Early Autumn Bits and Bobs - 2016.

[Primrose]

I surely can't be the only person intensely irritated by seeing Christmas adverts on TV already and Christmas promotional material in the post before we are not even halfway through October. For those of us in an older age group I wish the marketeers would realise our lives seem to gallop through the days with lightening speed already. We don't need any of their wretched promotions to make the days seem to pass even more quickly. Grrh !

[Westi]

Agree Primrose. We used to get Halloween as a distinct interface, even the other American thing Thanksgiving used to slot in but it's all in the shops together as well as on TV & social media.

Takes the pleasure out of it, & parents must be really annoyed with the extra weeks of the children's wants!

Westi

[Primrose]

Well I'm going on a consumer strike until mid December, not that my modest Christmas spending will make much difference to the profits of the big retailers! But if I walk into a store and hear Jingle Bells or I'm dreaming of a white Christmas before December 1st I will walk straight out again!

[Compo]

Hello All

Just thought i would pop on and say hello after a while away, rapidly clearing my allotment and planting some late autumn plants from Cornwall, largely brassicas

[PLUMPUDDING]

Hello Compo, good to hear it's still gardening weather in U.K. It's a bit hot here in Thailand

[peter]

Hello All

Just thought i would pop on and say hello after a while away, rapidly clearing my allotment and planting some late autumn plants from Cornwall, largely brassicas

Good to hear from you Compo how are things?

[PLUMPUDDING]

I'm with you Primrose, not even thinking about Christmas until December. I walked out of a shop last week because they had moved what I went in for and filled the shop with Halloween, fireworks and Christmas trees. Why do they think everyone wants all this plastic rubbish anyway?

[robo]

The garden centres are the worst, I very often go with my wife as she is into flowers and always has ideas what she wants to do next ,you enter through the doors and can't move for Christmas decorations

[Pa Snip]

1) Keep Christmas greetings as "Happy Christmas" or "Merry" NOT Happy holiday !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2) Keep Christmas where it belongs ..........................in December

3) Whilst it is obvious some of us get fed up with garden centres becoming Novelty item outlets during autumn and winter it is highly probable some garden centres would not have enough turnover to survive if they didn't sell the tat.
There is also a possible benefit, post Christmas when they have over ordered you can buy next years Christmas tat cheaper.


Now before Christmas the next campaign is ..................................................... Keep fireworks for November the 5th

[Shallot Man]

Can't wait for the Easter Eggs to appear.

[Monika]

Some time ago, I vented my feelings about the large and so early Christmas presence (and I mean presence not presents!) in garden centres, but a number of people (who were in the know) pointed out that, for garden centres, after the summer and early autumn rush had passed, Christmas decorations etc presented virtually the only income at that time of the year and , in fact, the Christmas income often acceded that over the rest of the year. So, I suppose, we can't gainsay that if they want to survive.

[Geoff]

Hundreds if not thousands of Fieldfares going over today, strangely with the odd Swallow mixed in. There is plenty of food for them, has everybody got masses of berries on Rowan, Hawthorn, Guelder Rose etc.?

[Monika]

We have lots of haws, rose hips, pyracantha, guilder rose berries and crab apples, but all our rowan berries have already been eaten. A chiffchaff is still working through the bird cherry and a flock of mixed tits regularly roams through the trees around us.

I usually start feeding the birds about now but there is so much natural food still about that I will wait a bit longer. The last two years, feral pigeons seem to have 'discovered' us and the moment the hanging feeders are up, the pigeons move in underneath.

[Diane]

Gentle rain in the night...followed by mellow sunshine this morning...so it's out with the fork and spade and I'll be digging up a hydrangea and relocating a rose bush and a skimmia. Doesn't make it easier when I have four little hens 'helping'

[oldherbaceous]

Just got really excited, the wife was reading facebook and just had a posting come saying that, GQT was being held at the sculpture Gallery at Woburn Abbey. so i immediately asked when it was.... the reply was, 5.30 tonight.. a little late with the advertising i think.