The season of goodwill is upon us! The shops online and in the High Streets are buzzing with Christmas fare. There are 3 for 2 and 50% off, etc, enticing us to spend our hard-earned cash. But I have become more savvy over the years. I now make a list and stick to it with self-inflicted discipline to keep myself from going overboard. I learned my lesson the hard way years ago, and now I am one step ahead of the crafty retailers’ advertising. Seriously, write a list. I do mine around the beginning of August (yes, as early as that). And, bit by bit, I find out what the grandkids have their little hearts set on, except George, who is 7 and will chop and change from one week to the next and start putting money aside when I price things up. The older grandkids all want money, so that is easy, and I begin to put money away for them from the beginning of the year; believe me, you don't notice it so much. Around October, I look at my Christmas decoration...
Has autumn really arrived early, I asked myself this morning, walking through the park on my way to town. The strong wind was behind me and almost lifted me along the pathway. It was a mix of brilliant sunshine for one minute, then seconds later, clouds so dark that it looked like a downpour was going to break out at any moment. My thoughts were, how is fall on the horizon so soon? I mean, it was hot and sultry just a few weeks back; where did the summer go? Come to that, why is 2025 rapidly speeding past like a car on a racing track? There are orange and red berries already appearing on hedgerows . On looking around, people were back in coats or thicker tops; gone were the strappy vest tops and bare midriffs; well, bare midriffs on the younger ladies, I lost my midriff in my late sixties, and I have no idea where it went! Trees are beginning to lose their leaves, and the signs are evident; the last of the summer has drifted away for...