Time it was

I give thanks for a delightful evening yesterday mostly listening to Radio 4 on iplayer. In years gone by I listened to the radio far more than I do now but I developed an intolerance to prattling DJs on popular music stations, squawky adverts on commercial channels and all the news updates and analysis on my beloved Radio 4. People sometimes dismiss my lack of interest in 'current affairs' as a sign of immaturity but I'm not going to launch into one of my rambling rants into alternative stances on the topic as I'm off to rearrange the fuzzy felt...

Of all my acquaintances of various ages and genders and techiness I was the first to succumb to the charms of catch up TV with the cumbersome dinosaur that was the original 4od. I swiftly followed that with the dizzy delights of pause and fast forward on digital TV to tweak start and loo and tea break times but it's taken a few years to apply my zeal for schedule free viewing to listening as for a while all you could do to be selective was retune and turn off and on again. So I'm loving getting back into the kinds of programmes I enjoy. The background voices are great company if you're involved in some quiet physical chore or hobby, and delightfully soporific if you're not! Recent recommended faves include... the Twin Nation series...and, as I've mentioned before, Fry's English Delight.

Gratitude too for this week's edition of the latter featuring snatches of a long forgotten song by simon and Garfunkel Dangling Conversation...and while I'm swiftly and loosely connecting subjects...I give thanks for the sounds of the chap next door playing his acoustic guitar so melodically in the garden...and for Adam's memory jerking photos on Facebook of bygone years and people...

I also give thanks for seeing on Facebook someone I knew at uni will be in the area next week so we might be able to meet up. As I didn't get an education til late in life this is Uni ten years ago not thirty five years ago. Still amazed it's been ten years though!

As most of the above is of such a personal nature I'll round off with these items spotted earlier and perhaps more easy for others to appreciate...

Animals greeting...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9506450/Chimpanzees-pass-down-a-secret-handshake.html

...and maybe grieving?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19317067

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19421217