Over those two weeks there have been (in no particular order) no fewer than six birthdays:

-Father James

-Mike Mulroy

-Rory

-Alvaro

-Jo

-Greg

After an exciting two weeks filled with cake, and … more cake, it is likely to be some time before the next batch of birthday celebrations.

By 9pm, we gathered together at the lounge to celebrate with them and help ourselves to some drinks and cake while the birthday lads kept beaming and grinning from ear to ear. Interestingly, the cake was so good that there was nothing left by the time we were done!

The highlight of the night was the duet by Mike and Alex. They played some contemporary musical pieces on the piano to everyone’s delight and ended with an almost perfectly rendered performance of … It was so good that they were captured on video!

So, it was a bit of a surprise at dinner in Greygarth to see Halloween “decorations” in the dining room on Monday, October 31. This prompted a bit of investigation about Halloween. What exactly is it and where did it come from?

Long time ago, in a not-so-far-away country (Scotland, today), the Celtics had an important festival called Samhain which was held on the last day of Autumn. It was meant to be a time to take stock and prepare for the cold winter months ahead. At this time of the year, they also believed that magical things happened and they had to light bonfires to ward off ghosts.

Several centuries later, Pope Gregory III (in the 12th century) decided to convert that festival into a Christian one and designated November 1 as a time to honor saints and martyrs. This was called “All Saints’ Day” or “All Hallows’ Day”. The evening before (October 31) then became “All Hallows’ Eve” which eventually became known as “Halloween”. Halloween was also linked with November 2, which was a day set aside for praying for the dead i.e. the recently departed who had yet to reach heaven.

A later custom developed where people would go door-to-door on November 2, requesting small cakes in exchange for the promise of saying prayers for some of the dead relatives of each house. This may have been the precursor to Trick-or-Treat.

Other stories tell that All Hallows’ Eve provided one last chance for the dead to gain vengeance on their enemies before moving onto the next world. To avoid being recognised, Christians would wear masques and costumes to disguise themselves, following the lighted candles set by others to guide their travel for worship the next day.

Whatever the case, these accounts give an idea about how Halloween has metamorphosed into what it is today. Like many other celebrations in modern, secular society, it also has a Christian history, which although are usually forgotten, are worth keeping in mind.

On Tuesday, twelve of us headed up to of Parrs Wood Entertainment Centre located in the Wilmslow area of Manchester for a night out at the bowling arena It didn’t matter whether only half of us had ever played the game before: it was just great for everyone to be out having good and worthwhile fun.

But we all had the chance to play! Even Mark who came along “just to watch” and take pictures, got into the groove and couldn’t resist. In the end he hit as many strikes as he had never done before.

The revelation of the night was Alex who was playing for his first time. His wonderful bowling spin won him several points until, unfortunately, he hurt his finger and couldn’t continue. Other rookies like Mohammed, Yoonsu and Patrick didn’t do too badly either. In fact, it was quite a surprise when Mo confirmed that his total points haul was a little above 70 after Felix had accused him of scoring only 50. Go Mo!

The winners of the night were roaring Rory (who couldn’t stop counting his “lucky” strikes), Gianfranco the genius (whose celebrations were as flamboyant as his bowls) and maverick Mike (whose coolness was almost touchable). Abhi also showed some Indian steel with his consistent shots.

Greg and Felix didn’t hit form tonight and, as if to look for some consolation elsewhere, squared each other up in a game of air hockey just as we were about to leave. Gianfranco and Neil had a similar idea but were fortunate not to miss the minibus – Greg had to go fetch them when the rest of us were ready to go home.

The discussions last for approximately half an hour and take place at 8:30pm in the Warden’s office on the ground floor.

There was extraordinary talent from some and championship worthy acting from others.  The one hour sessions cost under £2 each and take place at the Sports Development Centre on Denmark Rd on Saturdays at 11am.

All are welcome to join!