OT: Who buys cut flowers anyway?

[T i m]

Daffodils particularly ... that I believe are currently rotting on UK farms by million as there are too few people to pick them (mostly thanks to Brexit and some Covid).

On the TV news they asked a UK farmer how many of the few people there picking daffodils were British and he said 'none'. He went on to say he did get four local lads in but as soon as it got cold / windy ... that and their 'aching backs' they chucked it in.

A pretty common story I belive in that sorta game. Apparently the Gov have issued 30,000 visas to 'foreigners' to come and pick our fruit and veg (so they can *still* rape our wives whilst they are here of course) but that's still not enough and doesn't cover flowers (which is a good thing in my POV).

So, we will probably do what we are already doing and buy more in from Europe (Doh!) or just go without?

And that's the best idea from my POV ... leave them growing where they grow naturally (and / or re-plant where they grew naturally). Or do what people do with a simulated fire, a 3D projection of some daffodils and some already like spraying chemicals round their hoses with those 'Plug-in' things and you must be able to get a daffodil scented one. ;-)

I can't remember the last time I bought anyone cut flowers [1] ... and they even often request people *don't* provide them at funerals as it's 'such a waste'.

Cheers, T i m

[1] Maybe I don't do enough bad things to try to use flowers to (pretend to?) say sorry to the Mrs? ;-)

The other person many people buy cut flowers for is their Mum but mine has a garden full of what she's grown / nurtured / recovered (gifted from others) herself and also prefers to see them still alive and growing.

[Richard]

Is there anything you won't bitch about? That was rhetorical.

[Chris Green]

You're obviously absolutely perfect Tim!

Do you eat cabbage? If so then why not enjoy looking at some flowers in a vase as well, it will probably do as much for your health.

[T i m]

No, just that we are 'adults' and way past all that BS. ;-)

I do.

Because doing so is both pointless and detrimental to the environment?

Nope, just as seeing 'a lovely steak' doesn't.

No, I'd much rather appreciate *all* plants when out walking in their natural habitat (inc those people consider 'weeds').

and prefer to see them where they are flourishing and serving their primary purpose, not being grown and picked just to die?

Maybe some get pleasure from ignorance ... not considering something had effectively been killed, or at least removed from wherever it was happily growing to give someone a few days of 'pleasure'?

Cut flowers have *never* given me pleasure.

I'm guessing if it was growing wild it would serve some sort of purpose (attracting bees / whatever) and it's death would be both natural and directly beneficial to it's surroundings, not some municipal composting scheme, assuming it ever got that far.

And just think of all the wasted resources in growing something with such a trivial / momentary function, whilst it's being denied the very thing it was like that for (to attract pollinators to spread it's genes for it (unless your house is full of bees / flies)). ;-)

OOI, do you always do what we have 'always done' or do you ever apply your own ideals to stuff (genuine question)?

Cheers, T i m

[Fredxx]

The last time I saw cut daffodils in a supermarket they couldn't sell them and at a knock down price.

I think they were going to rot anyway.

Do you have shares in daffodil nurseries for this interest? Or is this another desperate show of your displeasure towards the success of Brexit? When is your promised Armageddon or economic meltdown?

[Jimmy Stewart ...]

shocking killing flowers anyway they should be allowed to live their lives without us ripping them out the ground...shocking

[Chris Green]

There is lots and lots of evidence to show that your health isn't just down to the food you eat. Looking at something that makes you happy will make you healthier. (I'm promoting beautiful flowers, not steak here)

Many flowers are *designed* to be 'cut' in the sense that it's the way they propagate their seeds.

In addition most of the cut flowers one sees are created and bred for exactly that - being cut and displayed in your house or wherever. Unless you exclude *all* art and decoration from your life I can't see how you can complain about cut flowers but paint your walls and/or hang pictures etc.

[Tim Streater]

SWMBO buys daffs at only a quid a bunch from any supermarket we happen to be in. But only until those in our garden come into flower.

I have pointed this out at least a couple of time before in relation to fruit but perhaps you were too busy foaming at the mouth to notice.

If you really want British people to do this wort of work you'd better arrange to scrap all unemployment benefits so that these jobs become attractive.

And it's anot all laziness. As I said in previous posts, fruit picking and other related manual labour uses muscles that normally we dont use. You try it for several hours on teh trot and you'd damn soon have an aching back too.

[Spike]

T i m would appear to live an emotionally-crippled lifestyle.

He doesn't buy flowers for his other half or to decorate his house. He wants and campaigns for animals to live 'natural' lives - the short, brutal ones of the real world - but takes great care not to live such a life for himself or his dog. He admitted that after nearly 50 years living in the EEC/EC/EU(SSR) he knew so little about it that he spoiled his Referendum paper. After ~65 years of eating meat and squandering the planet's resources, he now campaigns for the world to go meat-free, having had a lifetime of fun he wants no-one else to do the same.

Mixed up? Sounds very much that way.

[Max Demian]

GBS said something about cutting off children's heads on this subject.

[Bev]

Judging from T i m's posts here he probably doesn't paint his walls due to the pollution that is caused in manufacturing and transporting the paint.

in fact - he probably doesn't even have walls as the ecological damage caused during the brick making process will greatly offend his principles.

He doesn't mind the odd illegal act though such as riding his bike on the pavement or having something 'drop into his bag' but only if it is him doing it and no-one else.

[T i m]

Of course ... and all I was saying that looking a 'beautiful flowers' that have been cut off from their roots and brought indoors to die give me no pleasure whatsoever. I'm not saying that they don't for others, but maybe some of those others haven't considered the bigger picture?

I'm sure some get pleasure from having stuffed animals head on their wall or a photo of them by an animal they have murdered but again, many wouldn't. I wonder how many of those who currently do, might not if it was explained to them what they were doing might not be a good thing?

Still no excuse to do so from my POV. If they were designed to be cut in nature then let them be cut in nature?

Understood.

Pretty well, as most would consider it anyway.

As far as clean / functional, no, anything further, yes.

See above, especially when they end up rotting in the ground (ignoring the bio-cycle of that etc, which on it's own isn't a 'bad thing').

See above.

I think we have just one, my Dad gave me (a USCG Training Bark 'Eagle', he was a Merchant navy captain and I like boats etc) and I can't say I've ever really looked at it or it given me pleasure. He gave it to me and I sort of felt obliged to put it up. ;-(

So, I wonder how much of the killing of flowers to bring them indoors to watch them die is because people *actually* like the effect or because they have been conditioned to *believe* that's a good thing?

eg, How many people may have turned vegan after watching a video of what *actually* goes on behind the scenes to put animal flesh / excretions on their plate?

Or when they have been made aware of what impact pouring oil / chemical has down the drain (ignoring the illegality of doing such) or stopping water from flowing though their front yard by the use of continuous paving?

If you really do get pleasure out of looking at such things, go for a walk in the park or round a garden centre or get some plants in a pot ... or there are some really good artificial ones these days that are difficult to discern from the real thing (that over their lifespans may have less of an environmental impact that the constant replacement of live ones)??

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

<snip>

They should be allowed to do what their entire purpose in life is to do and do it where they would naturally, yes. That's part of their wonder.

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

Ok?

OK?

Probably after you read it from one of my posts, given how self important you are.

Aww. you are funny Tim. And you think that will get anyone any votes to support the f***ed system we have now that allows a minority to decide what happens to a majority (ITRW, not just those playing the broken game)?

Till we use them ... (Doh!).

Of course, I have, but I'm not a pussy and will work though it, like everything anyone doing anything different / scenarios often has to, however young / fit they are.

So, do you think all the European workers have been genetically modified to be able to start picking crops / fruit without suffering any aches and pains after the first few sessions? Or are they just grateful / respectful for the opportunity of doing something good / wanted and getting paid for it, whilst visiting / seeing another country / culture?

Or they *were* happy to be doing something needed / good, now the likes of you have decided with one big blanket decision that we *only want* the workers we choose here and while there is *selected* work to be done and their pride is too great to want to work anywhere under such circumstances. ;-(

Cheers, T i m

[Bev]

to see the real world

But you weren't referring to shared use pavements at the time. Tut tut you should try and remember what you have said about your illegal activities or not boast about them.

Oh, so you were lying when you claimed that an item belonging to a former employer had fallen into your bag? You seem to have a very short memory.

Here, I'll help you "I still have one here, a 'heating' indicator LED on my (BT,fell into my bag when I left) Weller soldering station".

Any other items that have 'fallen' that you would care to tell us about? Of course, you think that "Laws are meant to be broken" don't you so that's all right then.

[Fredxx]

If you don't understand the power of flowers to a woman then you must be dead from the waist down.

Only the weak-willed.

[Fredxx]

Are you now suggesting we should keep vegetables in the ground as nature intended rather than some fanatic eating them?

You really haven't thought this through.

[Fredxx]

You should look at yourself in the mirror. Mr Streater doesn't feel the need to abuse anyone who disagrees with him so I would strongly dispute your claim.

[Owain Lastname]

There are some children near me with dirt bikes I shall happily volunteer for head-cutting, if anyone wants to.

Owain

[T i m]

Our daughter used to use a local dirt bike track that had been there for years and years and was run as a very friendly 'loose' club where members paid some subs and got discounts, visitors just paid full price on the day (towards site insurance / peppercorn rent etc).

Slowly the 'old school' users / organisers dwindled away (often as their kids grew up and / or moved onto other things) and it became polluted by 'modern' (= selfish) people who would run very loud bikes and there weren't enough of the old group left to put them in their place.

The locals who had been respected (low exhaust levels, tight adherence to the time cutoff, quietness leaving and exiting the site, general behaviour / no litter etc) were no regularly pissed off and so had the site shut down.

So, 50+ youth of ages from 5 to about 17 now couldn't use their bikes / enjoy themselves. The good ones simply parked up / sold their machines or went further afield to find similar venues and the bad ones just tore up the local parks and private land.

As always the majority suffer because of the actions of a minority (like Trolls in a Newsgroup etc).

Cheers, T i m