I’m strictly into seasonal decorations

Social media is awash with pictures of pumpkins and autumnal decorations it seems.

Everywhere I look people are decorating the outside of their houses or their tables with pumpkins, autumn leaves, candles and flowers.

Lots of celebrities are posting pictures or taking their children to pumpkin farms, not to choose one pumpkin to decorate, but to buy dozens of them to add to their display – and I’m not sure many of them are going to end up as pumpkin pie or soup.

Who knows why this year in particular, obsessive decorating is becoming the norm. Maybe it’s just a way of everyone cheering themselves up.

Of course, over the pond in America at this time of year, they have both Thanksgiving and Halloween to decorate for and we are certainly not talking about a few plastic cobwebs and a witch’s broom. Oh no, we know that the Americans take decorating their homes to suit the seasons very seriously.

It only needs a couple of social media influencers to put up some pictures of their homes and everyone follows suits.

Over here Stacey Solomon and Mrs Hinch, who both have millions of followers, have been getting decorating.

Stacey’s front door looks like an orange version of Santa’s grotto with plastic deer, hedgehogs, an autumnal wreath, pumpkins, flowers and fairy lights. It really is stunning. Although Mrs Hinch’s decorations are much less ornate, her ideas would be easy to emulate for your own house.

With tricking and treating probably less likely to be as popular this year, if people aren’t allowed to visit their neighbours, maybe staying at home in your decorated Halloween grotto is going to be the new normal for 2020.

For those of us without children, I’m not so sure it will be so popular.

I hate to tell you if you hadn’t realised, but it’s not that long really until we start thinking about decorating for Christmas.

Probably about six weeks to be exact, so I certainly can’t be bothered with decorating twice.

I love getting out my Christmas boxes from the loft so I don’t want to dilute that pleasure by doing it all more than once a year. Anyway where does it stop? Everyone will be covering their houses with red hearts and roses for Valentine’s Day next.

I’m looking forward to seeing Stacey’s already.

Were you, like me, glued to your TV on Saturday night waiting for Strictly to come on?

I rarely get excited about any programmes now but the thought of seeing a few sequinned outfits and finding out which dancers the celebrities were paired with had me settled on the sofa in anticipation about an hour beforehand.

The producers have been working hard to work out how to get around the Covid rules and to keep everyone safe but still deliver a brilliant show.

Recording all the group numbers in advance was a great idea because it means whatever happens, even if everyone is locked down again, these spectacular performances are in the bag and ready for someone just to press play on Saturday nights.

To me the group numbers are sometimes the best bits about the show. This week didn’t disappoint. The opening number was so clever, with them starting outside on the beach and then ending up in the Strictly studio.

I loved it and it seems many other people did too. The viewing figures were an incredible nine million. So we were all happy to see it back.

As far as the celebrities are concerned the jury is still out on who is going to do well.

I spotted a lot of nerves from most of them and a few pretty wooden moves. My money right now would be on the singer Hrvy or the EastEnders actress Maisy Smith. I was surprised though to see quite a bit of oomph from the comedian Bill Bailey. I expected him to be a bit stiff but not a bit.

Caroline Quentin got on my nerves a bit already with her over-acting. I think if she doesn’t try so hard she will be better. I know Clara Amfo from working together and I really hope she does well. She looked fabulous in her gold-fringed number. We all like to see a bit of glamour.

Anyway, Shirley Ballas made sure to tell us that the first number they all did together at the end of the show wasn’t being judged but of course it was. You can’t help but make a judgment as soon as you see their moves.

Of course, tonight we will be even more glued to our screens to see proper dances.

Thank goodness for Strictly. We don’t have much normality to look forward to right now. I don’t think many of us realised that sitting on our sofa watching Craig Revel Horwood telling people they are hopeless would be so perfect .

Have a good week,

Yvie x