I wasn't going to write today but something popped up after a discussion. Really to do with our changing viewing habits. I am not a great television watcher but like to watch the older dramas featured on the BBC and ITVX.
I have just been watching Kate Jackson's (Last Homely House) tour round Heddon Hall's dahlia plants, though no chrysanthemums. I just love these two species the chrysanthemums reminds me of childhood, their great mops of head in the cool colours of Autumn and that faraway smell. The dahlias on the other hand have so much more colour and difference, from the single petalled to the quilled or pom-pom.
Well I pay for Kate's special videos, and a couple of others. I also pay the TV licence though my daughter pays one for the house so I really don't need to. She thinks I am silly to do this but the radio has been a companion all through my life, I feel that I am supporting this institution and should the Conservatives moan for privatisation - sod that.
But there is another world out there, podcasts for a start, people chattering away in a polite and courteous way to the camera on their computers. The young less polite but zealous in their fury as to the likes of Trump for instance.
You have to find the middle road, for instance also listened to Rory Stewart and Alistair Campbell this morning discussing Argentina's new person in charge and then the Israel/Lebanon wretched news and where it all might lead.
I have thought that should I have been caught up in any war then I would be a pacifist and go to jail for my belief that killing others is an unconscionable act, and yes, I do know the counter arguments.
Off again of what I was thinking.....
What we discussed last night was the pay wall, that is starting to appear more and more. At first it starts with a coffee and then goes on to a monthly donation. Some people even put their Amazon wish list on as well. And sometimes they get what they have asked for. A drone for instance to the two young people who are living a 'self-sufficient' life on a Scottish Island. Brave young faces set out to that mythical land where you can grown all you need and be self-sufficient but it never quite pans out as they drive off down to the nearest supermarket. But I suppose it is an experience ;)
And who is the Bishop of Llandaff? a dahlia I have never owned but would have liked to, it has dark beautiful leaves topped by a fiery red flower.
I watch TV in the evenings from about 6:30 to 9 pm. I'm happy to also have Netflix and MAX so if there is nothing I want to watch on my regular channels I can search there. I haven't watched or listened to podcasts yet.
ReplyDeleteI Googled the Bishop of Llandaff and it is a lovely flower. I should plant some dahlias!
Dahlias are bright uncomplicated flowers Ellen, though they need some support in windy weather. My daughter listens to 'Desert Island Discs'. I don't know if you know the programme but you have to choose 8 different pieces of music if you were marooned on a desert island.
DeleteI also watched Kate's tour of Heddon Hall, and like you, am subscribed as a patreon. Kate's videos have inspired me to pick up and finish several quilt projects that had been languishing. I give her credit for the business savvy that has tapped into a you tube presence. She has created a niche that appeals to many. I do note that her channel is said to be mainly supported by 'women of a certain age.' So be it!
ReplyDeleteI suppose some would label following this sort of 'homely' lifestyle as an escape from reality. We have to live with a great many political and economic trends over which we have little control [choosing to vote between the only unfortunate choices available?] I'm all for encouraging a frugal and creative way of living in so far as possible with our individual set of skills and place of residence.
Yes Sharon, Kate's Last Homely House' is a bit of an escapee video, the family appear and her children are also contributing to the filming I suppose our subscriptions pay the way somewhat. Could it be that we are looking for something like 'Little House on the Prairie', Kate's lifestyle looks almost too comfortable. But her quilting, she must spend a fortune on materials by the way, is very useful.
DeleteFrugality is somewhat lacking in the generations that have succeeded us, full supermarkets with nearly everything under the sun keeps everyone happy.
I had a Bishop of Llandaff in the garden at Ynyswen and it was a stunner, but sadly succumbed to slugs . . . I have the delights of the Last Homely House Crystanthemum celebration yet to watch. It is early days in Reduced Circumstances so any treats are on a one-off basis and not any subscription (bar the bargain reduced price Audible one for the moment). I have to say when I am lonely I watch Kate - it is almost like I am in the room with her and I find her chats very soothing and like Sharon, am inspired to work on unfinished quilts. She cheers me up no end.
ReplyDeleteI have always been self reliant rather than self-sufficient - the latter always seemed an impossible dream and on a dreich Scottish island, difficult to achieve. I watched a programme about a couple who moved from Oxford to Pembrokeshire to be nearer his parents and live in a remote spot. It sounded like the wife found it very difficult being isolated . . .
The Bishop was very popular for a time, sad that the slugs got it Jennie. I think you will find your Reduced Circumstances not as reduced as some others;) But don't starve yourself please. It is true Kate is a very cheerful person and her way of talking to the screen is so different to normal commercialised television.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how self sufficiency has developed into tucking away oneself in the middle of nowhere but also having the wherewithal to support it. I am missing homemade jams and have only just found Bramley apples at Lidl but we do have organic boxes of vegetables but you have to carry them home!
It is a very simple flower, isn't it? But the color really is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteKate's got such a contented pleasant voice. I think that even listening to her read the instructions from a tube of toothpaste would be quite soothing.
Think I first fell in love with the name Debby and then started to appreciate the plant. I think she was a teacher before she retired and so has a very easy manner.
ReplyDelete