Growing up…

Posted on October 14, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged 1960's, facilities, History, Memories, programmes, Question, Radio, telephone, Thoughts, Time, TV1 Comment

Someone asked if I grew up with 3 TV channels and no smartphone? My answer:

We watched 1 channel, on black and white TV. God save the queen played when the station closed and then a high tone would play to get you to switch off your TV.

We listened to Radio 1 and the light programme, with Jimmy Clitheroe on at the weekends. My mom got the thunderbird theme tune played on the radio for our birthday.

We had rotary phone (eventually) after we moved house. Then we had spin dryer, boiler/top loading washer with a ringer.

In the old house we had a toilet at the end of the yard but we had one downstairs in the new house. In the old house we had a tin bath. In the new house we had a brand new bathroom. And my parents bought an electric shower. Shall I go on… Memories.

Early dawn

Posted on January 16, 2025January 16, 2025 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Classical music, Cocoa, Gardening, Insomnia, milky drink, Radio, Sleepless, telephone, TiredLeave a comment

Last night was another sleepless night. I tried a milky hot cocoa then quietly listening to a classical music radio station. I’d stayed downstairs because I have a chesty cough and it’s better to sleep sitting or pillowed up. Finally at just after 7am I gave up and went to bed. I took this photo at the top of the stairs as the faint light blush from the sunrise started to colour the sky. The view is blocked by various trees including a large straggly goat willow. I managed to get comfortable and slept. Then unfortunately someone rang me at 9.15am! After that I’ve been ringing other people so I suppose I’d better stay up.

Oh for a good night’s sleep

Posted on January 3, 2024 Posted in Cat, Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, ArtRage app, Cats, Drawing, Life, Light, Radio, Sleep, Sleepless, Tired, yawning2 Comments

Distractions don’t work, I’m dreading the night, time for my mind to run riot. Put the radio on low? I just have to listen. I can’t stop myself. It’s too dark so I put the light on to feel safer. The cats jump on the bed but then want attention. My head spins. My circadian rythms are all over the place. A cup of cocoa doesnt work. Yawning now. 8.30am another sleepless night.

I HATE adverts

Posted on October 8, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Adverts, Annoying, Email, Internet, Life, Newspaper, public broadcasting, Radio, TV2 Comments

They are everywhere, TV, Internet, radio, cinema, in print.

I ignore them, but get fed up with them. Can’t some algorithm get that I never open them on the Internet, I don’t do click bait, I mainly watch public broadcasting TV services so that I can avoid them.

Recently I’ve been bombarded in my emails. There is a certain credit card that wants me to apply for it. I’ve responded to it by sending submissions back telling them I’m not interested, that I feel like I’m being ignored when I’ve said no. But it keeps happening. It’s so irritating.

Is it only me, are people OK with adverts?

I have a radio like this…

Posted on July 25, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 100 years, 1960's, ancient history, Life, Radio, Radio 4, Station, Time, vaccum valves, Wireless4 Comments

We bought an old radio 30 years ago, and it still works! It’s a vaccum valve radio. It only picks up long wave signals, so I can listen to radio 4 and the shipping forecast. We have a 1960’s one too with a huge battery and a large dial to tune into different stations and a big grill on the front.

It’s amazing how these relics of a bygone era can last for decades. OK if they were on all day they might break down, but I think its marvellous. Nowadays people would gut the insides and bung in some Bluetooth speakers and headphones. But I prefer a traditional mechanism. Life needs relics to remind us of our past. It’s only around 100 years since the end of the first world war. And some people born then are still alive. Go back 20 X 100 years and you are back in bible times. We think it’s ancient, but it’s not really long ago compared with deep historic time, like the millions of years ago that the dinosaurs existed.

Radio 4

Posted on July 23, 2023July 24, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged BBC radio 4, BBC World Service, Comedy, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2006, Drama, finance, Life, Music, Radio3 Comments

What do you listen to while you work?

I first listened to BBC radio 4 when I was a teenager. I had a little transistor radio and used to listen to an Issac Asimov story ‘Foundation’ that had been dramatised for radio.

From that discovery I got a lot of pleasure and knowledge. When I was doing my homework Radio 4 would be on in the background. Then as I got older I went to college. I listened to shows like ‘The hitchhikers guide to the gallery’ while I learned to paint.

After that I had a job where I could not choose a radio station. The radio station was pop based and I hated it. Jingles and pop music irritated me. I’m definitely happier with speech radio.

Finally my job became much more professional, there was no radio to accompany my work. But when I was on visits to clients I would tune my radio in to 92.7 FM, which is radio 4 and also happens to be the BBC World Service outside the hours BBC radio 4 is being broadcast. There are a great deal of news, drama, finance, comedy and satirical programmes on the channel. Always worth listening to.

On Air

Posted on April 29, 2023 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Drawing, Life, microphone, Old fashioned, on air, Radio, Sketching4 Comments

Thursdays #bandofsketchers prompt was on air… What to do for ‘On air’ …. I had to look up an old microphone for this, except I think its actually modern? It was on a sales site. Anyway it actually says ‘on air’ at the top so I chose it….

Radio

Posted on December 1, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Battery, Bush radio, car boot sale, Drawing, Life, Old, Radio, Sketching, WorkingLeave a comment

Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was radio. A bad and wobbly drawing of my old bush radio. Bought it at a car boot sale years ago. It was covered in emulsion paint that I managed to scrape off. It works, takes a huge battery. Can only get long wave.. Which is OK when there’s a test match on.

Press green?

Posted on November 4, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Electric, Electricity, green button, Power, power saving, Radio, standby, Thinking, TVLeave a comment

I found something out about listening to radio on the TV. You can press a button and stop the screen being illuminated. If you do that then you don’t have to look at the illuminated screen and it saves energy that would be used to display the image. Who knew? It’s probably something everyone could do. I should also turn the TV off at the plug at night so it’s not on standby, saving more energy. I will try and remember.

I can’t sleep

Posted on January 20, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Cold, Decaff, Insomnia, Life, Radio, Rain, Sleep, Time, Tired, WetLeave a comment

It’s raining heavily in the UK, but that didn’t wake me up. No it was my hubby getting up and making a pot of tea at four am. Then the cat wanted to go out at four thirty. I came downstairs to make a cup of coffee at five. Then as I was deciding whether to snack on a few olives left over in the fridge one of my paintings fell off the wall on the stairs, it came crashing down and shook me up a bit. I checked it over and its OK. But the string had worn through. I think hubby must brush past it on the stairs so I’ve restrung it with some wire this time.

Now I’ve had my coffee (decaff). I’m wondering whether to call the outside cat back inside. There is a forecast for rain turning to snow and ice later in the week…… I’m listening to the news on the radio. Train lines are blocked and flooded….. Do I go on… And they are talking about the end of the Trump era….. Life goes on.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Radio