Don’t consider Tanuja and I to be sensible shoppers.

If our trip to the nursery is anything to go by, we’re the sort to go to the supermarket for staples and come back with puddings, the exotic rather than the plain, the icing while neglecting the cake.

We’ve got a great selection of flowers but our eyes were distracted by the shapely coloured and aromatic roses.

The problem is, as we knew, but didn’t care, they’re not a lot of use for the new Manjula’s garden in the park.

Why? you might ask.

Because people pick the flowers in the morning for their puja rituals.

So I thought I’d create a mini rose garden inside our gate.

I wish I’d done it for Manjula a few years ago as she would have loved it.

I started writing this post in a light-hearted jokiness way, only to realise this…..

Clearly these people haven’t any thought that the flowers are there for the enjoyment of all, rather than the selfish ritualistic needs of a few.

We’ve yet to plant out our flowers in Manjula’s garden and I seriously wonder if any of the flowers will survive, if I don’t employ a 24/7 guard.

It’s even worse with the roses in the next park. They are carefully nurtured by the gardeners but people go in and steal the whole plant.

We need some English old fashioned park signs ‘don’t pick the flowers.’

Another case for the missing dharma detective.