At last! My night of the living dead triumph at'¦Â Clanfield '“ Cheryl Gibbs

I first lived in a flat in Gladys Avenue, North End, for two years before buying our house in Station Road, Copnor. Now, of course, we live in a bungalow at Clanfield.

In all that time, and despite living in the heart of Portsmouth, we never received one trick or treater at Halloween.

I even remember one year putting out Halloween bunting and candles at our house in Copnor to encourage trick or treaters and spent a fortune on sweets, putting them all in a pumpkin bowl. I really did try, but no one came.

Last year I put the porch light on thinking that would encourage people knocking on the door, but again nothing.

To be honest, where we live isn't the most obvious area for that kind of thing anyway '“ we have elderly neighbours who more than likely don't want to be bothered by people dressed up in scary costumes in the dark.

But this year I was ready. I went and bought a few multipacks of sweets and put a giant lantern outside with a couple of smaller candles around it.

The pavement in front of our house is usually quite busy with people dog-walking or jogging, so I'd done my best. And, lo and behold, 10 minutes later we got the first knock at the door and I was ecstatic.

There was a group of about 12 children dressed from head to toe in everything from a cheerleader to a zombie. I was more excited than they were '“ our first ever trick or treaters!

Then, 20 minutes later, another group knocked at the door. Again, I was delighted, but when I looked at what was left, I realised there weren't many sweets left. So Matt drove to Morrisons to get more for the influx we were bound to get.

He came back having spent a fortune on adult-sized bars of chocolate and sweets because the multipacks had all gone. And guess what? We didn't get a single other knock on the door. Not one.

My fridge is now overflowing with chocolate and I can't have any of it. Typical!

 

Latest Halloween movie lives up to its scary forerunners

Matt and I went to see the new Halloween movie last weekend at Vue, Gunwharf, and let me tell you, if you're a fan of the original American slasher classic films you'll love this one.

Directed and scored by John Carpenter it delivered on the creepiness that made the series so popular and it stars Jamie Lee Curtis.Yes,  I know she supposedly died in the last film, but she's back again.

I'm not keen on directors reinvigorating old series as I never think they retain the magic that made them popular in the first place. This is usually down to the era in which it came out and updating for new audiences is always difficult '“ but I loved it. Highly recommended.

 

If this is what J.Lo looks like at 49, I want some of it now!

Wow! Jennifer Lopez is one siren. She's 49 with the body of a 21-year-old and she knows it. 

Speaking in the December issue of InStyleCORR magazine the songstress tells us that she looks after herself and that's why she has the kind of body that she's comfortable revealing. And she's done just that by posing half-naked in the magazine.

Good for her.

She poses in a long green dress, cut completely up the side to reveal half her body and she looks darn good. 

I can't quite believe she's a mum and nearly 50.

I'd be happy with that figure now, let alone in another 14 years.

Whatever she's doing it seems to be working '“ I just want to know her secret.