That means you can take out books, return them and even book time on a computer but you can't read papers or magazines. So here are some of the restrictions that will be in place when you visit again.
- You are expected to wear a face covering when you visit the library.
- You can only enter the building on your own or in a pair to reduce the number of people inside at once. Adults can come into the library with up to 2 children. In smaller libraries, all people entering at the same time must be part of the same 'bubble'.
- If you want to visit the library you must bring your library card with you. If you don't have your library card we may refuse you entry.
- Each library will have a one-way system to allow for social distancing.
- Hand sanitiser will be available for use on the way in and out of the library, and surfaces that are commonly touched will be regularly wiped down.
- As Covid-19 can be transferred on hard surfaces, returned library books will be ‘quarantined’ for up to 72 hours.
But at least it's good to be able to return again.
Both of Hethersett's charity shops have re-opened. The PACT shop in Great Melton Road and Kett's Kabin in Queen's Road. Both have a warm Christmas feel about them.
* * *
I have never been one to join in the rather strange idea of binge watching TV series. So was astounded to find we've got through all 27 episodes of Anne With An E. It's a typically moralistic story where right always triumphs over wrong and the good guy always wins. It's based on the classic children's book Anne of Green Gables.
It did make me think of how our television services have changed over the past few years.
My father was a television engineer for much of his working life. Those were the days of huge tubes, whopping TV sets that were a broad as they were long. When you turned them off the picture disappeared bit by bit and when you turned them on they had to "warm up" before the picture appeared - a bit like you had to pull out the choke on a car to warm it up.
For many years I wondered what would happen if you could watch programmes when you wanted. I always envisaged this happening by being given the ability to watch pre-recorded programmes in any order on the specific day they were being shown. For example the BBC would bank all their programmes so that they could be watched in any order. I thought this would be revolutionary. Now of course things like I Player means whole months of programmes can be watched in any order and whole series can be watched episode after episode in a row.
So you can binge watch Eastenders if you so desire, although why anyone would want to watch one episode of Eastenders is beyond me.
Let's break off for a moment to give you a rundown of what happens in Eastenders.
Character A shouts at Character B, Character B shouts at Character A and Character C, Character C shouts at everyone.
Phil Mitchell becomes an alcoholic, Phil Mitchell gets extremely angry, Phil Mitchell has a nervous breakdown, Phil Mitchell gets violent and attacks someone, Phil Mitchell becomes an alcoholic, Phil Mitchell gets extremely angry (you get the general idea).
I remember when a friend's son got a very very small portable television. Now we can watch TV on any number of tablets and mobile phones. I remember when we dreamed of the time when we could see the people we were phoning up. It was revolutionary when such a device was marketed. The only problem was the only people you could see were those with a similar machine.
Now we have Zoom, What's App and any number of devices where we can see who we are talking to.
Call me a Luddite but I still find it difficult to come to terms with listening to perfect quality music on a tiny phone where the music comes from the cosmos!!!
As for phones - well it wasn't so long ago that they were the size of bricks. For a monthly sum you got a strictly limited number of minutes and texts. Now most plans put no limit on either and it's all about the amount of data. Very soon I suspect this will be unlimited as well.
Who remembers the days before wi-fi when we had dial up connections through a phone line with that horrible grating noise and we had to pay 2p a minute?