Folk dressed up, a fab wee gig and a fab wee gig

I had a head like a burst ball this morning following one beer too many and a late night to bed. However, feeling a bit rough this morning was a small price to pay for the great night Alex and I had out in Stirling. After a busy Satur-day, we'd decided to go out for a wee meal then support a friend’s gig at a local pub at night. 

Now, I might just be imagining it, but I’m pretty sure that Halloween used to just be all about kids going out guising on the 31^st of October and the odd fancy dress party here and there. I don’t remember folk going out on the town, just for a drink, dressed up for Halloween. Have things changed, or am I just suffering from middle-aged fuzz again? Anyway, we had a great laugh watching all the witches, ghosties, Buzz Lightyears, fairies, Minnie Mice, monsters, Elvis’s,  Harry Potters and such like walking past the window of our restaurant in various states of inebriation! If I could’ve given out prizes as they passed by, Goofy and Pocahontas linked arm-in-arm to help support a very merry Freddy Kruger would definitely have been awarded the winning trophy! We hadn’t expected such first class entertainment as we sat blethering, so the night got off to a good start. (I must admit; I do feel like a bit of a hypocrite here; normally I would’ve been shaking my head seeing quite so many young folk quite so drunk quite that early on in the evening. However, I just couldn’t help laugh at the sight of so many steamin Spider Men and paralytic Pirates ....!) 

By the time we made it to the pub, it was absolutely heaving and The Boos Bros had already started their set. I’ve not known Greig all that long – just since I joined the choir back in April – but I’ve known him long enough to appreciate that he’s a genuinely nice bloke with a genuinely fantastic voice! The Boos Bros consists very basically of Greig and his friend John – but John’s skills on the guitar are far from basic and, matched with Greig’s voice, they make an awesome team. I don't know where they get their energy from; not only had they done a gig the night before, they'd also performed at a local charity event that afternoon. Yet they kept the lively crowd – and its many fantastic costumes - thoroughly entertained. We had such a great time and it was with a definite - though wobbly - spring in our step that Alex and I made our way to the taxi rank in the wee small hours.

As if that wasn't enough, our evening's entertainment continued when we joined the queue at the taxi rank. I could hardly contain myself when Woody held up his plastic gun and shouted to the line of vampires, evil doctors and zombies that he'd shoot any f****r that tried to skip him in the queue! The resulting laughter summed up the good natured frivolity that we'd been part of all night.

My thumping head cleared up in plenty of time today for another great wee choir gig that was supporting yet another really worthwhile cause (the local neo-natal unit). I don't think I was the only choir member that was suffering; some had been partying till late last night, some have been struggling with a flu-type virus that's going around and some had been singing at three other gigs over the course of the weekend! But, there we all were, doing our thing as usual; singing together, looking out at smiley faces and just enjoying being with our pals.

So, I'm knackered now. But I've had a great time - and you can't beat being happy knackered at the end of a good fun weekend.