When I was but a little lad we always made comment when we heard the first cuckoo in spring. It was a hint that summer wouldn’t be too far away. The days were getting longer, and warmer. The summer would soon be with us.

Now it is a case of commenting on the first Christmas song in the year. In my local garden centre I fully expected to find Halloween to be featuring prominently at October but it has been elbowed aside by the need for Christmas decorations. There is everything you need for a nice early Christmas; we even have Christmas trees for sale. All through the garden centre shop the wonders of Christmas ‘greatest hits’ is playing, as it will be for the next three months.

There is no sign of a pumpkin. No hint of a witch or ghost. Not a ghoul or spectre in sight.

Perhaps, just as we complain about unseasonable fruit and vegetables for sale in the supermarkets, we might pass comment on the three month festive season.