Prize-winning gardener knows his onions (From The Oxford Times)
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Prize-winning gardener knows his onions
6:30pm Tuesday 28th August 2012 in News
Prize-winning gardener knows his onions
AFTER a disability forced Stephen Jefferies, right, to retire from his work 12 years ago, he turned his attention to gardening.
On Saturday, the 45-year-old continued his winning streak by winning the Ardley and Fewcott Flower and Produce Show for the second year in a row.
Mr Jefferies, of Fritwell, won for his shallots and peas, picked up the most points overall and won best in show.
He said: “I was over the moon to win. It is a tough little show. You never expect to win there because it is open to everyone and you never know who is going to turn up on the day.
“It has also been a bad year because of the weather, with a lot of rain and cold.”
Mr Jefferies, who used to work as a greenkeeper at Bicester Golf Course until doctors discovered a blood clot in his gut in 2000, said he will definitely take part again next year.
The event, organised by the Ardley and Fewcott Gardening Club, saw 150 people attend to see 300 exhibits of flowers, vegetables and produce.
Club secretary and show organiser Jean McGarry said: “It went very, very well. It is something the whole community can participate in.”
Comments(14)
RogerLFC
says...
3:00am Wed 29 Aug 12
eatmygoal
says...
10:45am Wed 29 Aug 12
RogerLFC wrote:Either the above two posters have read this guy's medical records or they are commenting on something they know absolutely nothing about. I suspect the latter
What's the situation with the blood clot? More to the point is he on a shed load of benefits? That's fine if he cannot work at all but he seems to do a lot of gardening?
Feelingsmatter
says...
8:12pm Wed 29 Aug 12
steve1955
says...
9:32am Thu 30 Aug 12
remember any of you could end up disabled in seconds would you wish others to judge you without the facts god forbit that but if you do come back on here we can all then slag you off.
Feelingsmatter
says...
10:35am Thu 30 Aug 12
eatmygoal
says...
10:42am Thu 30 Aug 12
Feelingsmatter wrote:Feelingsmatter, you clearly know nothing about what you are talking about.
Whatever, eatmygoal. If you look at the DWP website you will find that people who are a lot less able than this man have to work for a living. If Mr. Jefferies is able to grow prize-winning vegetables then he is clearly NOT badly disabled, and has enough energy to pursue a fairly physical hobby. If he has more wrong with him than a blood clot years ago then he should have said so. Either he says nothing about his medical past or he says enough for readers not to wonder why we're paying our taxes so he can spend all day growing prize-winning onions. He can't have it both ways.
Why should he disclose all his medical history to the local rag? What has it got to do with you if some days he feels OK enough to potter potter in his greenhouse and other days he can't get out of bed.
My point is you trolls think you can comment on EVERYTHING when actually you know barely NOTHING about the stories, situations and backstories on which you spout forth your tosh.
If you knew anything about welfare benefits then you would know that the decisions on fitness to work should be based on people at their worst points in their illness or condition. Not their best days when yes, a person with a disability may be able to make it into their own garden.
I bet you can't wait to spend the next 10 days shouting at your TV while publicly funded disabled athletes achieve great things.
steve1955
says...
11:13am Thu 30 Aug 12
Feelingsmatter
says...
2:36pm Thu 30 Aug 12
eatmygoal, I know full well how the benefit system works. Don't try and make me out to be ignorant of the system because you disagree with my standpoint. Your point about the Paralympics was as pathetic as your argument. I'm not a bigot, I'm asking perfectly valid questions which the OM should have thought about before they published this story.
You should also look up the definition of "troll" as you clearly have no idea what it means.
eatmygoal
says...
3:38pm Thu 30 Aug 12
Also, you appear to be changing your argument here, you started off questioning him and his entitlement and now appear to have changed your angle to questioning the journalism involved in the story. Which is it? You also say he 'went to the press' with the story. Do you have proof of this?
Oh, and by calling part of my argument 'pathetic' are you not just making me out to be ignorant because you don't agree with my argument? Something you accuse me of?
Feelingsmatter
says...
6:14pm Thu 30 Aug 12
eatmygoal
says...
10:33am Fri 31 Aug 12
You clearly know nothing. Reading your ill-informed, insulting and ridiculous comments on Hirschsprung's reaffirms my view of you.
Shame I can't engage you in this debate further, it stops you trawling other stories you know nothing about and posting rubbish.
Buffetcrasher
says...
9:31pm Fri 31 Aug 12
Buffetcrasher
says...
9:44pm Fri 31 Aug 12
eatmygoal wrote:You really are ridiculous. I just read the comment, and there is NOTHING ill-educated about it! Insulting and ridiculous? How so?!! I have been through the benefit system with my child, and the advice is sound, trust me!! It took me two applications to get DLA, and I also made NO changes.
'If he can grow onions he can work. End of.' Unbelievably stupid thing to say.
You clearly know nothing. Reading your ill-informed, insulting and ridiculous comments on Hirschsprung's reaffirms my view of you.
Shame I can't engage you in this debate further, it stops you trawling other stories you know nothing about and posting rubbish.
Truly, move on or stop commenting, because you are adding NOTHING to the argument, and as the mother of a with a long-term disability your use of a child with Hirschsprung's to make your point sickens me. You speak with SUCH authority; what qualifies you?
Feelingsmatter says...
9:23pm Tue 28 Aug 12