The nights are drawing in, the clocks will soon go back and everything is getting kind of spooky - there are spiders everywhere. They're lingering outside my back door, making webs across my porch and we even have a spider's web Halloween cake recipe on allaboutyou, which I won't be making. I just can't handle spiders - I know I should love these fabulous fly-killing creatures which are vital to the eco-system but they have too many legs for my liking and the way they move makes me feel ill.

Skulls, by contrast, I love - they make me smile instead of shudder and I could handle any number of them in and around my home. This is just as well as my husband buys real skulls and sketches them - animal ones. Our wolf and kayote skulls have kind of become part of the family! I have stumbled upon a treasure trove of skull homeware buys at www.zarahome.com - there are skull aprons and glasses and oven gloves and door knobs and they are such fun. I particularly like the skull tassles (top left) - nice touch.

If you're not into spiders or skulls and are looking for ways of bringing a sense of the new season into your home, how about going for pumpkins - they're nice and round and orange with no legs and no scary teeth. Or how about making some marshmallow ghost cupcakes - perfect for a cowardly night in, these are more cute than spooky. Getting back to homewares, we've compiled a totally unscary and very chic Halloween home buys gallery with fun bunting and some lovely red and orange finds that will add atmosphere without scaring the pants off of people.

Meanwhile, if anyone has a recommendation for a good spider catcher, I'd very much like to hear from you. Please!!!!