LAURA CARTLEDGE Life's like That...A time I love to get dressed to impress '“ and to look really scary

Of course I am not a fan of everything that comes with it. Like the arguably ‘American’ notion of seeing it as an excuse to wear the smallest costumes possible – the ones where the amount of flesh on show is the only frightening thing about them...

But I digress. Proper Halloween with pumpkins aglow, the crackling crunch of toffee apples and children making ghost outfits of their parents’ bedsheets takes a lot to beat in my book.

One of my earliest, and fondest, memories takes me back to when my sister and I were too little to go knocking on neighbours houses so used to trick or treat our own.

We would both get dressed up and lie in wait for the sound of dad’s car coming up the drive before bundling out of the back door.

Giving him just enough time to take off his coat and put on a look of surprise before we shouted BOO!

Recently, having exhausted conventional costume ideas and perhaps because of my interest in the news, my outfits have been a little obscure. My favourite so far being what I donned two years ago...

Made up of a white painter’s all-in-one suit from Poundland, a pair of pink wellies and a homemade snout and ears, I went as swine flu, while my friend swapped the snout and ears for a beak and feathers. It was great fun! And there is no doubt both of us were more terrifying than anyone else.

Alas this year sees October 31 land on a work night so my activities will be limited to the kitchen and attempting to work out what to do with what remains of the pumpkins we have carved.

However I am quite tempted to resurrect our old trick or treat tradition...and I think dressing up as a taxman would be guaranteed to terrify.

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