Ok, one serious point and one silly one:-)
The next ride, October 31st, will be after sundown and well into dusk
HIGHWAY CODE RULE 60:
At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors, if manufactured after 1/10/85). White front reflectors and spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen. Flashing lights are permitted but it is recommended that cyclists who are riding in areas without street lighting use a steady front lamp.
This is a matter of legality and it means that any cop that sees you without adaquate lighting will be obliged to haul you off the road for your own safety.
On the practical side; without lights or high-vis, a cyclist is invisable at night . I have excelent night-vision and no windscreen between me and the world and I’ve come up to within 10m of an unlight cyclist without seeing them…
Alright! Mumsey lecture over:-
on to HALLOWEEN!
We have two proposed themes;
NIGHT OF THE CYCLING UNDEAD and FESTIVAL OF LIGHT,
so get out your bandages and fake blood, or your glo-sticks and sparklers! Or cast off the contraints of the theme and come as whatever you can successfully cycle in (or come as a giant fruit and we can laugh at you falling over… your choice) Remember – Pirates reduce global warming! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster#Pirates_and_global_warming)