You're just the cutest little pumpkin!

Halloween took me by surprise this year - I'd just come home from a mega shopping trip involving cars, baby clothing and pumpkins - thank God for the latter! As I was driving up to the house, I saw a waving neighbour dressed as a witch (I had not met her before, so I could only guess that she was wearing a costume) coming towards me, asking if they could come 'round with the kids for some trick'o'treating a bit later. See, in Austria we don't have this tradition at all, although we're great lovers of celtic rituals. On another occasion, I might let you into some family secrets, like one involving my Mum gathering 12 virgins on a full moon (who all must happen to have their period) to have them dance around a derilict neighbouring house at midnight, burying an item of personal hygene in the front garden - all this in attempt to avoid somebody moving in next door... but I digress.
In England, people are more open to the idea of kids going from house to house on the last day of October, asking for sweets, reciting lines like "Trick'o'treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!" - but you would be surprised at the number of people who either haven't heard of the tradition or deny any knowledge of it, judging it to be too, well, American. This was the reason for my neighbour going 'round the houses before taking her kids and ten party guests on tour in their scary costumes.
Of course they could come round. I had bought some sweets already, and the pumpkin, of course, but I was expecting it all to happen a day later! Anyway, I had a good 30 minutes to carve the best pumpkin I've ever made... I used the seeds for teeth and eyes and tore up a newspaper to give it some hair - I think it's adorable, so I just had to share it with you.
Tomorrow I will be cooking up some tasty soup with the innards of this cutest of pumpkins... and I'll reveal the recipe as well, if it's any good!