09 April 2007

Unglued to the Tube


Right: Okay, not this small...


Ana, my landlady, has thoughtfully provided me with a small television that brings in the basic five free channels: ITV1 and BBC 1, 2, 4, and 5. Most everyone but me on this island has cable, but I get by. For instance, this evening I have the opportunity to watch:

7:00 The Trees That Made Britain
Conifer: 6 of 8. Tony Kirkham visits the glens east of Inverness to view the Scots pine in its natural habitat.

7:30 Johnny Kingdom – a Year on Exmoor
The gravedigger and amateur cameraman profiles the area’s countryside, beginning by attempting to build a badger hide.

8:30 Return to Lullingstone
4 of 6. Jim and his son are disappointed when planners refuse to give the green light to a poly-tunnel for storing exotic plants.

And I haven’t even mentioned soap operas or cricket…

Lest you think I’m making fun of British television – perish the thought! – the free airwaves are absolutely clogged with things worth watching: plenty of good BritTV, and a lot of the Yank stuff too - Friends reruns, House, The Simpsons, Law and Order CI, and all flavours of CSI as well as hours of really terrible old American films and Everybody (but me, apparently) Loves Raymond. There are even NBA games now and then if one can stay up late enough to watch them. I confess to a liking for cookery shows (and wishing Feline would fly over and cook dinner for me) and Antiques Roadshow, and I retain my odd fascination with real estate programmes like Escape to the Country, which make me long to live in a quiet cottage somewhere far from the nearest Tesco. But most of the time the tube stays cold and grey, and I read or surf or go out and walk the neighbourhood, which is what I think I’m going to do now.

Right after Cash in the Attic.

2 comments:

Jeff Draper said...

I'm absolutely thrilled to see you back at it. I love reading about your adventures in England and look forward to the rest of your time there. Travelogues from someone with a keen eye are great fun to read. I make annual trips to Korea or Japan and try to do the same for my friends to read but due to the militaristic nature of my journeys you have me beat by a length of roughly 2.2 kilometers.

Anonymous said...

It sounds like you have a much better place there. I hope your doing well and having a great time. Love you lots.
chris