As Halloween arrives this year, Australians are marking the occasion in decidedly idiosyncratic ways, from distributing printed summaries of sixteenth-century Protestant history to small costumed visitors, to pondering why supermarkets charge so much for a block of chocolate. Readers across the country have been sharing their seasonal observations, quirky consumer discoveries and fond memories.

A Springwood Man Puts the "Treat" in Historical Treatise

David Morrison of Springwood has quietly rebranded 31 October each year, choosing to observe it as "Martin Luther Day" in recognition of the momentous events of 1517, when Luther is said to have posted his famous theses. Rather than simply handing out lollies, Morrison dons an academic hat and distributes both chocolate and a small printed summary of Luther's historical significance to neighbourhood children who come knocking.

"I get repeat customers every year, and they all seem to love the little printed summary of Martin Luther's deeds, or the chocolate, or both," he notes, suggesting that even the youngest trick-or-treaters may be absorbing a little Reformation history alongside their sugar haul.

Chocolate Prices, Cocoa and the Supermarket Question

The rising cost of chocolate has clearly been on many minds this Halloween season. Coral Button of North Epping says she is relieved to finally have an explanation for the steep climb in chocolate prices, having now learned that bad weather in cocoa-producing countries, including Ivory Coast and others in the region, is largely to blame for the surge.

"And here I've been thinking it was just the usual bastardry of the supermarket cartel," she writes, capturing a sentiment likely shared by anyone who has recently reached for a block at the checkout.

Cricket, Washers and the Mysteries of Everyday Language

Warren Howlett of Blackheath draws attention to a particularly florid passage from coverage of Australia's recent cricket defeat in South Africa, suggesting it would make an excellent citizenship test question for new arrivals. The excerpt, describing a "jagging peach" that bowled a "brave nightwatchman through the gate" during "the second over after tea", prompted Howlett to propose two test questions: name the sport, and translate the highlighted passage into plain English.

Meanwhile, Don Leayr of Albury has found unexpected delight in the packaging of two humble tap washers. Among the listed benefits of the small copper fittings was the claim that they are "ideal for families of all ages", a description Leayr suggests opens up intriguing possibilities for what an all-age family might get up to with replacement plumbing parts.

Exam Room Disasters and Vintage Slide Rules

Dorset Sutton of Neutral Bay offers a confession that will resonate with anyone who has ever developed a creative memory trick that spectacularly backfired. Struggling with debits and credits in an Accounting 1 course, Sutton devised the mnemonic of placing credits near the window and debits near the door, a system that worked perfectly until the exam room turned out to have no windows at all. The result: a failed subject.

Lynne Haylock of East Killara, meanwhile, still holds onto her father's pocket-sized concise circular slide rule, a Japanese-made device roughly 8 centimetres in diameter, likely purchased sometime in the 1950s or 1960s and marketed at the time as "an ideal gift for friends and business associates".

Finally, John Swanton of Coogee poses what may be the most unanswerable question of the week: why doesn't a bull shark have horns?