Pinch Yourselves Comrades...

Dare to dream friends - can any of us say that we dared predict this kind of triumph! Kevin07 unveils a ministry brimming with talent, fresh ideas and "top aussies" and Howard is left to a superannuated retirement with Janette making cups of tea and listening to the cricket on that newfagled "wireless"...and now my man Bill Leak has taken to drawing Costello with a rat's tail! Makes a man happy just to be alive to witness it!

Halloween Fun

The night ended with a fantastic "off commercial" house party - this was my last photo for the night this pumpkin lantern on the steps leading to the front door. The house party was like some 1980s teen movie, replete with a keg of beer out the back (check "teen wolf" reference), pretty in pink style starlets in the front room dancing to 1980s electro-clash, football jocks in the kitchen smoking copious amounts of marujuana, and the rest of us out the back letting off fire-crackers and waiting for the police to arrive. The whole thing was so surreal - only in Vancouver!

Halloween Fun

This is a great example of the type of effort that people put into this fantastic party. Shiva here was pretty top notch though by no means unusual.

Halloween Fun

Ok so the other big, and I mean BIG fan favourite costume choice for the night was the great Nacho Libre style Mexican wrestler. Never have satin pants and big arses looked so alluring friends! Whilst some truly eye-opening costumes were being displayed among the swirling crowds the best on the night was seen here up on stage with this Mariachi band belting out the crowd-pleasing tex-mex hits. The funniest thing though was the way it seemed that every passing fellow mexican wrestler in costume felt obliged to jump up on stage and dance around for a minute before departing the scene. The band didn't seem to mind particularly in light of the fact that the crowd went absolutely bananas every time this happened. Capes for all I say!

Halloween Fun

This was one of the most remarkable sights of the entire evening. This most enterprising young man had set up a wonderful puppet show with the most elaborate puppets and sundry creations. The little kids loved it of course, though it seemed very 'Meet The Feebles" spooky to me - maybe this slightly creepy element went over the little ones' heads, but still no one seemed to mind including the myriad clearly bemused parents on hand for the performance.

Halloween Fun

You know the truly frightening thing about this shady looking squire is that on the two occasions that I passed him walking around at the parade he actually had females approaching him to avail themselves of his services. So laugh all you like, this guy was!

Halloween Fun

I think, Mother Superior, that this is called copping a slice of the action.

Halloween Fun

Robots - ah do you feel the future rushing in to meet us friends!?

Halloween Fun

Just because a grown man ought to be able to wear a full body costume of his own creation if he bloody well feels like it!

Halloween Fun

Ninjas, ninjas everywhere and scarcely a fight to start! This truly is the wonder of Vancouver and the peace-loving ways of Canadians more generally - can you imagine a suburb full of drinking, mayhem inducing Australians all dressed up and full of booze/the devil and yet somehow the peace being maintained?! What about if you add truly mind-boggling quantities of cheap fire crackers to this booze fueled mix. Now imagine the emergency department fiasco that scenario conjures!? Hmmm, add liberal doses of cheap booze, a whole bunch of sugared-up teenagers, fancy dress for the perfect disguise and enough cheap fireworks to set fingers a-tingling and hearts a-racing! Somehow it all works...

Halloween Fun

This is Heather - Heather's my great social calendar mate at work - always making sure everyone in the office is aware of all the great happenings around town. Heather's to thank for this great night out though as you'll see from some of the other pix Heather certainly has a knack for getting caught up in the spirit of it all.

Halloween Fun

Is it just me or is there truly nothing more disturbing than a freaky looking nine year old - this little one was positively demonic, though considering all the candy being thrown at her, her blood sugar levels must have been hitting critical.

Halloween Fun

pirates, pirates and more pirates - Johnny Depp has a lot to answer for! My personal favourite costume on the night was a young woman's most faithful recreation of David Bowie circa Alladin Sane era 70s glam rock. She had the hair and the makeup and the glam tight pants just so - most impressive. Made me want to go out a start a rock and roll band right away - I considered propositioning her for the lead guitarist role only to remember that as a married man approaching young woman in tight pants in the street is easily misconstrued! Let's just say that cooler heads prevailed!

Halloween Fun

I've been meaning to post these pix for a couple of weeks now though have needed to wait for a holiday to find the time. Halloween is a BID deal here in north america and people take the dressing up dictate very, very seriously as these photos attest. The commercial drive all souls parade is truly one of the greatest things about living in Vancouver. Imagine a suburb wide fancy dress party that almost everyone attends and where almost all of those in attendance dress up. Add liberals amount of booze and good humour and you have one of the greatest party nights have ever enjoyed. Awesome fun! Pix to follow...this character above was sporting a very dodgy looking kangaroo complete with an even odder joey and pouch. I started to put her to rights but the conversation was lost in the din of the crowd and the carnival moved on...

Gold, Gold, Gold!

We get a holiday for remembrance day here in Canada though I doubt many Canadians appreciate the true significance of remembrance day as the now 32nd anniversary of the dismissal of the Whitlam government ("maintain the rage" comrades!). No matter - I have the day off to mooch around on the internet and indulge my blogging predilections. This photo is the kind of thing that makes one smile again and again and again. These cheeky tykes! The fellow in the green shirt looks as if he's about to wet himself! Too funny! One for the ages comrades!