1 EAGLETON NOTES: Thankful Thursday: Work

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Saturday 24 December 2016

Thankful Thursday: Work

Okay it's no longer Thursday and I don't work (for a living) any more. However I thought of this post yesterday (which was Thursday when I started this post) and was working (though not for a living) all week at my son and daughter-in-law's house to be (which is now almost ready for habitation) together with my son and various tradesmen. 

One of the things about working with other people is that BBC Radio 2 seems to be the default acceptable radio programme of choice (for non-UK residents Radio 2 is a popular light mixture of music and chat). One of the presenters is Jeremy Vine. So far as I can gather he indulges in a sort of pop journalism. Until last Thursday the words he had uttered had passed over or through my head without any of them stopping. On Thursday the subject of internet availability arose and my ears pricked up. The Government is to pump another couple of hundred million £s into making fast broadband available in remoter areas. Apparently I now have what BT regards as superfast broadband (If I'm lucky I have 2.5MbPS which is half of what I learned Netflix regards as needed for to watch a movie) so this is a subject close to my heart. 

And then the words that will forever lead to me holding the aforementioned Mr Vine in contempt. Paraphrased "If you live in a remote area why would you want or should you have broadband internet anyway. I thought the whole reason for living in a remote area was to get away from such things." Now I am realistic enough to know that he was being deliberately provocative but he carried on espousing that line of thought until I eventually went to work out of earshot. 

Then it occurred to me that there are probably millions of people in Watford who now believe that philosophy and will vote for independence from the Remote Areas thus ridding themselves of expensive members of the population who are such a drain on their taxes. Mind you we'd probably end up in the urban areas taking their jobs.

Happy Christmas.

23 comments:

  1. Happy Christmas Sir. Super super fast ver broadishband over here in Tolsta :-)

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    1. Andrea according to BT we now have superfast broadband. The green fibre optic box is in Lower Bayble. My spped has risen from a lowly .96 to 2.5MbPS. Such is progress. The engineers who have visited say that I should get about 8MbPS but no one here in Eagleton or Lower Bayble that I know is getting anywhere near that.

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  2. May I suggest that your son listens to LBC instead. It is provocative talk radio that invites listeners to call in with opinions. You need a very solid, shock-proof, radio, as things will probably be thrown at it on multiple occasions. Have a good day, Cro.

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    1. Cro Radio 2 is not my nor my son's station of choice but when there are many people around it seems to gravitate to that station.

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  3. When I iron, I go to BBC Radio 4's website and choose an episode from "In Our Time" or something like that to listen to. But when in the car with O.K. and sometimes on Sunday mornings in his kitchen over coffee, we listen to a local station and hear something of jaw-dropping or at least eyebrow-raising quality.

    Now, indeed, Graham, why would you of all people want superfast broadband? You have clean air, great skies, no noisy neighbours and you have just admitted that you do not work (for a living) - what more could you possibly want from life?! ;-)

    Merry Christmas to you and whoever you'll be celebrating with!

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    1. Meike when I iron I listen to music (or 'watch' a grand prix if one is available). Mahler and Mozart or a good opera are contenders. What more could I possibly want from life? When one lives in such a remote location or when one lives alone communications become so much more important. Particularly with friends in Blogland 😊

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    2. Here here. Broadband is expensive and 2MPS is fast. It is Valium or Viagra for the masses. it stops them revolting.
      Graham real men don't iron. Ladies do that for you if they are bothered enough.

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    3. Good to see that you are still on form Adrian!

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  4. I listen to the radio quite a lot when doing things in the kitchen. Usually to the Swedish P1 station though, which is mostly "serious talking" ... News and reports and interviews and educational stuff etc. Not that they don't sometimes say stupid things there too! ;) I hope there will be smarter people than that radio host in your goverment still, and that your broadband speed will keep improving.

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    1. Thank you Monica. I hope so too but I'm not holding my breath.

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  5. The UK is pretty badly served with broadband generally and not just on the Scottish islands. It makes such a difference to be in a country where it is good. Sometimes in London it's not even that good believe it or not, because too many people are trying to use it at certain times, I believe.

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    1. Yes Jenny we are really going to have to pull our socks up to compete in the current world. London is way behind many of the European capitals when it comes to broadband speed and coverage. Unfortunately the way things are going it will not be possible to do many things both recreational and business without good broadband connection and speed.

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  6. We have the same problems here.

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  7. I should add that since I wrote this post my speed has dropped to .69 and BT tell me this is higher than that to which I am contracted (for the same price as someone getting 80MbPS and despite having fibre brought to our local green box).

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  8. Jeremy Vine was like a vine climbing up the walls of your natural placidity. He was born and raised in Epsom, Surrey so has little conception of reality. By the way, just before Christmas I was in a hotel in Boreham Wood, Hertfordshire. The internet/wifi was so speedy there that I zipped around like Billy Whizz. No waiting for anything. Quite amazing really.

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  9. A very happy 2017, blog- and otherwise, to you, Graham. I had an epiphany of sorts whilst reading your reply above to Meike, and I hereby resolve -- although I am not one who normally makes resolutions -- to visit your blog more often and leave more comments during the coming twelve-month period in an attempt not only to alleviate my guilt for my failure in that area heretofore but also to help make your life more bearable in that lonely, remote, isolated location. I wish you increased bandwidth too, although even writing such a phrase causes me to blush with embarrassment. Euphemisms R Us.

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    1. Thank you for your good wishes Bob. I must make a resolution to visit my blog more often too. I seem to have been so busy living in the alternative world that is called the Real World recently that I have neglected Blogland.

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  10. HAPPY NEW YEAR GB!! I listen only to Sirius XM Radio (satellite - no adverts, no politics) or Pandora (I turn down the adverts, no politics) so it's all music, all the time. Here's hoping your speeds pick up soon, I know how frustrating tech problems can be...

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    1. Happy 2017 to you too Mrs S. Over Christmas my speed went down to 0.69 MbPS. After a 30 minute call to BT it is now back up to a dizzy 2.5 MbPS again. I generally listen to music too either from my own collection or on Spotify.

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  11. Happy Christmas Graham! I hope you had a good one and we appreciated your beautiful card too. When I get over this flu I will be catching up on writing letters.

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    1. Thank you Jenny. I've been spending part the last few days writing letters. I enjoy it (when I'm in the right mood).

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