Phil Hill: Stop yearning for winter in the middle of summer

Schools, colleges, and universities are out for several weeks, while staff enjoy a week or two away from their workplaces.

Depending on your age or your likes, there’s no excuse to be bored.

Walks in the countryside or parks; a trip to the seaside; a break in the Mediterranean; music concerts; flower shows; cricket at the Cooper Associates County Ground.

The list goes on.

We’ve been waiting all year for summer fun and the great outdoors.

Autumn and winter can wait.

Or can they?

July had barely finished when I popped into Homesense in Taunton last week - and was greeted with aisles of something that, to me, made no sense.

There were several rows of ghosts and ghouls, witches and black cats, pumpkins and lanterns shouting out to be taken home.

That despite it being a good three months before Halloween.

October 31 - not July 31.

Please!

And you can be sure the Halloween goodies and baddies will remain on shop shelves once the festival is over at knockdown clearance prices.

The ancient celebration originally marked the end of harvest and the start of winter.

More recently, Christian traditions blended with pagan customs to create the modern date in our calendar.

The future should be a foreign country, but retailers appear to want to get in early to beat the opposition.

(I should point out here that there are other big shops in Taunton - and plenty of wonderful independent ones too).

Back in August last year, Taunton shoppers were bombarded with rows of Christmas decorations for sale in shops around the town.

No doubt there is plenty of tinsel and baubles being rammed down our throats already - and if not, it won’t be long.

Give us a break.

Promoting something three or four months away is akin to a waiter plonking your apple crumble and custard in front of you while you’re still tucking into your cottage pie.