No Crumble today

I've noticed this before.  People start blipping their blackberries and what they've made with them in the middle of August.  It seems early to me, as the ones near us never seem anywhere near ready.  So I wait, but then I start to think I'm leaving it too long, and either I might have missed them, or someone else must have picked them all.  So today we decided to go blackberry picking.

What a disappointment.  They are still at least two weeks away from being ripe.  There were a few that had turned black and they did taste nice, but most are still small and red.  They seem to still need a good shower of rain and some sun to ripen up.

It can't be to do with the weather as we are towards the south of the country and people from the north have blipped them.  Perhaps we have a late variety around here?  Whatever; I'll have to wait a couple of weeks for my crumble.