Is there a “moans and groans” thread

Valentine’s Day should be dropped like a red hot brick   . Waste of time and money.
When I was a florist the price of flowers always went up in February, especially roses. I never could work out why   .

Can't stand Valentine's or Halloween both of which are American imports of no use whatsoever except to the shops selling tat.

Slight disagreement JJB on Halloween, it was invented by us the Irish as a Celtic pagan ritual called Samhain (pronounced Sow In), that celebrated the end of the harvest,  that’s sow as in a female pig not sow as in plant a seed. The Americans imported it and tarted it up to the crazy festival they make of it with all their house dressing and trick or treating.

No disagreement with you there at all Can, I'm all in favour of the old traditions of Samhain, All Souls Eve, Wassailing, etc.  I even live near Stonehennge where Druids  (and others) gather to celebrate the Solstices. It's the hype and commercialism around these celebrations that we seem to have adopted from over the pond that grate.  Did any of us oldies dress up at Halloween or blanket bomb friends at school with Valentine cards when we were kids?  Even our old Bonfire night has developed into an excuse for OTT fireworks for an extended period. It's not going to change, so we're stuck with it and I'll suck it up, but I'll not be trick or treating any time soon, although I do make a very convincing witch 
PS thanks for the pronunciation of Samhain, I always wondered, although how you get Sowin from Samhain, I don't know    languages were never my strong point.

I dont like all the extras we seem to get with Halloween and valentines here .... but I must confess I did go to New York to celebrate Halloween once with a friend - OMG, bloody fabulous

We dressed up as the proverbial ghost ? with an old sheet thrown over us an black eyes drawn on with the centre cut out for Halloween, now a days kids wouldn’t be seen dead in something like that. We collected apples and nuts for the Halloween party not like now where they expect sweets and money. Life was so much simpler then.

Yep- We had the blanket costumes as kids

Well my moan is that after taking flowers to a Friday market for over 25 years , I’ve now been told that a new stall holder is coming to sell “bunches and bouquets of cut flowers”.
It’s a small Friday shoppers’ market - maximum of fifteen stalls. (Cheese, veg, crafts, cakes, jams, coffee, hot snacks, vintage clothing).
There are only a few regular customers for cut flowers for the Friday Market and I truly feel that there aren’t enough customers to support two flower stalls.
Nothing I can do, other than gnash my teeth and look for another outlet.
So sad after all this time

Had a dreadful day yesterday. Scrabbled around and managed to put together just five mixed bunches of viburnum, hazel catkins, red cornus stems, bamboo foliage and daffs. They looked lovely - even if I say so myself! Four pounds per bunch - bargain!
The new market stall holder brought all sorts of stuff , roses, sunflowers, exotic foliage, lilies etc. and sold hers for fifteen quid a bunch. They were very nice, I have to admit!
She sold about 25 bunches ( £375) - I sold my five (£20) and didn’t even cover my costs.
Just looking for sympathy really.(boo hoo!!)
I’m not likely to have anything till about May, but have to keep going to keep my pitch.

Sorry to hear that, FEW, but, if I'd been there looking for flowers, I'd have bought yours without even considering the enemy and her expensive, flown in, flowers.
You need a pretty, hand painted sign, that emphasises the local provenance and seasonality. Her flowers will probably be the same all year round - yours will be different every week. She won't have sweetpeas.
This time of year is like the Hungry Gap for flowers, it will get better soon.

Thanks, Veggie.
Sorry to be such a whinge !!
I shall hang on in there!

You're entitled to whinge, FEW. We're all on your side.

Thanks, Veggie.
Sorry to be such a whinge !!
I shall hang on in there!

Not a whinge - and very sad to read this. Take some comfort in that she did have to pay for her flowers...so a large chunk of her money wasnt all profit. 

Can you grow a few potted flowers - some hardy annuals quick from seed? 

Stick with it, you've done most of the winter and the best is to come. I still find it heartbreaking that all we hear is buy local, british etc and then imported goods is favoured. Its cheaper to bring it overseas that it is for us to grow/make it here - costing the "earth" doesn't seem to matter

Take heart FEW we're all behind you here. We could send Vinny round to 'persuade' the competition to go elsewhere. Or maybe Vinny and Veggie, now that's a partnership I wouldn't tangle with! Joking apart I feel for you, it must be so depressing.