My Sunday's always used to be punctuated by listening to The Archers Omnibus at 10 am on Radio 4. But I'm aware over the last quite a long time this hasn't happened. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's the self-indulgence I have of a predilection for staying in bed whilst listening for a full one and a quarter hours, or maybe I just haven't had the time. Well today I thought that would be redressed and, while Mountain Man went off on a Borders Search and Rescue exercise, I put the radio on, but instead of staying in my pit, I got the ironing board out and 'enjoyed' some domestic bliss.
I've been listening to The Archers for my whole life. I'm not sure that my mother listened to the pilot series, put out in May 1950, but I know she has listened since it went to a 5 day format in January 1951, a whole year before I was born, so I have a feeling I've probably been listening to The Archers since my inception. I used to listen daily, but when the Beeb changed the time so that it came on at 2 pm instead of during my lunchtime (at some point many, many years ago), I began listening to the Sunday Omnibus.
What is great about The Archers is if I don't listen for a while and then I do, it's like I've never been away. I went off to the States in the mid 1970's for 4 years and never listened once, then turned the radio on on my return, and all the characters were still there, doing what they do. Of course there are new ones every now and again, but it's so easy to pick up again. Real easy listening!
It certainly helps with domestic chores too, just something about it's undemandingness I think, so the fight with the sleeves of a particularly interestingly designed shirt, seemed to wash over me no problem.
The only one who was slightly freaked out by this activity was the dog, who looked up in complete disbelief when I trotted off downstairs armed with the iron. And then the look I got when I got back upstairs with the ironing complete was a picture... that Nell does laconic particularly well. Her Sunday ritual... well ok her every single day ritual... of going straight back to sleep as soon as she can, resumed pdq.
Of course, now I'm imagining what's going through Mountain Man's head as he reads this: Got out of bed before 10 on a Sunday? You? Really?... Ironing? No, I'm sorry, I absolutely can't believe that one. The sooner we get back to our 'normal' Sunday ritual the better.
And you know what? I think I agree with him!
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