The days are short,
the weather is grey, the perfect antidote to all this misery is to
curl up on the sofa and turn the box on.
The 21st
November was World Television Day. Back in the nineties the UN
declared World Television Day – advocating the universal nature of
the small screen with its ability to unite.
I suppose Dynasties,
or perhaps any David Attenbrough show, could be held up as an
example. People from different backgrounds and of varying ages have
been transfixed by the hour long animal narrative. Even cats
succumbed to watching their cousins on the silver screen.
Whilst televisual
streaming may be in decline amongst millennials, we all seem very
attached to one screen or another and it seems the darker, colder
days only make us more so.
A few weeks ago,
having noticed the number of books on my bedside table increasing, I
decided to evaluate my TV diet. Having the ability to record and save
programmes so easily means I also had a stack of programmes waiting
for me to click and watch.
Following a writing
warning – reading books increases creativity, whilst watching TV
stifles it – I decided to delete a number of recordings and
evaluate the number of series I am following. This has resulted in
giving up a Soap I have followed on and off for years!
Having had a busy
week of various evening activities the draw of the TV has not had
it’s usual pull. However, I am aware of it seductive lights and the
escapism it offers.
The Autumn has
opened up many doors for us with new sports, creative activities and
people to meet. I am determined not to lose these new sparkly things
in the face of a rainy, dark Winter.
Instead I am burning
candles for cosy lights, stacking books downstairs, rather than by
the bed, dusting off my colouring pens and books and seeing Christmas
cards as opportunities to send more than a greeting and get back to
some old-fashioned letter writing.
If you’re wanting
some reading recommendations:
I am about to join a
book club – the book for December is Murder in the Snow. A
Cotswold Christmas Mystery by Gladys Mitchell, I am already
reading a book of short stories by Haruki Murakami, Men without
Women. I have also started re-reading The Chronicles of
Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. This has brought back a childhood
nostalgia that seems fitting for the season. It could be the perfect
bedtime reading with younger ones too.
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