We like Lingo - a word game that is on TV in the afternoons. I don't like Lingo when we have repeats and I can still remember who won. But now it's getting worse. We are having repeats of the repeats and, not surprisingly, the same people still win.
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"And now over to the news where you live."
"A community group in Northampton........"
Hold on just a cotton picking minute. Why would I in Norfolk be the slightest bit interested in what a community group from Northampton is doing? Northampton isn't where I live. Hethersett to Northampton - 112 miles. Said it before, will say it again. We have less than no interest in what is happening in Northampton. But does the BBC care - of course it doesn't.
It's all part of the diminution of life and art forms. The BBC seems to be dumbing down with huge speed. Other channels don't seem to be far behind. A diet of old films and repeats with a few new dramas chucked in when you aren't looking.
I did enjoy the new adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder Is Easy, although it did take some liberties with the original and I know who "done" it anyway.
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Yesterday I went on my travels but not too far. I just can't face being indoors all day. I have to go out somewhere or other even if it's just down the road.
We got the bus to Wymondham where it was pretty quiet but where the cafes were doing good trade. Had a general look round and the other four fifths bought boxes of Christmas cards. I did point out foolishly that Christmas is over but she pointed out that these are for next year. Maybe we should post them around August so they arrive by Christmas. I only say this because I recently paid quite a bit to ensure a parcel got to Eastbourne by Christmas - it was no surprise when it didn't despite going first class and meeting the Christmas postal deadlines. Have I already used the phrase dumbing down?
Getting the bus to Wymondham just wasn't enough for me. I then got the bus into Norwich as I felt it was time to at last spend the book token I have been harbouring for some months.
It's taken a number of visits to Waterstones to spend it. So many books to choose from. I eventually settled on two books I've had my eye on for some time: "The Way It Was" by Matthew Engel which is a social history of Britain between 1952 and 1979 - a period I'm very interested in. There are certain areas of British history that I'm fascinated by and strangely they are vastly spread apart. First there's the Romans through to the Saxons, then The Tudors and then modern Britain from the 1930s through to the mid 1970s.
My second book was Tracy Borman's "Crown and Sceptre" which is the history of the monarchy from William the Conk to the modern day, a kind of general history through the ages and through the monarchy. Then coming right up to date I got "Politics on the Edge" by Rory Stewart who is one of the few politicians I have any time for, although he is an ex politician. Now all I have to do is find time to read them, along with all the others I have lined up both in physical form and on my tablet.
The Tracy Borman book is nicely divided into a chapter on each monarch which will give me the opportunity to read one chapter a day and that will give me an idea whether there are any other specific periods I would like to investigate further.
I have mentioned before my fascination for Tudor Prince Arthur who would have been king instead of Henry VIII had he not have succumbed to the sweating sickness. But enough of sweating as it's a long way from summer.
Norwich was heaving with cars lined up for a mile to get into the city. Thank goodness for bus lanes as we sailed straight in. This time last year we were staying in an apartment from hell in York. I'm sure I talked about this at the time. The bedroom lamps were broken, keys were missing, the settee collapsed when we sat on it, two of the dining chairs were broken and then water started seeping up through the kitchen floor as we walked across it. There were other problems as well.
It was so bad we laughed about it. I didn't laugh much when we decided to drive out to a factory outlet a few miles outside York. Getting there was horrendous in the traffic, getting away was even worse.
In a few days' time we will be staying for a few days in a flat in Eastbourne. I hope the settee will take the weight of the other four fifths and me as a mere one fifth.
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Whilst in Wymondham we picked up our train tickets for our journey. The ticket machine chuntered on and on before spewing out our tickets - all 10 of them. Each time it does this I think "why do we need so many tickets?"
I thought a few years ago they were going to simplify journeys. It's beyond me why in this world of automation we can't cut back by having just one ticket each for our outward journey and one ticket each for our return journey. That would be four tickets instead of 10. Having so many is hugely confusing as well. Our journey down to the South Coast will take just over four hours and involve changing trains at Cambridge and Gatwick Airport. As long as the trains run and are on time (what's that you say? Some hopes of that happening) and there is room on them it will be a lot less stressful than driving round the M25.
Speak to you all again tomorrow.