Rodmell and Southease

AUTUMN: I don't know what other readers think, but I think that it has been a lovely autumn so far and I've really enjoyed spending hours in the garden. I have moved my geraniums into the greenhouse, along with other tender plants ad I was amazed to find two self seeded tomato plants, about 8 inches high, in one of the pots. They are doing fine at the moment, as are my potatoes in pots, which should be ready for Christmas. The beautiful Morning Glory plants I grew from seed are still opening their wonderful purple flowers to the morning light. They were absolutely fabulous this year. The pub is always grateful for any surplus vegetables and fruit, so I know it won't be wasted.

TOPICS OF THE MOMENT: Regarding topics of the moment, let’s start with the sex pests. Having been a woman in a man’s world of Engineering and Applied Science for many years in the past, I always found that if one was bothered and didn’t want to be, a quick retort, such as ‘would you like me to tell your wife/girlfriend about this?’ solved the problem very quickly, because married men on the whole were terrified about wives knowing (one wife was known to many as the Rottweiler!) and those with girlfriends didn’t want to lose them, problem solved. Also a little bit of mild flirtation added pleasure to work. I still have contact with many male friends that I worked with and their families. I appreciated the respect they gave me.

The topic of ‘blacking up’ by the Zulus in Lewes Bonfire celebrations was surely settled by the time the true Zulus who took part and said they were flattered and not offended. Someone has just mentioned to me that no one has complained about the boys/girls dressing up as confederate soldiers. Let tradition have its place if only for a day.

COLD CALLER: Are readers as fed up as I am at what we all The Boiler Lady who is a cold caller, who rings sometimes three times a day, usually when we are eating or preparing meals or relaxing in front of the TV. There are also a lot of calls where no-one answers when you pick up the phone and in my case I’ve had to come through several rooms to answer it.