Wednesday, November 12, 2008

You can hear the recession

In recent years, the Bonfire Night (November 5th) celebrations began weeks early - rockets and bangers aplenty every night - in fact, evenings and mornings as well. And after the big event on the day, more for days and weeks after. It didn't seem to matter (even in our "artisan" area) that a single banger could cost £5 or more; every year was like Operation Shock and Awe.

Not this year. A pop or two in the days immediately before and after, something mild on the night. No more 70s Beirut.

Anybody else spot straws in the wind?

9 comments:

CherryPie said...

Not many here either, I was talking about this with someone only this morning.

Nick Drew said...

straws as opposed to whole trees, Sackers ?

- offspring (renting) had landlord waive a rent-review, and come round in person - armed with bottle of wine !- to nurture good relations with reliable tenant

- on a parallel tack: an acquaintance of mine (head-of-year at a big comprehensive) tells me they are holding assemblies on the topic 'why your parents won't be able to afford that new bike / games console / holiday etc etc'

because the prevailing attitude amongst their spotty charges has been: I want it, they've got to buy it for me

hatfield girl said...

Might we hear how things went in Lewes?

Nick Drew said...

well Glyndebourne was splendid, HG

oh, I see, you meant Bonfire Night ...

Anonymous said...

I have a friend who passes humourous emails on to me that she receives from other people (not working in an office environment I don't get them from many sources as many do). I have noticed that the flow of these has increased quite markedly in the last few months. I suspect that there are many people sat in offices all across the land with nothing to do all day but create and trade so called 'funny' jokes, photos etc etc. When unemployment bites I think the flow will thankfully reduce......

Plus a lot more spam in general - possibly more people trying to scam a few bucks as no longer employed/needing extra cash?

Anonymous said...

In the queue at the till in Aldi this afternoon, a chap who had walked a mile to get to the shop, and faced a mile's walk home again, solemnly purchased one tin of peaches.
I rest my case.

Anonymous said...

Like yourself and Cherrypie I remarked to friends, a few days ago, that it was the quietest Guy Fawkes that I could remember.

Also, in my local Waitrose earlier this week I noticed the much reduced displays of fruit and veg. Very noticeable.

Sackerson said...

Interesting confirmation, everyone - I think the straws in the wind are better than the official stats, don't you?

Paddington said...

On the line of the feelings of entitlement of the youth - I, and my colleagues in every discipline, have noticed that the students we are getting no longer know how to study, or do more than the minimal amount of work. It has become MUCH worse in the past 3 years. They 'feel' that they are entitled to good grades, because that's what they were 'given' in high school. It is so bad that, in a well-to-do local school, the advanced science teacher was called in by the principal and told not to assign homework any more, because the 'kids have other things to do on weekends'. Is it human nature to do even less when we should be doing more?