Friday 22 February 2008

Noisy workmen

How come some smells remind you of an experience you have had?

It is something about the scent that triggers a memory, or an emotion you have felt.

If it is a sunny day in England, and I put suncream on my face, then I am often reminded of beaches and summer holidays. I may have been thinking about something else at the time, but the smell triggers a recollection into my thoughts from my subconscious.

Some detergents will also remind me of a visit to hospital.

I don’t why this should happen, it must be the smell that stimulates the memory.

Meanwhile, how is it that workmen always start doing noisy digging or building jobs at 8am, while I am trying to have a sleep in during my holidays. It must be bad luck.

Either it is someone digging up the road, or someone taking down scaffolding nearby.

Finally, which clever people do the scheduling for BBC and ITV.

Most nights the programmes on the box are pedestrian, but on Thursday night at 9pm there is Ashes to Ashes on BBC 1, while on ITV there is Trial and Retribution.

Shouldn’t these two good programmes be put on at different days, so we can have something good to watch on Wednesday night, for example as well as Thursday.

I know most people have videos, but whenever I record something on video I never end up watching it, either I can’t find the video, or I can’t find the right spot on the tape.

Thursday 14 February 2008

Having a laugh

I was in town last week looking for a birthday card for a relative.

How come no matter how hard you try, it always takes ages to find a suitable card for someone?

It normally takes me at least 5-10 minutes to choose a card, and I normally end up looking at about six before I find the right one.

I think it is very easy to offend someone by buying them the wrong card.

Anyway aren’t people who laugh out loud in shops at the jokes on cards annoying.

While I was deliberating on which card to buy, there were two people nearby in fits of laughter at some of the cards on offer.

Ok some cards are funny, but not so funny you are left in hysterics.

I could even hear their laughter when I was queuing to buy my card on the other side of the shop. I would have loved to see what card they were looking at.

Meanwhile, I had pancakes last Thursday, because I was out on Shrove Tuesday.

They are very simple to make, and a bit of sugar and lemon juice makes them very tasty. Last time I went to France I had crepes and they are even better, especially chocolate crepes.

Finally can Tiger Woods win all four majors this year? He is said to like the four courses where golf’s biggest tournaments are being held. The last time The Open was at Royal Birkdale, he was one shot off the winner, Mark O’Meara.

Thursday 7 February 2008

Grange Hill axed

WHAT a shame the BBC have axed Grange Hill after 30 years.

When I was at school, it was one of my favourite TV programmes.

Along with Blue Peter, John Craven’s Newsround and Neighbours, Grange Hill was a show that children would watch after returning from school.

I think it was on a Tuesday and Thursday, and your parents would let you watch it, but you knew they did not like it.

I can still remember the cartoon strip opening sequences, and theme music - even now.

The show had some great characters and gritty storylines. Among the ones that spring to mind was the storyline involving Zammo and Jackie, and Zammo’s heroin addiction.

Didn’t the cast release a single in the 1980s called Just Say No? And I am sure they got to meet American president, Ronald Reagan.

Another character I can remember was deputy head Mr Bronson, the disciplinarian teacher who was constantly telling pupils off. Wasn’t his most famous saying, “you boy,”? I am sure everyone had similar teachers at their school. I know I did.

Mrs McCluskey was headteacher when I watched Grange Hill. She was fair, although she would be strict on those pupils who did wrong.

When Neighbours started it might have been more popular, it offered pure escapism in sunny Australia. But Grange Hill seemed to be more realistic. The script writers were dealing with issues that were also hitting the news.

But as I got older, the programme did not seem as relevant, and I stopped watching it.

Tuesday 5 February 2008

Queues

HOW is it that when are in a rush there is always a queue at the nearest cash point.

And when you have loads of time to spare there is no queue for a cash machine.

Last week, I had to be somewhere in the evening and went to the village to get some money out.

Unfortunately there were three people in front of me at the machine outside the bank.

Why do some people spend ages at the cash point?

Either they spend ages typing their code in or they take forever to decide how much money they want to take out.

Surely taking money out of the hole in the wall should be a simple operation, taking a couple of minutes at the very least.

Also when there is a queue, it always seems to be raining. Why are there not shelters at cash points?

Meanwhile I enjoyed watching the Australian Open tennis on BBC interactive. It is good to see that during a cold January day there was somewhere sunny, albeit on the over side of the world.

I didn’t realise the tournament was on the BBC, they hadn’t advertised it anywhere, so I missed the first week.

It was an interesting tournament, with some shock results, such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both losing in the semi-final.

Finally one lucky winner took last Saturday’s triple rollover, the first of the year. Unfortunately it wasn’t me. Despite all the lottery draws over the years, I don’t know anyone who has won a big prize.