Rather more quickly than I feared, a final choice of pumpkins has finally been made – one for Wilson and one for Byron – so now we're heading home to carve them.
Tomorrow I shall be on Taxi Duty while the boys attend to 'Last-minute Hallowe'en shopping' then on Monday I shall be off-duty while W and B arrange their 'Big Surprise for the Whole Village'.
I don't like surprises — they leave me feeling unprepared and anxious.
Particularly I don't like the kind of surprises in which Wilson specialises, which often culminate in a visit from the police.
Unsurprisingly, then, I fear the worst...
This year, rather than going to Tesco or Waitrose for his pumpkins Wilson has decided to 'go organic' and is visiting what he calls a 'Free Range Pumpkin Ranch' so he can see the pumpkins living in their natural environment and discuss with them whether they're up for being redeveloped into lanterns and soup.
I've driven the two lads out to a local farm, and they're carefully and systematically examining each pumpkin, establishing its family circumstances and administering a brief 'Psych Eval' to ensure that they know what they're agreeing to.
While this is both admirable and humane, it could take days — Hallowe'en might have been and gone before they reach a decision!
In spite of Wilson's extremely heavy Hallowe'en Schedule, he has made time to bring you next month's FREE CALENDAR PAGE: NOVEMBER 2017!
Also, a Free Happy Halloween Badge depicting a very scary spider.
In return, he has asked me to ask you whether it's worthwhile producing a Free 2018 Calendar – do you use you your Anteater Calendar and send it to your friends, or would you be as happy not to have a calendar next year?
Please comment below and I'll pass on all your feedback to Wilson.
When these friends are reunited
Everyone gets overexcited!
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Wilson took Byron into the dining room where the whole family (with the exception of the sTone Brothers) was busy making Hallowe'en Paper Lanterns.
There was great excitement as W reintroduced B to everyone – so much excitement that Johnson Major accidentally glued one of his feet to the table.
(Don't worry about Tiny Toy – he has apparently been overcome by glue fumes, but Polly says that was accidental rather than the beginnings of a career in glue-sniffing.)
Wilson then outlined his plans for Hallowe'en 2017:
• Friday and Saturday he and Byron will be going out to choose pumpkins;
• Sunday they'll be doing some last-minute Hallowe'en Shopping, and;
• Monday they'll both be working on something 'a bit special' which will 'surprise the whole Village'.
I must admit my heart sank a little at the thought of something Surprising the Whole Village – I hope it surprises it in a good way, rather than in a way that involves a visit from the Police...
We go to collect young Wilson's brother,
They high-five as they greet each other.
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Byron has arrived by bus, feeling very grown-up having travelled alone on public transport for the first time.
They fist-bumped (well, paw-bumped, really) each other, then began some complicated paw-slapping routine while they both chanted:
Wilson! Wilson, Bo-bil-son
Bo-na-na fanna, fo-fil-son
Fee fi mo-mil-son, Wilson!
Biro! Biro, Bo-bir-ro,
Bo-na-na fanna
Fee fi mo-mir-ro, Biro!
Glancing up at the advert on the side of the bus, Byron asked whether he has come to star in Antsy Malone – The Musical.
Wilson frowned, having completely forgotten about that project, and told Byron, or 'Biro' as he now calls him, about the Hallowe'en Celebrations he's got planned.
There was much excited whispering during the short drive back to the house.
Wilson has just phoned the zoo to ask his Mum, Mrs Vermilingua, whether Byron can come to visit for Hallowe'en.
This took a lot longer than W expected, and involved quite a lot of eye-rolling on his part, because Mrs V launched into a guilt trip along the lines of:
'Are you alright? Really? I was afraid you'd at least broken your claw so you couldn't dial the phone to call your poor mother... Once or twice I thought I'd gone deaf, sitting here constantly listening to the phone not ringing...'
Anyway, eventually W steered the conversation back to its original purpose, and Byron will be arriving tomorrow.
Now feeling pretty grown-up, Byron told W that rather than having us collect him, he'll make his own way here on the bus – if we could just be at the bus station in the village to meet him.
