OT: Who buys cut flowers anyway?

Given this was an event with a predominantly vegan audience, I can also see the need for education, especially for vegan dog owners.

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It sounds more that you are not big on flavour combinations, particularly the subtle ones that flowers can add.

I rarely buy cut flowers for my partner. She generally prefers potted plants that will (usually) last. In any case, her favourite flower is Strelitzia, which usually needs to be ordered well in advance. Potted plants are much easier.

That either suggests you're a heartless soul or you've only erred a couple of times and on those occasions bought flowers out of guilt?

Do you lead such a blinkered life you've never heard of Valentine's Day?

I think you are right there, I certainly don't desire my food to taste

Good on her / you.

Sounds quite exotic? What does it do? ;-)

I think that potted plants can require more care / effort (excluding cacti possibly), watering, feeding, pruning / deadheading(?) compared with just dumping cut flowers in a vase, adding water then chucking them out a few days later.

This is how daffs should be seen (when out dog walking earlier), just by the trail.

IME, grows and eventually dies.

In your care though, it would probably be a brain surgeon or world beating philanthropist and champion of the underdog.

On 08/03/2021 20:52, T i m wrote: ...

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Grows profusely across Madeira but, in the UK, makes Valentine's Day roses look cheap by comparison. :-)

Ah. ;-)

I wonder what it is that makes people (the 'givers') follow such 'traditions'? eg, Is it because they think there are a fantastic idea (even if it's just a commercial / fabricated one), that it's an opportunity to earn 'brownie points', the fear of losing 'brownie points' by *not* following them or something else?

If I bought the Mrs flowers (or anything) on Valentines day she would wonder what was wrong with me!

I'm hoping people who offer people gifts on these fixed occasions, also give them when it's the right time for them personally?

Like I'm about to seek out some very warm gloves (possibly ski / mittens) for the Mrs who always complains of having cold hands / fingers when we are out walking the dog on the colder days / nights ... *because* she has cold fingers and I know she would *really* appreciate the gesture. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

On 09/03/2021 11:47, T i m wrote: ...

In Samuel Peyps' day, one* of the Valentine's Day traditions was that the first member of the opposite sex you saw that day was your valentine, to be flatted and given gifts. Peyps would normally hire a young man to come to the house to be his wife's valentine, paying for the gifts given. One year he couldn't afford that and his wife was extremely displeased. He doesn't record his wife's reaction the year that his mistress turned up at the house early in the morning, to be his valentine.

• Another, that seemed to run in parallel, was a Valentine's Eve party where names of valentines were drawn in a lottery. A bit like wife swap parties, but it is not recorded whether it included having sex with each other. In Peyps' case, it probably did.

Or what you had done :-)

I regularly buy odd things for my partner if I see a need. This year was, however, the first time for decades that I bought her an actual birthday present. She had lost one of the pair of earrings that she usually wore and I bought her a replacement pair. I usually avoid having to decide what present to buy by taking us away for a week, usually abroad. Covid prevented that, or our Christmas break, from happening this year.

Should have said suck on this luv and you'll get a free pearl necklace ;-)

Perhaps it's time I got back to work ...

Some people get a pleasure from giving more than they do for recieving. ;-)

As noted on masterchef some enjoy messing about with food and spending hours preparing and watching the pleasure fopr watching someone enjoy the food they prepare for them.

Flowers aren't everyones cup of tea. She might enjoy chocolates more or breakfast in bed. Some enjoy their partner to be unpredictable or adventous others don't.

I guess some do.

How about the heated ones ...

only if they've been specifically grown to do that

They are grown in a way that causes more of the required chemical to be produced

and why not

Certainly in the case of swan, if the meat has been lawfully obtained from animals that needed to be culled, what's the problem?

(yes I did note the vegan bit)

you are never going to force me onto a vegan diet. I would starve

yup

The attitude of people in the country was unbelievable

everywhere they compete with the next town for the biggest, brightest, newest temple or other religious artefact

and it's a poor country and I kept on saying to the group, that's another place where a hospital/school isn't being built

I don't think that it's comparable with ivory at all, that's just daft.

And the following of religion has built up over centuries,

Generally the current authorities have nothing to do with enforcing it on the population

but they weren't

you are being too sceptical

just normal market stall holders

Temples were often completely empty of any religious helpers.

Doesn't stop the people going there with their offerings

BTW I've seen worse than this on my travels

There was one religion where the followers still believe in animal sacrifice having a useful effect (didn't see a market stall selling the raw materials though)

In a developed economy spending money on something that makes your house nicer is just a business opportunity

It's no different from redecorating your house

no-one's forced to buy decorative flowers.

But OTOH there's no reason to make a law banning it

I'm sure at some time the "old school" were the modern ones who polluted the club too.

History has a habit of repeating itself. Most people are aware of that, others can't.

I suspect you can't explain why policemen get younger every year too?

You fulfil all the conditions for a troll in a newsgroup.

On Wed, 10 Mar 2021 13:56:36 -0000, "tim..." snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote: <snip>

Well, because this was in the UK and we don't generally eat dog or sawn?

Assuming what you suggest is even possible, see above.

Unlikely I would ever be in a position to?

So, what is it about inflicting suffering and death on animals do you enjoy the best?

A good few mouths that we don't have to feed then (win win). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Bizarre (traditions etc).

;-)

Sorry, you did say 'wife' not owner / master didn't you?

What's good for the goose ... ;-)

So they had to wait a year to be able to do this? ;-(

Quite.

Makes sense.

I don't actually know what date my Mrs (or anyone's for that matter) birthday is, not she mine.

No other options then, it *has* to be one or the other?

We are retired so are on holiday all the time (and partly why we haven't had a holiday or been away for long for many years).

Back to Mrs cold Fingers ... when out walking the dog in the really cold weather, even wearing a pair of my reasonable (but cheap, Lidl) ski type gloves she says she can't get her fingers warm. They generally keep my fingers warm and would be too warm in anything other than the really cold weather.

So assuming that no plain glove would work(?), daughter got her some electrically heated ones for her birthday (that sorta happened by coincidence as it was cold in Feb) but 1) she didn't seem to be willing to deal with the wires and 'the battery would be heavy / bulky' ... more more importantly 2) the 'one size fits all' daughter found didn't seem to include her medium sized hands. ;-(

So I'm back in the market for something and thinking mittens might be better as I think the idea is the fingers can warm each other and more of a chance of keeping the heat in with less surface area?

Cheers, T i m

Some teas can taste very flowery. ;-)

Not particularly.

One of those who rarely eats breakfast and certainly not first thing. Breakfast used to be a coffee and a cigarette before we met.

Yup, mine can appreciate both.

It always struck me as strange to give kids cycles or skates for xmyth then not let them out on them because it was cold / wet / snowy?

As mentioned elsewhere we did get close to using a pair (turned out too small) and I'm not sure she would have coped well with the wires and the moving of the finger flap that turned these from heated fingerless to heated mittens. I think the idea is that you could keep them on (because of the wiring) but flip the mitten bits off to give use of your fingers (keys etc).

I would have suggested hand warmers in her pockets but I don't think she (nor I) would like the idea of her walking with her hands in her pockets in case she trips etc.

Cheers, T i m