Skip to main content

Seasons around the world



Well, it had to happen. A journalist somewhere was bound to announce that we have had all the seasons in one day. Now despite this, some of the other seasons tend to often get neglected, and in an attempt to bring you some of them, here they are:

We’re used to hearing about the Camping Season, which for Scouts runs from approximately 31st March to 31st October each year, although for Alan Carr, the camping season lasts all year. Accompanied by extremely terrible jokes.

Then there’s the Caravan Season, where Jeremy Clarkson spends 6 months with high blood pressure as he tries to overtake them on the A38 in an excruciatingly expensive and completely unnecessary car that no one can afford.

The Japanese have their Scientific Season, which is a series of sporadic weeks where they slaughter endangered whales for scientific research, the results of which seem to be a closely guarded world secret. This season now looks set, thanks to a group of spineless land-locked countries threatened by the Land of the Rising Scientific Research with paying more for their Nintendos and PlayStations, to last until the final whale is wiped off the face of the oceans. I have written to the Japanese Embassy four times now seeking details of exactly what the result of this never-ending research is without eliciting even as much as a “Go away you Eeeengrish” - silence seems to mean they must have something to hide. Or perhaps all those Japenese businessmen stuffing themselves silly with Sushi that just happens to be, by a total co-incidence, whale meat, are too embarrassed. Sorry, can’t stop now to discuss this further – I’m in my Toyota.

The press have their Silly Season, traditionally in tandem with the 6-week school summer holiday period, where hard and decent news is at a premium, resulting in even the dimmest of PR practitioner gaining valuable column inches, nay even front page news, for the likes of the insurance industry where they declare that Kevins are the worst drivers and people in red cars are more prone to crash them on the M42 on a Thursday than they are on the M62 on a Friday.

The opera buffs enjoy their early winters with an Opera Season, where various rotund ladies and even more rotund chaps scream “Go Compare” in their attempt to prove its all over when they fininsh singing. Or at the very least complete an insurance quote.

And of course, the entire UK is always on the verge of entering a Simon Cowell Banking Season, thinly disguised as a television entertainment programme called either “Britain’s got Cretins”,  or the "X-Rated Factor", complete with dancing frogs, musical coffins and singing children who maybe should have been left to the mercy of Father O’Brien in the vestry.

Meanwhile,the Northern Irish Marching Season is traditionally and rather cunningly held during July and August when there is lower likelihood of people taking part getting wet. Unless the authorities introduce water cannons. The Marching Season sees people called Orange-men, predominantly Protestant (well 100% predominantly) donning Miss World sashes, strapping large bass drums to themselves and taunting Catholics by marching through their areas singing inflammatory songs lauding King Billy who was in charge of the oranges. In return, the Nationalists, predominantly Catholic (well 100% predominantly) then march through Protestant areas dressed in balaclavas singing inflammatory songs about the Easter Rising and bemoaning the fact that the current Pope didn't hail form the Falls Road.

However, while we infidels enjoy all our various seasonal activities, those gentlemen of superior social standing and skills, the Taliban, start their traditional “Fighting Season” (I kid you not), where they like to maim and murder Americans, non-believers, women who don’t submit to wearing the traditional dalek outfit, men with beards that are too short, people who listen to Take That and more,  only to then head off and encourage some misguided rural bumpkin to do either a bit of bomb-belting or infidel-stoning.

Why the Talibannies have to have a Fighting Season while the rest of the world has plain, simple, stupid yet harmless recreational seasons, is totally beyond me.

I must be missing something.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The "Win a Million" free scratch card newspaper inserts

One of those three-panel "Win a Million" scratchcards fell out of my newspaper this morning. Not a major or in anyway newsworthy event in itself, but I must admit my surprise. I didn't think anyone bothered with them anymore, or, to be a little more technical, I didn't think anyone was taken in by them anymore. Firstly, it actually is printed on the bottom of each panel that "Every card has a set of 3 matching symbols, 2 matching symbols and no matching symbols". Right, so you are going to 'win', half-win and not win respectively. Then, while the prize list is somewhat impressive with 1x£1m, 1x£100k, 2x£20k, 3x£10k and other things like holidays, tablet PC's city breaks all the way down to 1000 "faux" fashion watches, 1000 salon  makeovers and 1000xVIP Thames cruises. Now should I be stupid enough to spend the £1.53 a minute for the 6 minute phone call to claim my prize (that's almost a tenner, for those of you without cal...

Chancellor's letter of apology to Bob Diamond of Barclays

Thanks to my contacts at the new News International business "Phonetaps'R'Us", I was exclusively sent a copy of a letter sent to the Chief Executive of Barclays Bank, Bob Diamond, from the Chancellor yesterday. "Dear Bob Trusting you and yours are well. Listen mate. Sorry the F inancially S tupid A sses wrote to your bank yesterday to demand £290million as a fine. It's nothing personal, and just because your bank head office people are a bunch of dishonest, thieving bastards, I thought there was no reason to carry on that way and fine you. I made this clear to the FSA yesterday as soon as I heard the news. I told them that the taxpayer would have been more than happy to bail you out. And also. Look mate. Sorry you've had to give up your bonus this year. It must have come as quite a shock, and was a wonderful thing for you to volunteer to do. I only hope you've put something by from the £17million you received last year. No doubt the bank pay...

"Q". My name is Bond. Oh. not THAT Q.

I was sent a story today by a friend who knows my feelings on the subject - that is, about one of the consummately greatest of all British activities, namely, queuing. It seems some Danish Professor or other has come up with the theory that those who queue the longest should actually be served the last. He claims it makes purchasing something altogether more efficient and smooth through the idea of 'contra-queuing' (whatever the devil that may mean). 'Serve the people at the back of the queue first', he says, with profound wisdom. Altogether very professorial, albeit demonstrating a somewhat keen lack of understanding of the purchasing psyche. The Nobel Prize-chasing Prof suggests that if, for example, a popular entertainment act was to announce a tour, with tickets going on sale at 11am one morning, using the theory of 'contra-queuing', no one will want to be first to buy said tickets. So no one will turn up 14 months in advance and venues will...