On an artificial pumpkin front it seems that Ali-baba site has now become a bit more like ebay "buy it now", via it's new site "Ali express" this means you can get allsorts direct from china, bit of a gamble! but hey it opens up another avenue of choice.
I'm especially looking at LED floodlighting which has proven brilliant in early tests, but now to try a real pumpkin for the "field test".
In other news, Maegnus @ OB pumpkins has started the season early with a few excellent stencil releases, go check his site out! Orange&BlackPumpkins.com
New stencils include
The creature (from the black lagoon)
Monsters U / Monsters Inc ..Sully & Mike
"R" from "warm bodies"
This is his sites second season but with a tremendous amount of free downloadable stencils! ..do consider a donation to his site!
(this was actually a fine scalpel carve due in part to the close lines, despite the size of the pumpkin) ..proving most awkward for me but a satisfying welcome for attendees of the party.
This ended up either going home with a lucky reveller or being set fire to as part of a closing ceremony ( white spirit soaked T/P paper (bog roll) ..for some flaming good pictures.