The Weekends Are The Worst!
After C died in December 2007, I found that the weekends were the worst times. That is apart from Christmas, where I volunteered to help in the Bury St. Edmunds Christmas Lunch for the elderly, who had no family or nowhere else to go. But I can’t even do that now, as I’m not allowed to drive.
So in early 2010, I made a pact with myself and made sure that I always had something to do at the weekend. Often that was football at Ipswich or on their travels and I think I hardly missed a match.
Before C died, wekends were full, but not particularly busy. Usually it would mean a meal out or a visit to the theatre or the cinema, or perhaps the shops in London or Bluewater. We also had four weekends away in 2009.
How times have changed!
This weekend from the time my carer/driver left on Friday night, I didn’t see anybody except the postman and the paper lady on Saturday and my stud groom on Sunday, when he delivered the Sunday Times.
It illustrates so well, our decision to think about retirement to somewhere like Hampstead in perhaps 2012 or 2013. Little did we know what would happen with C’s death from cancer of the heart and then my strokes.
Where I live may be beautiful and tranquil, but there is no shop or pub within walking distance, no bus worth talking about and as I can’t drive, the only transport option is a taxi at £25 a time to Newmarket or Haverhill. Taxis round here are more expensive than black cabs in London. I can afford them, but I object to being ripped-off!
And then this last weekend, the weather wasn’t good and the television with one or two exceptions was complete rubbish.
I suppose the solution is to plan them, so that I don’t get another one again!
Carravaggio
I ended up watching a program about who killed Caravaggio on BBC4. This is the sort of program I worry about, if the BBC decides to save money. Having been introduced to the works of Caravaggio by an artist friend, I feel that this is the program, I should watch, to make sure I am less of an ignorant Philistine.
According to Caravaggio‘s entry in Wikipedia, today is the four hundredth anniversary of his death.
Big Brother
I didn’t know that the odious Big Brother was still going, but whilst looking for something to see on my Sky+ box, I saw it listed on Channel 4.
I really think that my life has been improved by forgetting to watch it! In the past, I’ve often watched the first program to see what freaks they’ve dragged up this time. But I didn’t even do that this year!
Jill Bolte Taylor
Although, I was told about this remarkable woman a few weeks ago, I hadn’t followed her up until I read an interview with her on Caring.com. I have now found her web site and ordered her book, My Stroke of Insight.
She is a brain scientist, who suffered a much worse stroke than I did and her insight may well aid recovery for many and help to shape and improve healthcare.
Should We Ban The Burka?
Should we follow France and impose a ban or take the advice of Damian Green and not ban it, as that would be un-British?
To be fair, I do oscillate from one view to another. A lot depends on my personal expereience at the time.
I remember once I was walking through Mile End in East London and I was horrified to see a woman walking meekly fully vieled and very heavily loaded a couple of metres behind her husband, who was carrying nothing and was totally oblivious to his wife’s plight. Are some men like him, the Islamic equivalent of your stereotype white male loser? They don’t want a wife, but they do need a full time servant at all of their beck and call.
On the other hand, also in East London, I was in need of help in Staples. I was assisted by the manager, who was about twenty-five or so and obviously a Muslim lady, as she was fully vielled. By the use of her eyes, hands and obvious personality, we had a strong conversation and my small problems were solved. Incidentally, whilst seving me she instructed a young white kid to help another customer, who had accidentally knocked a display over. From his reaction, it was obvious that they got on well, as business colleagues should!
To add another example. I was brought up in London and my mother always told me to hold doors and assist people on the stairs in the Underground. As C and myself, used to travel extensively on public transport in London with three boys under three, I know how difficult it is to manage some parts of the Underground by yourself with children. So if someone is struggling, I will often take the front of a buggy and help the pusher, be they man or woman, up or down the steps. Sometimes it is declined, but most take the offer, as what is it to me? A gain probably, as I don’t get stuck behind the struggler. I have been questioned by some as to why I do it and usually reply about my past experiences and the fact that I think it is courteous. I must admit that sometimes, when I do something smaller, like hold a door say and I get no sign of thanks, such as a smile or a raised hand, I feel that is very sad!
So is it not what you wear but how you behave? Relate properly with your fellow human beings and it doesn’t matter what either of you are wearing.
I Hate Flies
Are they bad this year, but they seem to be infecting my house more than usual? They have already caused me to break a glass, because I knocked the fly spray over.
But they do seem to want to sit all over me. Perhaps I taste good at the moment!
Any idea why? Is there a fly psychiatrist out there?
India Knight on Moat
India Knight in The Sunday Times, is one of my favourite columnists. Today, she turns her attention to the monstrous Raoul Moat and domestic violence. She feels that we don’t take the latter seriously enough!
We don’t! C practiced at the bar long enough to see this odious crime come down the generations, just as child abuse does.
To me, violence has no place in life, except in somewhere like the boxing ring under the proper rules.
Is It a Good Idea to Cut the BBC Licence Fee?
There are reports today, that the government is wanting to cut the BBC licence fee, as we must all make sacrifices in these hard times.
Obviously, it could be good for the country, but we must make sure that the quality of the BBC’s output doesn’t decline.
My viewing habits are I think fairly typical of someone, who is male and reasonably well off, as I have a subscription to Sky Sports, and digital television and a Sky+ recorder.
- I watch football, cricket, tennis and sometimes other sports on Sky.
- If sport is on the BBC, I usually watch it. Because there is nothing else to do today, I’m watching the golf, but I’d prefer to be watching football, cricket, tennis or athletics.
- I never watch soaps or any drama series that require you to see all episodes. Even things like Spooks, which I do like, I rarely watch.
- I watch intelligent quizzes, like Mastermind, University Challenge and QI and sometimes inane ones like Shooting Stars.
- I always check BBC3 and BBC4 for intelligent or interesting programs.
- I watch old comedy and rarely any new stuff, except for things like Have I Got News For You.
- I watch the repeat channels like Dave, for repeats of programs I like.
- I rarely watch films on television, as you should see them in a proper cinema.
- I never watch anything other than sport with adverts.
- I watch a lot of documentaries and history programs.
- I watch a lot of news programs and always start the day with BBC Breakfast.
- I don’t watch property, gardening and makeover shows
- I only watch ITV, if I’m really desperate.
- I listen a lot to BBC Radio 5 Live and I often contribute to programmes with e-mails.
So cutting the licence fee would not affect my viewing much, unless shows that I liked weren’t made anymore. I worry about BBC Radio 5 and BBC Sport going to Manchester, as I think that could reduce the quality, as the good commentators and production staff, might not want to move north. One northern-born Radio 5 presenter said as much very stridently in an off-air comment, that a microphone picked up. If the north was so good, it would create more jobs without government subsidy, just like London and the greater South East does.
I hope too, that BBC cuts don’t mean that the BBC dumb downs. In fact cuts should mean that programs like East Enders, which are expensive to make should be replaced by something less inane, that would hopefully give ambition and perhaps a degree of education and enlightenment to those less fortunate than myself.
But what we really need is a better way to collect the licence, so that everybody pays and thus it could be reduced without atually reducing the total take to the BBC. Years ago, I proposed a Reverse TV Licence, where the BBC was paid for out of general taxation and if you didn’t have a TV, you got a payment from the government.But with technology now, we could go a lot better. Especially, as we’re all going to have to go digital and many of us will go to satellite or the Internet. Remember, many of us, pay a large subscription for all sorts of services on our mobile phone, but think that all television, music and film should be free.
One thing that has to be born in mind though, is that if the BBC cuts its budget and staff, many of the people affected will not just give up. They will form their own production companies and make innovative programmes, that will probably broadcast through the Internet. The good ones will be found and promoted by the broadcasters and the amount of material generally available that is worth watching and listening to will increase.
One point, I should make, is that the BBC sought my cooperation in a new program project. It droned on for a couple of years and they must have spent a fortune to get no program at all. The program commissioning at the BBC is in my experience, a complete waste of space. It would be so much better if independent companies took all the risk and then presented them to the BBC and others to broadcast. It would not be easy, but in the end, we’d get much better and more affordable television.
I think it is true to say, that some of the best programs, I have seen over the last few years, were created by independents and promoted by the likes of the BBC and Channel 4.
We live in interesting times.
Why I Don’t Like Paper Blowing About!
Over the last few weeks, we have had it very hot some days and various people felt it was a good idea to open the kitchen door to the garden. I don’t like it, as it tends to blow the odd bits of paper, such as newspapers, shopping lists and part-finished Sudoku that were lying about, all over the place! So now it’s colder, I’m glad to get the door shut again.
I was thinking about this a couple of nights ago.
As regular readers will know, my father was a letterpress printer. Just as photocopiers do it sometimes, printing machines in those days were liable to monumental paper jams. These were much more serious with those machines, as in bad cases they actually damaged the lead type. Paper often went everywhere propelled by the feed mechanisms. They were a time-consuming and dirty thing to sort out. I didn’t do that much machine minding, as he thought that a bit dangerous for a vhild, but say on Sunday mornings, when we were working in Wood Green, I would be called in, if the Thompson had had a major jam.
So perhaps all of that panic and flying paper has left a mark on my mind, and it is better to not let the paper start blowing about.
I don’t like draughts either and abhor the habit some people have of opening windows to let the air through. If I want fresh air, I’ll go out and get it!
I Suppose I Could Watch the Golf
Weekends are bad for me, as I can’t drive, there is no pub within walking distance, so except for the stud staff, the paper lady and the postman, I won’t see anyone else for two days.
Not that I’m that bothered, as I will walk a bit in the fields with Lizzie. The weather doesn’t look that good, so I’ll probably just watch the television. Sport is mainly golf, although I do see that there is an exciting clash in the Russian Premier League, between Spartak Moscow and Rubin Kazan on ESPN, who report English football as bad as ITV. So I know that their Russian offering will be totally rubbish, with the commentators probably in a cosy studio.
I do have other creative things to do though and I will report as the day progresses.
