Signage And Theft

I mentioned in a recent post that I'd bought two signs for my graveyard, because I got duped by the supposed bargain warehouse that is eBay. To be fair, they are two very different signs. I might even use the one that I don't hang in the front garden in the back garden, so it gets some use. For now, I'm having trouble deciding which I like more, and want to put out front regardless.

The top one is the eBay purchase. It's not plastic but a thin slate material, and writing is white. I'm fond of the little slogan underneath - 'one way in no way out' and it did cost me more, just under a fiver, so I feel like it should get some airtime.

The bottom one is from Tesco and is not wood, but a sort of stiff foam material. It's not quite as cool, but it certainly looks the part and I don't think anyone would question why it was out there. Additionally, it only cost me a quid, which leads me to my other topic of discussion for this post - potential Halloween theft.

I get the feeling that Americans, bless them, don't have to deal with this one so much. Because Halloween is such a big deal over there, everyone and their dog has a display out on the front lawn, so you don't steal from others because it opens the door on everyone having a pop at each others tombstones. At least, I assume that's why it works. Maybe they all have really high-tech surveillance cameras instead.

But over here, Halloween isn't such a celebrated occasion. I don't know whether I'll be the only person on our street who decorates - I wouldn't be surprised if I were. I'm not even sure whether we'll get Trick or Treaters, though I very much hope we will.

So the lack of Halloween spirit this side of the pond makes me worried that my outdoor purchases, such as my 6 awesome tombstones, and of course one of my graveyard signs, might well go 'missing'. Or be vandalised. None of this stuff can exactly be nailed down. I'm not exactly going for ostentatious, but I'd like to be able to enjoy our party without glancing out the window every five minutes, wondering if I'll see three chavs on a motorbike making off with my mock cemetery.

Which is also why I'm leaning towards using the cheap Tesco graveyard sign for my outdoor display. As much as I love the other one and want to show it off, I'll be gutted if it goes walkabout. It cost more, and it came from eBay so I couldn't even run down the shops last minute to grab a new one. Whereas the Tesco one only cost a quid, and it can be easily replaced with very little hassle.

Just another of the serious and important questions surrounding this time of year...