No, it’s not Sam Winchester Day. Although that has a nice ring to it. It’s Halloween! The shops in Dubai are in the spirit. Costumes are all over the place, Starbucks is serving spiced pumpkin latte again (which I think should be a year-round item on the menu anyway) and pumpkins, great big orange pumpkins are everywhere.

This is the pumpkin stand at the Carrefour Mall of the Emirates. Frankly I have never carved a pumpkin in my life and don’t really see the point of it, and these are too pretty to hack up into ghoulish shapes just for the heck of it.

For me, pumpkin belongs in one place: my plate. Which is what I got for lunch at La Piazza. My grilled fillet with pepper sauce has steamed beans, carrots and pumpkin in it. Yummy.

We had to replenish the pantry and the fridge so we were out yesterday. First time I got out of the house in five days. I felt like I was floating. It was so surreal. See, even Joseph thought I looked particularly strange.

Patrick didn’t really mind. He had a plate-full of chicken and fries and lemon iced tea so he was a happy camper.

Plus he just twisted his father into his little finger and got himself a new toy. It’s a fully transformable Bumblebee, the old model.

See? Happy camper.

Let’s take one last look at that pumpkin, shall we?

Happy Halloween to those who celebrate. If you’re trick-or-treating, take it easy on the candy.