down a bit. “Now, we need to cut the top off first and then hollow out the innards.” I have adopted my best teacher voice. I cut off the top and then give Dylan and Jess spoons, which are a bit safer than the carving knifes they were just holding. They are having none of this and plunged their hands straight inside to pull out the seeds and pulpy flesh. “Ugh! It’s like witches guts.” They both shout as their hands went in again to pull some more out. I am bustling out to get some old newspaper.
“You can dry the seeds and string them into a necklace.” I say as I transfer the ‘guts’ from the table to the paper. “You could make one for your mum later.” This was ignored.
“How do you grow them so big?” Jess asks me as he splats the last piece of mush onto the chair. He thinks I grew it and I am not about to disappoint him by saying I bought it from a shop.
“Well,” I begin. “ You need good seed and good luck.” I say vaguely, then realise a bit more information is needed. “Well you need lots of manure, a big patch of ground, sunshine and you also need to keep the slugs and cows off of them.” Jess and David have lost interest in me and now have the knives. “Lets draw a scary face on the pumpkin first and then we’ll cut it out.” I am stalling for time again, anything to spare me the anxiety of seeing two under 10’s hacking the orange flesh of the vegetable to bits with knives. I draw the face as simply as I can in bold marker pen. “Here, cut those shapes out. They do and they make a good job, even though I am hovering, anxiously. The eyes are like diamonds and the mouth has that toothless grin that you would expect a ghoul to have at Halloween. “Here put this in.” I light a tea light candle and pass it to them. I keep hold of the matches. It looks good.
The lads wipe their hands on the curtains and look at their masterpiece. “I’m bored” David announces, “Have you got any good videos?” I put on Snow White in the hope that the witch will scare them silly and spend the next half hour cleaning up.
Maybe I will read a few ghost stories to them later to keep in the Halloween mood.
COMPETITION
Don’t forget to get your answers in for the competition to win three fabulous Dr. Hessayon gardening books. Simply tell me: What is your favourite season and why? And send it to me on info@gardening.ie or drop it into the Inishowen Independent office. The closing date is Friday of this week
