[jambutty]

This white poppy thing is just a crass way of trying to muscle in on the British Legion turf and take some of the revenue off them for themselves.

If I come across a white poppy seller I won’t be as polite as you Sparkologist.

As for Jon Snow, well he has the hard won right to decide for himself whether to wear a poppy or not. However his reasons for not wearing one besmirch the names of those who died preserving his freedom to choose. Like my dad.

He served in the First World War from August 1914 until some time in 1921 with the 5th East Lancs Battery, Royal Field Artillery, 1st East Lancs Brigade. He got wounded several times (four I believe) and went on to help the Russians sort out their problems after WWI ended. At the outbreak of WWII he was in Poland as a civilian textile machinery fitter together with my mother, brother and me. The Germans captured us as they overran Poland and he being a British male of fighting age spent the war years in a concentration camp. He died only 3 years after release. My mother spent 6 months in a German prison and my brother and me were incarcerated in a Kindergarten for that time.

As my garden is a wilderness and likely to remain so, last year I sowed some poppy seeds. Sadly none sprouted but come next spring I will try again.