Well, in the words of Victor Meldrew from One Foot in the Grave, "I simply don't believe it!!"

Here we are just starting the school summer holidays, enjoying these wonderful hot days, and lo and behold in today's Guernsey Press is an advert reminding people to submit their Christmas lunch menus for publication.



Come on, give us a break! What's wrong with simply enjoying now. Why have we got to be reminded that there are only five shopping months to Christmas, (I know it should be --- shopping days, but to be honest I couldn't be bothered to work it out), I refuse to be made to think about it.

The trouble is, the fact that I am even writing about it means that I am thinking about it, see, the powers that be have got me beat.

Isn't it the same with other things though?
Ask a 20 something how much are they putting aside for their pension, and you get a look of disbelief, as if to say why on earth would I want to be thinking of something like that at my age for goodness sake?

As I can count the years using only my hands, God willing, beforeI will be claiming mine, I guess it is further up my agenda of things to be considered than it was thirty years ago.

It does however serve as a reminder that the years do pass all too quickly, it also reminds me that there are probably more years behind me than in front, and begs the question what after this life?
Just as Christmas seems too far away for me to get excited about it, we too can think that the next life is too far away to give it any thought at the moment.

Something just to bear in mind though, we know Christmas will be on December 25th. We don't however know even what lies around the next corner.

My mother often quotes a little line that goes " Life at best is very brief, like the falling of a leaf".

Perhaps it is a good thing to be reminded that the Christmas menus will soon be published!