Welcome to the SRT blog No. 26

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23rd October 2020 – Welcome to our blog post No. 26

 Just over a week to go until Halloween.

We may not be ‘Trick or Treating’ this year but you can still celebrate at home. Take a look at the farm shops Halloween decorations later on – and pop in to get one of our pumpkins, but be quick as they are going fast.

  1. ‘Halloween’ – the tradition originating with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts
  2. Halloween is full of superstition and fortune-telling like bobbing for apples or avoiding black cats.
  3. Ancient Celtic cultures in Irelandcarved turnips on All Hallow’s Eve, and placed an ember in them, to ward off evil spirits. Irish immigrants took this tradition to America in 1846 but used a pumpkin instead, as it was easier to carve.
  4. According to Guinness World Records, the largest number of lit ‘jack o’lanterns’ on display is 30,581 by the City of Keene, New Hampshire in 2013.
  5. ‘Trick or Treat’ was written about in Canada in 1927 but comes from the traditional Catholic ‘souling’ and Scottish 16th century ‘guising’.
  6. The ‘Day of the Dead’ is celebrated between October 31st, to November 2nd, in Mexico.

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Autmnal activities at the Activity Centre this week. Michael Stilwell clearing leaves with Paul Birch helped by our student Marvis sweeping in the fruit area.

 

 

 

 

Adhar Panchagnula weeding a lawn bed and Rebecca Campbell sweeping around the building exterior

 

 

 

 

 

Noreen Shazadee raking the compost material for turning & Ian compacting the compost bay material. There’s actually a small trampoline hidden in there and Ian’s having fun!

 

 

 

 

 

The new uniforms arrived at the Activity Centre, were checked, sorted and despatched to each site for handing out this week.

 

 

 

 

 

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Everyone got a taster of the yummy pizzas as the new pizza oven was fired up for the first time by Guy! The dough was made an proved a couple of days before, and the topping added at the last minute

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kealey lent a helping hand, and added the final flourish!

Ann, tried on the new hoodie and said how warm it is.

Whose posing in theirs in this shot?

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Sam likes to check whose arrived each morning at Northchurch and say a doggy hello – oh and get a stroke as well.

The pumpkin harvest is in and on display in the Farm Shop, with some going down to Hemel Food Garden this week.

Trainees have had fun making some Halloween decorations to go with them.

Coloured carrots make a show….they’re as colourful as the pumpkins.

Composting the greenery from the latest squash harvest – they come in all sizes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Which ‘witchey’ films are these witches starring in?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers next week – or e mail me.