[Skirza]

Don't often buy magazines but we bought the July copy of the Smallholder the other day. I just started flicking through and came upon the letters....here is a quote from the first one I read.

"Dear Editor

I recently picked up your magazine in a hotel I was staying in and found it mildly amusing. Surely trying to live off a few acres of land or trying to be self sufficient in your garden is for the faintly odd and eccentric in our society."

Blah blah blah  "supermarket veg tastes no different to home grown" blah blah blah...and then the end bit

"As I said, smallholding and vegetable gardening will only be carried out by the eccentric and odd people who think they getting one over on society"

Well...I guess that makes me odd and eccentric...I suppose I always knew it in the back of my mind but it's nice of the guy to confirm it for me

[jaykay]

Very happy to join you in the odd and eccentric camp  After all, if that letter writer is 'normal', who wants to be 

[tizaala]

Makes you wonder how that person would have survived ww2 when everyone was actively encouraged to keep a pig and some chickens and grow their own veg, it would do a few of e'm good to re-live those times , still, as farn as we know , milk comes from tesco's ,french beans come from Africa, as do long stem red roses, and cheddar cheese comes from Canada. and now your British Passport comes from Germany, Oh God ,the buggers won after all.

[manian]

yay.......... my ambition was to be eccentric.....
I've finally achieved my aim....
now all i need is a push bike, an odd hat and stand at a roundabout waving at people
 
Mx

[faith0504]

bring it on the more eccentric the better, least we have an enjoyable healthy life,

I have never wanted to be quote "normal"

Its folk like that, that are missing out on so much

 

[Fleecewife]

He is the one missing out.  What a w#$*#@    I wonder what important activity he carries out in his life?  A travelling salesman in garden gnomes, collecting stamps in his spare time  
 

[Sandy]

I only have hens (Ducks went to another good home) and dogs, grow a few herbs and fruit (hopefully) and had a nut tree for my  birthday!!!! I hate norm for me thats dull....I think keeping animals or growing stuff may not always pay in £ but certainly pays in mental and physical health.....good food, fresh air and lots of all over excersise...not many jobs provide that!!

[mab]

I wonder what important activity he carries out in his life?

Well if he's got time to write to a magazine about a subject he has no interest in or understanding of, then he's obviously not got anything better to do with his life.

He's probably the sort of person who writes into the BBC to complain about programs he hasn't watched/listened to himself, and writes to the council complaining about things his neighbours are doing that have no bearing on him other than challenging his opinion of what 'normal' people should be doing.

I'm proud to say that no-one's ever accused me of being normal 

[Rosemary]

There are lots of similar responses in the August edition 

[suziequeue]

I expect the letters department of the magazine was a bit slow at this time of year so they thought they would get one of the subeditors to write something inflammatory as a "letter" in order to boost the postbag for the August edition.

Happens all the time - especially at this time of year.

Sorry - being cynical.

[robert waddell]

no i think there is a letter writing society out there with a points scale if they get a published letter in a newspaper
there used to be a lady that was constantly writing letters in the local paper about anything and everything then saw her name in a quality paper along with the regular contributers  sad people

[Skirza]

There are lots of similar responses in the August edition 

Crikey....we've only just got the july edition here

[suziequeue]

no i think there is a letter writing society out there with a points scale if they get a published letter in a newspaper
there used to be a lady that was constantly writing letters in the local paper about anything and everything then saw her name in a quality paper along with the regular contributers  sad people

God yes - certainly the case in our local rag.

[tizaala]

Fleecewife, you forgot trainspotter, or planespotter ,or even an Eddy Stobbart waggon spotter it must have been a day when they were on strike and he had nothing better to do with his crayon ( not allowed sharp pens in his institute......

[robert waddell]

and what is wrong with being an eddie spotter                            keeps you on your toes when driving down to englandshire            or a wh malcolm         or any scottish car or transport co