The American import

It's one of those odd things that sometimes you find your attitudes to some things are different to most other people's feelings. I can't stick Halloween: I believe it's partly because of my age (didn't exist when I was young) and also my parents who hated things American. But also because it is an American festival and is used by kids (don't have any, don't want any) to beg things that they shouldn't eat. Older thugs go for money, instead. I give the next door neighbour's kids' parents sweets to give to their kids when they think it's right. But I won't stop what I'm doing to answer the door because someone wants to beg something from me.

I hate appearing mean or being unpleasant to people, especially small children, so the whole thing fills me with an anxiety which is really hard to explain to anyone else. I actually retire from the front part of the house so that I'm not put in that position. Gangs of kids who cause all sorts of havoc in the area (like the ones who chucked a stone through my patio door costing me £780 to replace - what a jolly wheeze), but are not my immediate neighbours, are given licence to wander around begging (with a degree of menace which is only tempered when they see how big I am). And in previous years the avaricious nature of both children and parents was transparent. This wasn't universal; but I live on the borderlands here and the majority believe they have a right to do this, which I don't.

But what's really horrible is that it extends the period in which people feel enabled to let off fireworks, so that around here the wild and tame creatures are terrorised after dark by all the whistles and bangs for about three weeks instead of two. Cats especially can't be kept inside on a permanent basis. There's a phrase which is both mindless and illiberal which is 'it's only a bit of fun', which apologists for this imposition use. If it didn't impose itself on me and the innocent creatures (the pets around here and the wild creatures in the fields beyond) then fine, but it does and it is for that reason indefensible.