Fings ain't what they used to be

Never liked M&S and rarely shopped there, so not much change. I love garlic. Many people are welded to their computers/smart phones, but not among my family and friends -except one. I have never watched tv much so cannot judge.

3 months tomorrow is Christmas Day---just thought I'd remind you.

EllanVannin Noooooooo!!!!!!!!

Eek, Christmas! All our birthdays begin 1st October, there are seven between then and the first week of January!
The last thing I bought in M&S was a vest top (you can't go wrong with those).
Garlic gives me heartburn, and the TV is rubbish at the moment, I agree.

No, 8 birthdays, I forgot my son!

Love M &S food, love garlic, not keen on much television, but admit I’ve become quite attached to my iPhone, and I really don’t want to be reminded about Christmas yet!

Really love M&S food - really love TV (Strictly is back.....yeah) - really love my phone/laptop (Gransnet.....yeah)/Kindle - really love Christmas (once all the presents/food etc are bought) - nothing to complain about here!

Love M&S, love my iPad, love garlic, love the fact that we have so many TV channels. Not sure about Christmas juggling who goes where but it usually works out. Love the fact I am no expected to do it any more.
Having been a teenager in the 60s’s I regard myself lucky to be part of the technological age.

Love M & S fresh food, love Garlic, love my iPad, iPhone and kindle.

I can always find something to watch on TV as we have Sky, Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Absolutely obsessed with Christmas but not until November, do have three birthdays the week before so December is always busy in our family

Our M & S closed so not many chances to buy food garlicky or otherwise. Yes everybody is attached to their phones unless they are drinking tea with me and yes the TV is full of repeats. Christmas? hoping it will be ok but have op to look forward to before then unless the waiting list is very long.

I agree there is too much garlic put in foods these days. It's ok if you and your DH eat the same meal, but if only he one of you partakes, the other one gets to breathe in the fumes all night.

Yes I have a love/hate relationship with Ipads, Iphone and Kindle, but, as has been pointed out to me (and thank you poster) there is a huge problem with the cobalt used in the batteries.

Marks and Sparks still just about does for me.

A lot of tv is dumbed down rubbish, but some good stuff still on catch-up.

Yes, a huge number of things have changed in a short time. I always think that the technical changes - computers, phones, the Internet - have produced a life rather like the 19th century Industrial Revolution when steam power, railways, electricity and industrial production changed people's lives.

However, I've always thought it sad that my father in law, in his 80s, refused to taste a kiwi fruit because he was tired of new things. It was the beginning of the end for him.

So, although I complain about too much choice, ho, ho, actually I think it's wonderful how much vegetarian and organic food is now available. Aldi and Lidl have improved life as has online shopping. Thank goodness we know about the need to recycle and the need to care about how we live before there is no planet for our young people to live on!

If you don't like garlic, don't eat it but if you eat enough your breath should stop smelling of it! It's actually very good for you!

Final thought, if there was no Internet, there'd be no Gransnet, and who would one complain to then?! Gosh, I've cheered myself up with this post.

I love M&S too just wish I could afford to shop there more often. The one in our town closed so it’s a bit of a faff to get to now. Their food is often of a very high standard and I am loving their Autumn wardrobes .

When my grandma was alive I bought all her food from M&S and used to drool at the cakes and pick ones I liked so I could enjoy them with her .

Went off M&S some time ago
Love garlic!
Don't use my mobile phone much, in fact I'm not sure where it is!
Use my laptop far too much - mainly to read news from different perspectives (and for GN!)
Most TV is absolute rubbish

I wasn't actually complaining......what sparked off this thought was watching Bake Off! Had to turn off after a few minutes.

I feel like fixed points and predictability are going out the window. Set meals, Sunday roast,watching certain things at certain times, shops with their familiar logos and ranges.

Never mind, I am clearly in a minority and need to be all jolly and bright.

TV is rubbish...

Yippee! A new Doc Martin is starting tonight.

Love M&S lucky enough to shop there most weeks can recommend San Francisco sourdough bread had it for lunch yesterday with cream cheese and smoked salmon,love garlic,the only current moan I have is TV announcers who don't pronounce the letter T ,ieBriish,instead of British.rant over.

Love M&S and miss our local one since it closed this summer.
Love lots of things on TV, Netflix, etc... and going to the cinema. And my p.c. etc...
Think Bake Off is as good as ever.
Don't like garlic, so don't use it.
Life is short. Let's try to be happy... I don't understand all this grumpiness.

I think you are feeling depressed about change and loss generally. And it is frightening...as for me, I felt very sad when John Humphrys left the Today programme. It won’t be the same without him.
However I agree with most of today’s posters. There ARE a lot of good things out there. In many ways I think the world is just a good a place as it always was.
And as for TV...the choice is excellent. There is something for everyone, from nature documentaries, drama, news programmes, reality shows (the ones showing life in our NHS hospitals are excellent) and much more.
It depends how you look at it..glass half empty or glass half full!

I love M&s food, especially their cheese scones. I enjoy TV. Bake off, strictly, the soaps. Doc Martin starting tonight. A new series of The Crown due on Netflix. Going to see the Downton film tonight. I have a pile of good books to read when I go to bed. What is there to moan about?

Oh people are so different aren’t they grapefruitpip? You are describing my early family life which I found so constricting and couldn’t wait to get away from - set meals, set times, routine, routine , routine.

Love garlic so not a problem but I do find that they and everywhere else are now chucking chillies in everything and I hate it. Lets have some proper food

I think M&S add garlic to cover the fact that most of their food is so bland. The pictures on the package are much better than the taste! I nearly always end up feeling disappointed!

And the thing that is happening too fast - and in my opinion shouldn't be happening at all - is the looming change to a cashless society. There will be a minority who will find it practically impossible to cope, and quite a majority, like me who would find it infuriating.
Already I've encountered cashless car parks, where you have to have either a bank card or mobile phone, AND know your car registration number (as if!), before you can even contemplate using the payment machine.
And how would we give our grandchildren a bit of 'spending money' for treats or holidays etc? Is a 5 year old expected to have a bank card?
Must stop , as I could rant on this subject for ages for ages.

M&S food is usually good, certainly can't complain what's offered in our local shop.
Totally agree about phones. How often do you walk on the pavement and have walking towards you someone on their smartphone who has noticed you? However my husband usually stops them in their tracks. Literally. 6ft tall and broad - you really don't want to bump in to him!
and when I have time don't bother with terrestrial TV just go on Netflix.
But in answer to your question - has it happened quickly? Yes probably. If you think back its only 2010 when smartphones were introduced by Apple and became popular (even though the first true smartphone was available in 1992!). However, that's life now. Things change faster than they ever have especially when it comes to technology.