there is a murky underworld of the snowdrop obsessive; it is a tale of jealousy, passion, financial ruin and garden theft to rival that of the 17th century Tulip Fever. It was observed that the bidders at this auction (and they came from as far as Japan and the Far East) were of the silver-haired variety.
This came up in another fascinating discussion on marmalade. Apparently marmalade has a `crusty' image and the young want nothing to do with it. Paddington is going to be roped in to sell the delights of marmalade to a younger audience, though there are some concerns that he might not be sufficiently cutting-edge! There is even a proposal to put marmalade in a squeezy bottle.......... I need to go and stroke my Frank Cooper to recover from that - presumably that makes me a crusty. Dearest Radio 4 where would I be without you.