Every year on 19 September, all around the world ordinary people become pirates for 24 hours in honour of Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Talk Like a Pirate Day began unofficially in 1995, when two friends – John Baur and Mark Summers – were playing racquetball and quite randomly began encouraging each other using pirate slang.

After some discussion, Baur and Summers – or Ol’ Chumbucket and Cap’n Slappy, as they’re now known – decided it would be a good idea to dedicate a special day every year to speaking like pirates. They settled on 19 September, and for seven years they and a few friends would dedicate this day every year to speaking in pirate slang.

Then in 2002, after Ol’ Chumbucket and Cap’n Slappy enlisted the help of journalist Dave Berry, Talk Like a Pirate Day went global. Since then, this silly but fun holiday has gained popularity all over the world, with a growing number of people each year pledging to talk like a pirate for the day, either to raise money for charity or just for the pure joy of saying “arrrr” at the beginning of every sentence.

While it’s not mandatory to dress like a pirate on Talk Like a Pirate Day, or to hold a party, it’s certainly a lot of fun. Businesses are realising the PR potential of celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day, encouraging employees to take part and raise money for charity, while pubs and restaurants are taking advantage of the holiday’s growing popularity to host pirate themed nights and parties.

If you’re planning to hold a pirate party in support of Talk Like a Pirate Day, you’ll want to make sure you get the ambience just right – so here’s a selection of piratey accessories to help you create the perfect pirate party.

Look the part

Creating a pirate costume doesn’t mean spending a fortune on fancy dress hire – the basic costume can be created by wearing baggy trousers tucked into boots, topped with a loose shirt and a wide belt.

To complete the look, you could add some pirate tattoos, an eye patch and earring, and a pirate bandana.

You could also carry a skull and crossbones wallet or a bag of fake coins (plastic pirate booty can also be used in treasure hunts and other pirate-themed games), a pop gun and a telescope.

Grub and grog

Use a pirate toast stamper to emboss a skull and crossbones motif on bread before toasting it on an open fire using a BBQ sword, which looks just like a pirate’s cutlass and can be used for cooking all sorts of food on a barbecue.

You could leave a tin of pirate mints on every table – pirates are renowned for their bad breath, after all.

High jinx on the high seas

Keep the pirate theme going with some piratey games – you could even have prizes for the winners.

A pirate attack catapult is a fun game for a pirate party. This plastic gun-come-catapult flicks tiny plastic pirates a fair distance – you could offer a prize for the furthest shot, or for the pirate that lands closest to a target.

Clockwork pirate pencil sharpeners can be raced against each other (as well as sharpening pencils the pirate pencil sharpener, once wound up, walks across a table top or other flat surface). For a more watery game, more fitting to the high seas, try floating a few pirate devil duckies in a paddling pool and getting guests to sink them with missiles or catch them with nets (this is an excellent game for tiny pirates).

You could also devise a pirate-themed quiz, print out question sheets for each table, and for added effect add pirate pencil toppers – or devil duckie pencil toppers – to the tops of the pencils your guests will use to write down the quiz answers.

Set the scene

Old fishing nets, plastic fish, jolly Rogers and inflatable seagulls all help to add to the atmosphere at a pirate party.

Decorate tables with skull and crossbones drinks coasters, a nodding dashboard pirate and a battery operated talking Polly Parrot, who will repeat back anything your guests say.

You could also use chain bottle holders on each table; add a bottle of wine – or rum – and top with a sprinkling of dust for added effect. Use wine cork candles in empty wine bottles to provide atmospheric lighting, and add some pirate toilet rolls to the smallest room to keep the theme going.

Harrr, me hearties

Finally, make sure you learn the pirate lingo so you’re not limited to saying “harrrr” all day – see http://www.talklikeapirate.com/howto.html for some useful pirate phrases and links to instructional videos.

Go check out my blog: atoyblog.com Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters – Pipsqueak Hamster is one of four Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters that you can collect. Who is Pipsqueak? Pipsqueak may be sweet and small, but this petite powerhouse isn’t afraid of anything! A daredevil with the curiosity of a dozen cats, she loves to play, explore, run and slide. Just give her some wiggle room and watch her do her stuff. 2 AAA batteries are included. What are Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters? Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters are listed as one of the hottest toys this season on the Toy “R” Us 2009 Hot Holiday Toy List. Each Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster has its own unique personality and whimsical sounds! Loving mode: Pet them, love them, hear them squeak and chatter. Explore mode: Let them scoot, scamper, bump and boogie across the floor or through their Hamster Habitat. Collect the whole Hamster-riffic gang and all the Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster accessories to make a Humongous Hamster city! There are four cute, cuddly Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters to love and collect. Chunk is the laid-back surfer hamster who is famous for chillin’ out, hangin’ back and layin’ low. But when he gets a whiff of some slammin’ surf, he’s off and running! Don’t spare the hugs for this rad rodent. He lives to feel the love. Pipsqueak may be sweet and small, but this petite powerhouse isn’t afraid of anything. A daredevil with the curiosity of a dozen cats. She loves to play, explore, run and slide. Just give her some wiggle room and watch her do her stuff. Squiggles is …

Second Channel! Behind the Scenes! www.youtube.com Stalk me using Twitter! twitter.com Visit my Website! www.golfcrazenes18.com Become A Fan on Facebook! www.facebook.com ——————————————————————————– Watch Lego Weapon Store! www.youtube.com Watch the sequel! (Lego Weapon Store 2) www.youtube.com Watch Lego Weapon Store 3 Trailer! www.youtube.com Watch Lego Weapon Store 3! www.youtube.com Watch Lego Weapon Store 4 Trailer! www.youtube.com ——————————————————————————– A man goes to a store to find some weapons to take care of his neighbor situation. Thats normal…….right? ◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈ ░█░░░█░█░▄▀░█▀▀░░░░▀█▀░█░█░█░▄▀▀░ ░█░░░█░█▀░░░█▀░░▄▄░░█░░█▀█░█░░▀▄░ ░█▄▄░█░█░▀▄░█▄▄░░░░░█░░█░█░█░▄▄▀░ ◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈☻◈

Valentine’s Day is a special and magical time of the year, where lovers can exchange beautiful Valentines Day Gifts, and individuals can dip their toes into the paddling pool of love for the very first time. However, while those in the first stages of love can feel free to reuse past ideas on someone new, for those within an established relationship it’s advisable to show a certain amount of originality; after all, when it comes to Valentines Day Gifts and romantic gestures, nobody wants to come across as lacking inspiration; the future of a relationship could well depend upon it.

Before thinking about the Valentine’s Day plans for this year, it’s probably worth considering your approach during previous years. If you’re the type of person who likes to start giving Valentines Day Gifts with flowers, what type do you give and where do you buy them? If you’re the type of man or woman who usually buys flowers at the last minute from the local petrol station, perhaps that’s something should definitely change. But what if you usually splash out and really make an effort at your local florist? The first thing to consider is whether or not you always use the same company; no matter how good they are, there is a change that as your business relationship develops, they’ll know what you like and will always seek to satisfy. Unfortunately, their desire to satisfy your needs could lead to some unnecessary duplication.

This being the case, it might be wise for you to reconsider your usual venue for buying flowers – no matter how much their bouquets make beautiful Valentines Day Gifts. Or, at the very least, be very mindful of the need to go for something a little different. If you usually go for roses, why not try orchids – or even other types of flowers? Colours should be varied too – even if you just have to have a bouquet of roses, you can make your Valentines Day Gifts seem so much more original with a little variation of colour.

On your list of things to consider should also include your choice of venue. Even if your Valentines Day Gifts are the epitome of originality, if your Valentine’s Day celebration is becoming a little bit tired, you need to get your thinking cap on and do something a little bit different. For example, if your celebrations begin or end with a romantic dinner for two, it might be wise to, either choose a different way to celebrate, or pick a different venue; while you might consider the menu at a particular place to be one of the greatest Valentines Day Gifts you could possibly give, repetition and routine is one of the surest ways to make a relationship fall into a rut.

The same level of care should be taken with the actual Valentines Day Gifts themselves. Even if you’ve got the flowers and the venue for celebrations sorted, individual Valentines Day Gifts should also be a priority. For example, if your choices of Valentines Day Gifts are usually quite traditional, it might be quite exciting to think of Valentines Day Gifts of a more exciting and unusual variety.

So, if you’re looking to make a big and bold statement – perhaps you’re thinking of taking the plunge and making a marriage proposal? – Why not say it with a beautiful My Last Rolo, created in Hallmarked Silver? What could be more appropriate on Valentine’s Day than giving a last Rolo, created from Hallmarked Silver, to the love of your life on February 14th? Not only does this beautiful and memorable gift come in an attractive gift box – adorned with a beautiful red ribbon – it is also available as a version created from Hallmarked Gold.

However, no matter what you do this Valentine’s Day, and whichever Valentines Day Gifts you eventually decide upon, the most important thing to remember is to make sure everything you do is done with sincerity, and with love. Good luck!