Schedules

I give thanks today that so far I've been successfully doing almost nothing at all! I've made a couple of drinks, attended to drainage maintenance, read a little, sent an email and filled a washing up bowl with hot water and suds and crockery and now feel ready for a whole lot more nothing.

I give thanks for the Radio Times. We used to have it at home as a child (not the TV Times to begin with as the commercial channel was regarded as low and common by my snobby mum!) so it's been a rare thread of continuity in my life though not consistently continuous. I've not always had a TV let alone a programme guide. But it's always had the most interesting articles in my opinion, and the best word puzzles and it's great that nowadays it lists what's on on other services other than the BBC...pages and pages of programme details. I remember when Channel 5 started and the designers were clearly struggling with where to put its listings, trying out something that didn't feel right as it moved everything established around. I wrote to them and said they should put it on the far right so the channels went across the page in order number. They wrote back and said they hoped I'd soon get used to their changes, that things had to move with the times etc... Then a couple of weeks later wrote back with a voucher saying a number of readers had had a similar idea and they were going to try it...and it's still there!

I give thanks that the extended family next door are lunching outside with friends. I love hearing people just nattering companionably and marvel that this is the norm in so many lives. It's certainly better than any soap! I've often thought the inhabitants of this terrace would make a fascinating documentary series if not as glamorous as some! Hearing them talk about what they are having has made me a little bit peckish too. Next time I get up I might get a ryvita and cheese.