After months and months of vicious heat and near drought conditions, we have had two days of refreshing rain. Today it's actually cool and breezy outside and I swear I saw a leaf fall off a tree.

This week, Americans will celebrate that very overdone holiday, Hallowe'en. Hallowe'en is a pretty amazing idea. All year long, parents tell their children to stay away from strangers and dentists tell them to stay away from sugary sweets.

Then magically, one night out of the year, if the child dresses up as someone or something, he or she can get bags full of sweets from who else – strangers It's always struck me as a little odd, when we spend all year teaching children not to speak to strangers and to never take sweets from strangers.

Yet on October 31 they hit the streets, in an array of costumes, to knock on strangers' doors and ASK for sweets. No wonder kids are confused. They're then warned not to eat the goodies until parents have checked them for all manner of awful things. Years ago, before pre wrapped sweets, razor blades were found in apples, crushed glass in popcorn balls. Nowadays the concern is drugs and other poisons. I have to ask... is it worth it?

If you're so mistrustful of the people you live around, why on earth would you encourage children to accept sweets from them? Sadly, these days nothing it seems is safe. I think I'd sooner just go and buy my kids some sweets and not have to worry about mixed messages or perverts trying to poison them.

As a child growing up in Kenilworth, I don't ever remember Hallowe'en as an event, other than reports on the TV of a few nutters dancing in sheets down at Stonehenge. But at least that's British. I had certainly never heard of trick or treat. I understand it's becoming more popular in Great Britain. Television has a lot to answer for in my opinion.

It's a huge event here, a pre-Christmas boom time for retailers. Gardens become grave yards, huge spiders hang from roof tops, plastic explosions of ghoulish figures appear everywhere. Wonderful, if you're into tacky I suppose.

Then we have the Fundamentalist Christian right wingers, who go into panic mode at the very mention of Hallowe'en, witches and wizards. These are the same people who wanted to ban Harry Potter from these shores. Their kids are dragged off to 'Hallelujah' parties at their local churches, dressed as angels and shepherds. Hey isn't that supposed to be Christmas attire? I'm so confused. I just need to come home.

Home is where we used to celebrate the harvest. I have such wonderful memories of the harvest festival services both at school and local churches. I can still see the wonderful brightly coloured displays of autumnal fruits, vegetables, flowers and all manner of gifts collected from church members and pupils. I remember so clearly the wonderful smells that permeated the school hall or the church.