I have just discovered that my readership has reached an all-time high – take note, James! James is my most brutal critic who claims to drop off after my opening lines and who, regularly, maligns me for being negative. He has suggested, however – as a means of counteracting my prowess at curing insomnia – that I read my posts in the form of something called a podcast? Whatever. I reckon he just likes the sound of my voice!
Never a fan of the colour grey, I feel as though I have been enshrouded in it this week. Has the sun opted for a career break or, perhaps, an extended sabbatical?! Seriously, Iceland in the winter was never one of my chosen options but, on a quest for a Vitamin D boost, I think it needs some consideration. I cannot stand this incessant darkness! Too negative? Moving on. I might just add – Dylan and Matt – that you have to come back sometime!
Taken to name-dropping, obviously. Once upon a time, I would have exhausted my readership in 3 names but not anymore! So exciting. The point is not to dwell on who may be making up my numbers … just smile and be grateful.
As often is the case, I surmised that I may be struggling for subject matter this week but, inevitably, things just spring to mind or circumstances lend themselves to a mention. Thus technology, once again, rears its ugly head. As I have covered previously, anyone ringing the landline in this house is cut off after one ring at the very most. I have no idea the reason for this – yes, I am up to date with the phone bill – particularly, as I can still make outgoing calls. Suffice to say, the melee of wires beneath the desk in the study is worthy of Blackpool illuminations and, unwilling to sacrifice myself for the sake of receiving calls from India, I have no idea which is that of the phone! So, no contact with the outside world other than via my mobile and the sometime post. Strangely liberating.
Over the last few years – note I omitted the word ‘difficult’ – I have learned of my ability to adjust and my life is livable without receiving incoming calls on the landline but … on Wednesday, the computer decided to stage a ‘go slow’ and took the printer down with it! Not wishing to venture out into the darkness, I had compiled a ‘to do’ list for the day to which said technology was, sadly, central. Honestly, I feel like a vegetarian who has just been forced to eat her brother – through necessity, of course! One knows my feelings about computers and anything that involves chips – ignoring that opportunity – but I have sold out when it comes to my blog and emails. I had this romantic image of writing by hand – and I do try – but the ease of correction is too much of a pull. A hypocrite in the true sense of the word.
So, unable to do anything I had planned, I threw in the towel and put my feet up. Nobody was answering my calls for assistance but, then, none of my friends seem to be qualified in anything I need them to be qualified in! Oh, the wisdom which comes with age. Given my time again, I would ensure that I befriend a family lawyer, a vet, an accountant, someone who owns a well-used tool kit, someone skilled in artificial intelligence, someone who vaguely knows something about finances … oh, and someone with an apartment on the Via Margutta in Rome. No explanation mark. Totally serious.
A grey week. A somewhat non-productive week but I did make some notes apropos things which annoyed or tickled me. One such subject was a report on the news regarding the annual Consumer Electronics Show taking place in Las Vegas over last few days. Obviously dominated by America and its opposing giant, China, I can only shake my head. The money that is being spent. The focus wasted on the eternal quest for silver. Greed. I wrote down 3 developments being showcased: firstly, the suitcase with the ability to recognize its owner. Cut to the image of the airport concourse with the passengers walking along, hands-free, each chased by their cabin bags. Yep, I’m all for spending time and money on such a crucial appendage. I mean, it’s not as though it could be better spent on medical research or saving the planet!
Secondly, I noted the French prototype for the driverless taxis … Well, if one, supposedly, runs a risk hailing an Uber, then one would truly be throwing caution to the wind in one of those!
Lastly, the inevitable robot in human form. Only one question – WHY?
Anything else worthy of irritation or praise? Virgin banning sales of the Daily Mail on their West Coast line stating that said newspaper is contrary to the values of the brand. Pathetic. Cloning comes to mind, once again. Whatever happened to freedom of the press? Must we all share the views and values of Richard Branson?! Thankfully, one is still permitted to purchase the newspaper of one’s choice prior to boarding said train. Whether one is afforded sufficient room at one’s table seat to open said newspaper on one’s journey, however, is another matter …
May I interject that I have just jumped from my seat and run to the back of the kitchen to search the dark sky for the wild geese I could hear flying overhead. Sadly, I failed to see the formation but it is the second time I have heard them this week. A reminder of one of my favourite sounds ever – something I must remember to mention when, inevitably, I am asked! Dare I say, the sight and sound of these magnificent birds takes me back to my childhood and being out riding as dusk drew ever nearer. That feeling of being at one with nature – and dreaming of the far off lands to which these wild birds were heading.
I remember watching that lovely film, The Snow Goose, starring Richard Harris and Jenny Agutter. Made in 1971, it was based on a short story written by Paul Gallico in 1940 about an aging artist leading a solitary life as a lighthouse keeper who ends up helping a young orphan girl care for a wounded snow goose. Beautifully filmed, it won a Golden Globe and has stayed with me – as has the 1996 film Fly Away Home. Based on a true story – hankies a must – it is about a father and daughter who bond in the quest to teach ‘their’ wild geese to follow an ultralight plane so that they may be shown their migratory route. A family film of the kind no longer made, it touches the heart and the cinematography is second to none. My two loved it, as children. Twenty-two years ago, a gentler world doing just fine without driverless taxis, robots and, not forgetting, the indispensable suitcase capable of owner recognition …
Remember, Trish-Trash is nothing more than a licence to write about anything and everything!
Let me leave you with a quote from a lady who means a lot to us – and who spoke a lot of sense …
‘If I’m honest, I have to tell you I still read fairy tales and I like them best of all.’
Courtesy of the inimitable Audrey Hepburn.
This is Trish signing off.
Never a fan of the colour grey, I feel as though I have been enshrouded in it this week. Has the sun opted for a career break or, perhaps, an extended sabbatical?! Seriously, Iceland in the winter was never one of my chosen options but, on a quest for a Vitamin D boost, I think it needs some consideration. I cannot stand this incessant darkness! Too negative? Moving on. I might just add – Dylan and Matt – that you have to come back sometime!
Taken to name-dropping, obviously. Once upon a time, I would have exhausted my readership in 3 names but not anymore! So exciting. The point is not to dwell on who may be making up my numbers … just smile and be grateful.
As often is the case, I surmised that I may be struggling for subject matter this week but, inevitably, things just spring to mind or circumstances lend themselves to a mention. Thus technology, once again, rears its ugly head. As I have covered previously, anyone ringing the landline in this house is cut off after one ring at the very most. I have no idea the reason for this – yes, I am up to date with the phone bill – particularly, as I can still make outgoing calls. Suffice to say, the melee of wires beneath the desk in the study is worthy of Blackpool illuminations and, unwilling to sacrifice myself for the sake of receiving calls from India, I have no idea which is that of the phone! So, no contact with the outside world other than via my mobile and the sometime post. Strangely liberating.
Over the last few years – note I omitted the word ‘difficult’ – I have learned of my ability to adjust and my life is livable without receiving incoming calls on the landline but … on Wednesday, the computer decided to stage a ‘go slow’ and took the printer down with it! Not wishing to venture out into the darkness, I had compiled a ‘to do’ list for the day to which said technology was, sadly, central. Honestly, I feel like a vegetarian who has just been forced to eat her brother – through necessity, of course! One knows my feelings about computers and anything that involves chips – ignoring that opportunity – but I have sold out when it comes to my blog and emails. I had this romantic image of writing by hand – and I do try – but the ease of correction is too much of a pull. A hypocrite in the true sense of the word.
So, unable to do anything I had planned, I threw in the towel and put my feet up. Nobody was answering my calls for assistance but, then, none of my friends seem to be qualified in anything I need them to be qualified in! Oh, the wisdom which comes with age. Given my time again, I would ensure that I befriend a family lawyer, a vet, an accountant, someone who owns a well-used tool kit, someone skilled in artificial intelligence, someone who vaguely knows something about finances … oh, and someone with an apartment on the Via Margutta in Rome. No explanation mark. Totally serious.
A grey week. A somewhat non-productive week but I did make some notes apropos things which annoyed or tickled me. One such subject was a report on the news regarding the annual Consumer Electronics Show taking place in Las Vegas over last few days. Obviously dominated by America and its opposing giant, China, I can only shake my head. The money that is being spent. The focus wasted on the eternal quest for silver. Greed. I wrote down 3 developments being showcased: firstly, the suitcase with the ability to recognize its owner. Cut to the image of the airport concourse with the passengers walking along, hands-free, each chased by their cabin bags. Yep, I’m all for spending time and money on such a crucial appendage. I mean, it’s not as though it could be better spent on medical research or saving the planet!
Secondly, I noted the French prototype for the driverless taxis … Well, if one, supposedly, runs a risk hailing an Uber, then one would truly be throwing caution to the wind in one of those!
Lastly, the inevitable robot in human form. Only one question – WHY?
Anything else worthy of irritation or praise? Virgin banning sales of the Daily Mail on their West Coast line stating that said newspaper is contrary to the values of the brand. Pathetic. Cloning comes to mind, once again. Whatever happened to freedom of the press? Must we all share the views and values of Richard Branson?! Thankfully, one is still permitted to purchase the newspaper of one’s choice prior to boarding said train. Whether one is afforded sufficient room at one’s table seat to open said newspaper on one’s journey, however, is another matter …
May I interject that I have just jumped from my seat and run to the back of the kitchen to search the dark sky for the wild geese I could hear flying overhead. Sadly, I failed to see the formation but it is the second time I have heard them this week. A reminder of one of my favourite sounds ever – something I must remember to mention when, inevitably, I am asked! Dare I say, the sight and sound of these magnificent birds takes me back to my childhood and being out riding as dusk drew ever nearer. That feeling of being at one with nature – and dreaming of the far off lands to which these wild birds were heading.
I remember watching that lovely film, The Snow Goose, starring Richard Harris and Jenny Agutter. Made in 1971, it was based on a short story written by Paul Gallico in 1940 about an aging artist leading a solitary life as a lighthouse keeper who ends up helping a young orphan girl care for a wounded snow goose. Beautifully filmed, it won a Golden Globe and has stayed with me – as has the 1996 film Fly Away Home. Based on a true story – hankies a must – it is about a father and daughter who bond in the quest to teach ‘their’ wild geese to follow an ultralight plane so that they may be shown their migratory route. A family film of the kind no longer made, it touches the heart and the cinematography is second to none. My two loved it, as children. Twenty-two years ago, a gentler world doing just fine without driverless taxis, robots and, not forgetting, the indispensable suitcase capable of owner recognition …
Remember, Trish-Trash is nothing more than a licence to write about anything and everything!
Let me leave you with a quote from a lady who means a lot to us – and who spoke a lot of sense …
‘If I’m honest, I have to tell you I still read fairy tales and I like them best of all.’
Courtesy of the inimitable Audrey Hepburn.
This is Trish signing off.
