The vampirates are upon us!

The ocean's brigands have unearthed something terrible: an ancient vampire curse! They've taken to it rather warmly, so mortal pirates be warned!

Until the end of Halloween, losing a puzzle challenge to a brigand or pirate who has been affected by the vampirate curse will force you to become a member of their horde! Telltale signs of having contracted vampirism include sharp fangs, abnormal eye colors and insatiable thirst for blood. Mwa ha ha!

But fear not, fair pirates, as there is hope! Any vampirates who are bested in battle by a pure-blooded mortal will find themselves cured of their affliction, with no permanent damage! Civic-minded individuals would do well to challenge any vampires they see on sight to keep the spreading curse at bay.

Rest assured, however, that there is an even easier way out (or back in) for pirates who prefer one form over the other: the Palace Shoppe has a couple amulets for sale that will switch you to either mortal or vampire form at will! Keep some garlic handy!

The curse only remains until you log off, so enjoy it while it lasts!

Captains of the Night

In true Puzzle Pirate tradition, with the vampirates comes a delicious Halloween competition! Each pirate has been assigned to a competition team for the duration of the vampirates' incursion. The goal is to defeat as many pirates from opposing teams as you can in 1 v. 1 and team puzzle challenges. Everyone who participates will be eligible for a fantastic, one-of-a-kind trophy at the end of the event, so be sure to sink your teeth in before it's too late!

Dress to Impress

The vampirates have also brought with them some very spooky new clothing! Lucky for you, they're willing to share it for the right price. Check out the Palace Shoppe to get yourself properly attired for the vampire gala!

In which Gaea waxes poetical (and hungrily) about apples, and reminisces about spooky affairs of the past.

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New for Halloween: Skeletal Ship Upgrades!

Arm yer ship in properly spooky fashion with Skeletal Cannons!

Steer yer boat to the ends of the earth and beyond with the Skeletal Helm!

Haunt both yer hearties and yer enemies with the Skelly Cap'n and Skelly Mermaid Figureheads!

The new Skeletal items will only be on sale in October, so hurry and snag yers now from yer local Furnisher!

Spring! Huzzah, Spring! My favourite season has arrived in New Zealand and I'm so happy to have survived the cold and to be heading into warmer weather. The daffodils are already nearly finished; they came out quite early this year. The roses are all leafing up and looking lush, the bluebells are up but not flowering yet and the freesias outside my lounge window are smelling gorgeous. I forgot to take a picture of the daffodils out when they looked wonderful, so instead of subjecting you to wilted flowers I'm popping in a picture of the hills (photo taken from my gate). I know it looks photo-shopped, but trust me! It isn't!

The downside of all this New Zealand sunshine is that it is so harsh and stain/paint fades too quickly. I'm needing to restain all my decking this year which involves a lot of water blasting with my super charged new water blaster (FUN!) and painting (ICK! Where are swabbies when you need 'em?). Still, it must be done and I ought to have it all finished and the garden looking wonderful for the Christmas Day BBQ which I'm going to host again this year. Nothing nicer than celebrating Christmas out in the sunshine rather than huddled around a fire! (And yes, I'm already planning for Xmas. Aren't you?).