THE Battle of Flowers would hardly be the Battle of Flowers if it were not preceded by various alarms and excursions.

Typically, these involve concerns about funding, but at the weekend float-builders were suddenly hit by a problem affecting the very essence of the big parade. One hundred thousand of the blooms which had been earmarked to add the finishing tou-ches to many of the floats were found to be too rotten to use.

Many people faced by such a catastrophe would merely have thrown up their hands in horror and begun planning for Battle 2009. Battle stalwarts are, however, made of sterner stuff. With the phrase ‘the show must go on’ ringing in their ears, they immediately began searching for a new source of the dyed chrysanthemums that had to be replaced.

But that was just the first and most obvious course of action. Float designers turned their minds to an alternative solution and began adapting colour schemes to make use of the flowers that were available rather than those that, ideally, they would like to have at their disposal.

UK growers have already said that they will be able to help replace a large percentage of the sub-standard blooms, but it is likely that their shipment will not arrive until tomorrow morning. This could mean that the final preparations for the Battle are an even more frantic affair than is ordinarily the case.

In spite of this, very few Islanders would expect the enthusiastic teams of volunteers who, year after year, make the most important spectacle in the tourist season a success to fail as they rise to the challenge.
As the float-builders labour through the night to put the finishing touches to their creations, they can be confident that the good wishes of all those eager to see their handiwork will be with them.

They can also be confident that Islanders and holidaymakers will be wishing them the very best of luck — although anyone who is aware of how the disaster of the rotten blooms has been met will realise that luck has comparatively little to do with Battle success. Dedication, imagination and sheer hard work are the ingredients that make the difference.