Run for the hills: ...and then there were 127...

Friday, 5 March 2010

...and then there were 127...

At various points I've noted that we only get 4 TV channels, and I've also noted how the satellite dish sings and hums in the wind. We've been getting interruptions in reception - including a little on screen message telling us we'll be losing all TV come June 3rd.

And then the kettle broke up at the croft. Jussi needs warm water to clean the milking machine - so I was heading for the electrical store in Thurso - via the bank that sets up in the village library on Friday mornings.

Mmmm satellite dish.

So I bought a Freesat box. Now we've got 127 channels - including radio - but even that is exciting cos we don't get radio reception in the cottage. And the picture is wonderful.

Why didn't we do this months ago?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...: 'cos even though you have 127 channels, there is still nothing worth watching. You don't need telly. For the very, very occasional thing that is worth watching you can watch on computer. Ditch the TV and get your life back!; 5 March 2010 at 17:11
The Speaking Goat said...: Excellent comment! Shame you had to hide behind anonymity.

What woudl 'get your life back' mean to you I wonder?; 5 March 2010 at 17:13
townmouse said...: Yay. But you've missed the winter olympics...; 5 March 2010 at 19:52
Eileen J said...: just don't get seduced by Dave ! Very addictive viewing; 5 March 2010 at 23:22
The Speaking Goat said...: Oh yes - the winter olympics - that there red button would have enabled us to avoid all the disgusting syrup surrounding Amy Williams - and to see the Nordic skiiing events - Jussi's favourite.

We don't get Dave!!!! Not sure how I would have coped with all those Top Gear repeats anyway...; 6 March 2010 at 11:25
Anonymous said...: I apologise for offending you with my anonymous comment (above). I certainly never meant it to sound offensive, but that just shows that its not a good idea to send glib comments to people one doesn't know - it's impossible to judge how it might be received.
As I don't have a google account or url I had to choose the anonymous option in your comments. I thought it would be pointless to give you my name, as you don't know me from Adam. However, I now see that 'hiding' behind anonymity only makes my comment seem even worse. I hope you will accept my apology and accept that it was a genuine mistake by someone who is not quite on top of blog etiquette.
I shall now go back to lurking silently and keep my comments to myself. signed Margaret.; 7 March 2010 at 17:58
KitYule said...: I liked your anonymous call to all couch potatoes.; 8 March 2010 at 12:22
The Speaking Goat said...: Thanks Margaret. I don't think an apology was needed - I really wasn't upset by your comment and like Kit appreciated your call to couch potatoes.; 9 March 2010 at 09:16
Freesat Fan said...: Hi, I've got a Freesat HDTV and the picture quality is great even if as someone said there's nothing decent on!; 9 March 2010 at 12:40

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Where I"m coming from - !CAUTION! a bit of a polemic

Firstly, there is nothing more important than me and my family. The most precious thing I can give them (including me) is time. In my job, with all it's pressures, I singularly failed to do this. So we run for the hills and try to redress the balance.

Secondly, climate change is happening. It's a cataclysm, the scope of which is beyond our comprehension. This is why we are doing so little to stop it - we just cant imagine the scale of the upheavals to come, and we can't imagine how we, as individuals, can stop it.

Everything is stacked against effective action. Our economy is driven by consumerism and it is consumerism that is driving climate change. Our political leaders are paralysed - to curb consumerism would cripple the economic engine. We increasingly define ourselves by our economic position and the things we buy. We are what we buy. What politician dare restrict our ability to buy, our ability to define ourselves? It would attack our very self and would be political suicide.

And anyway, the real power lies with money - and the people with money want us to consume and they spend millions every second of the day persuading us to consume more. What hope do we have against such power? And everything we buy pumps a little more CO2 into the atmosphere.

Thirdly, I am no saint. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to change my life for the benefit of myself, and, I hope, the planet. Ultimately my reasons for doing this are selfish, and although I'll do what I can to keep my carbon footprint low, I'll make many choices that are not so good for the planet. Like anyone, I can only voluntarily make changes to my life at the speed I can. I don't intend to beat myself up over this - I do intend to change faster than most.

Fourthly, there is hope. Our lust to consume is a very recent phenomena. Not so long ago we principally defined ourselves by our relationships with friends and family and place and we defined ourselves by our usefulness to society. I believe that climate change will force us out of consumerism, and in its place we will find those core values, and rediscover a sense of wellbeing that is so missing from our current fractured existence.

There are lots of examples where this is starting to happen. The transition town movement is one - people getting together and learning to appreciate the things and people around them. I played a small part in helping Sustaining Dunbar get off the ground. (http://edubuzz.org/blogs/sustainingdunbar/about-us) What I found there were people striving to build a positive and resilient future and there are transition towns popping up all over the place - a really positive movement. (find out more about transition towns)

Fifthly, At the end of the day it's all bollocks. So let's all go off and have some fun - it's the most important thing we can do - but let's just try to do it without killing the planet in the process.

Things I"m going to miss

Run for the hills

Friday, 5 March 2010

...and then there were 127...

9 comments:

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