Television

Before I started the seagoing job, I used to watch a lot of TV; I mean a lot. Sport, sport, CSI, NCIS, House, Bones. And then I was away for weeks at a time and I lost track of storylines and I stopped missing them.

Now I am home again, I still haven't got the TV bug back, which is a good thing. We use our TV to listen to the radio mostly, which is odd. But I have time to do my photography and listen to music, without worrying whether we would make it back in time to see the beginning of a show.

I guess that Gregory house is still solving difficult cases, curing people just before the hour is up. The CSIs are solving murders and such, Grissom has left, apparently, I wouldn't know. And the truth is, I don't miss the shows. I find it odd that people actually care about TV; I tell people at work we don't watch it, and I don't think they believe us.

As it's the autumn now, The X Factor and Strictly have begun; thus making the Saturday evening schedule unwatchable, like we care. I'd like to say we use that free time in a constructive way, but I don't feel we do, but then again, things get done. And we're happy with things.

Mother loves TV. I mean LOVES, and having her down was a balancing act of letting her watch Home and Away and we having the radio on. We listen to more Radio 4 now, arts and high-brow comedy, as well as some stuff off Radio 2, and then for me the football on Radio 5.

Here's the radio highlights:

Saturday Live, Radio 4 09:00 Saturday
Excess Baggage, Radio 4 10:00 Saturday
The Danny Baker Show, Radio 5 09:00 Saturday
Fighting Talk, Radio 5 11:00 Saturday
Football, Radio 5 all Saturday afternoon
Dessert Island Discs, 11:15 Sunday
Just a Minute, Radio 4 18:30 Monday
The Radcliffe and Maconie Show, Radio 2 20:00 Monday to Thursday
Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode's Film Review, Fiday 15:00

On top of that there is the morning news on Radios 4 or 5, the drive time show on Radio 5 as I drive into work.

So, little time for TV there.

I think if it wasn't for sport we wouldn't need a TV at all. And I think life is better for being mostly without it; we sit in the garden with a little radio and watch the sun go down with our cats fussing around us; who would want any thing else?