Tesco at Haverfordwest had Christmas puddings for sale from 1st September.

Best wishes to you all, we will all be worn out come 25th December. Must go I just remembered I need to write my script for Christmas Morning, how does it start. Good morning you are listening to Radio ??????????? Gerald.

Bet they were labelled 'Best Before end October 2005' as well . . .

Just a small question - if M&S have to start their day-length adjustment program in June, does that mean that they have to put black-out blinds on all their greenhouses to make sure the 'settas get enough dark?

The pile of puddings is getting bigger, twice the price and half the size.

Poinsettias require 42 long nights (16 hours) followed by naturally reducing day length for 77 days to produce flowers and colourful bracts. The bracts should then hold good colour for 6 weeks. So for Christmas display black out should start about the 14th August.

Garden Nerd, I am sorry I did not get back to you about the Arums but I fractured my left leg in three places so have been really laid up for quite sometime, glad to say things are now returning to normal. We had frost last night and Arums Green Goddess, Kiwi Blush and Marshmallow did not turn black as they have for the last 2 years. The blackening has always been followed by complete rotting of the plants. I do really believe these varieties are not fully hardy so have now covered them with fleece. Arums Crowborough and White Sail are fully hardy down here.

Best wishes

Gerald.

Sorry to hear about your leg, Gerald, that sounds a bit drastic, hope you're fully recovered.

You clearly have a veritable aroid paradise there, better than my few scrappy specimens!

Watched TV earlier, endless procession of Xmas food adverts, we are all going to be climbing the walls by the end of November, let alone December. If I were Prime Minister all Xmas advertising would be banned until mid-Dec.