Follow us behind the scenes to a Halloween Week at Happy Valley. As Hallows’ Eve falls on the week of October Half Term, it is no surprise that our mini mascots are employed to take part in the mischief and mayhem.
The sun has dawned on Summer and now the moon, wide eyed in wonder, looks down at the scene unfolding. Tiny dew drops of rain can be seen building up on cobwebs of woven silk; nature plays its part as spiders and bats are ready to take their role in this spooky festival.
As the cold air lingers and a foggy mist descends, Annie and Barnaby step into their positions magnificently by brewing the potions (tea and hot chocolate!) and preparing the cauldron for a family feast (pumpkin cookies!). With no cat or ghost in sight, Timber the dog is roped into the day’s ritual and as pumpkin is going spare, he is happy to oblige.
Our first call to arms, is to find our coats, wrap up in a layer of protection from the howling winds, and step into the woodland of whispering trees to find the perfect chestnuts and conkers for our collection. We place these and the acorn leaves into the magician’s hat and utter a chant or two.
With spoons and (adult-supervised) knives at the ready, we carve out some fun by etching into the round, plump, pumpkins at our feet. Scraping out the fluffy, orange innards, we scoop this into our pot and place to one side (this will be noted on our post-Halloween-pumpkin-blog). Our future architect and nine-year-old carpenter, picks up his drill and creates a fiery sky of stars by drilling holes into the pumpkin’s thick skin.
Adorned with a witch’s hat and magic at her fingers tips, Annie brings a glimmer of sparkle to nature as leaves and conkers are coated in gold. The shimmery glow coming from the puddle below hints at the evening to come and a cackle echoes in the air, reverberating throughout the land. It’s almost time.
The candles are lit, sparklers ignite, pumpkins are placed, with fairies and sprite. Our two, adorable children transform into Witch and Magician. Skulls’ eyes are aglow and to the new, log cabin we go. Come friend, come foe, come ghost, come all, this year’s Halloween will be the best of them all!
If you would like to join us for a weekend of magic and fun, we have some last minute availability due to a local lockdown for our unfortunate guests:
Availability: Friday 30th October – Monday 2nd November 2020
Cabins: Woodpecker (£395) or Denver Rest and Tawny Hut (£320) - NOW FULLY BOOKED
To book, please contact hello@happyvalleynorfolk.co.uk / 01485600719
With love,
Katy and Kirsty xx
