My apple trees are safe

Just after lockdown, I realised I hadn’t got round to buying any refills for the pheromone trap. Damn!

Last year, they were excellent at stopping the codling moth, with very few apples being affected. I’m not sure that the situation will have been nipped in the bud, though, and I most certainly don’t want the crop disaster of 2018.

So, in a bit of a panic, I combed the internet in search of refills. Actually, on EBay they weren’t too hard to find but ideally I wanted to support a tangible business. I know, I know, businesses on EBay may well be tangible, but we all have our quirks, don’t we!

Anyway, one business I’ve come across before, when looking into apple trees, is Ashridge Nurseries. They happened to have the refills and were still trading, so I ordered the whole year’s supply, not just to make sure I had enough but also to make the £4 delivery fee more worthwhile.

Funny how I balk at the idea of paying for postage and packaging when I’ll (happily) pay travel costs to collect something. I guess it boils down to the fact that I would simply prefer to go somewhere, have a day out, have an adventure, than sit at home waiting for the postie.

Of course, while I might not be enamoured with online shopping, I am glad that it exists for occasions such as this. And of all the difficulties lockdown presents, my not being able to touch before I buy is a minor inconvenience.

Bill Bryson, incidentally, observed that a fundamental difference between men and women out shopping was that the latter have a tendency to touch as part of the shopping experience. Now, whether this is universally true, is socially conditioned if true or is only true of Yours Truly and Mrs Bryson, I wouldn’t like to say. However, the day when we can all behave like the human beings we are meant to be will be a good day.