At this time of the year we rediscover once again the joys of TV...
In fact I've put in a small note on my phone which ones to look out for.
There's the Apprentice on BBC1, Big Dreams, Small Spaces on BBC2 which will air everyday this week. Then there's the new season of Walking Dead on Fox TV, as well as American Horror Story whose previous season will also be available on Netflix sometime next week (mmmm marathon!).
Speaking of Netflix we have seen some of their new fabulous autumn film offerings like Skyfall (shame my favourite Bond girl had to die), Hunger Games: Catching Fire (which I must have seen six to seven times before on Blu-ray, still love it though!), and Nymphomaniac Volume 1 and 2 (an excellent, poignant film of an acquired taste, that despite its generous showing of graphic sex scenes it is far from titillating as it is to show the psyche behind the behaviour, and is definitely not a feel good film). Hopefully season two of Bates Motel will be available here soon too.
Oh and if we miss something (we don't just sit around after work, we do other things too...) there are always the catch up channels, digital box recording, as well as online streaming wherein you can access past episodes on demand via apps on smart TV.
Ahh don't you just love technology! And I still remember family time in my youth huddled together watching the same program on black and white TV...
So do I have enough on our must watch list? Not at all. Then there are loads of 'property porn' programmes to look forward to (interiors, designs and house building), as well as historical and documentary ones.
I think I may have elaborated enough already of some of the things we look forward to as we rediscover once again the joys of TV. But what has it got to do with gardening?
This week will be the last week wherein we'll get the chance to see the garden after work with some daylight still available even for only a short amount of time. Next weekend our clocks go backwards by an hour. Yes we gain an hour over the weekend but it also means from then onwards it will be dark already by the time we get back home from work.
Darkness, not conducive to spending time in the garden let alone take pictures.
In the spring and summer the television becomes neglected in our household, almost abandoned except perhaps for the ten o'clock news as we spend most of our free time outside, in the garden or somewhere else. But come autumn and winter the sense of hibernation sets in and warm re-acquaintance with indoor pursuits like watching TV amongst others takes over again. Activity snobs may say such a preoccupation is an unsophisticated and mostly brainless pursuit but my answer to that is, we work hard and twist our brains for most of the day like a lot of people do and surely a bit of untwisting afterwards wouldn't do any harm. Even if it's just 'watching TV'.
This is how we cycle our activities. There is always something to look forward to for every season. No time to mope during the colder months with so many other things to look forward to and be distracted with.
We do also know that this seasonal infatuation with the gogglebox will be short lived. Come early next year it's likely that we'll find Walking Dead drab and depressing and not watch the latter episodes until the season finale. Interest in American Horror Story is likely to linger. Patronage of property porn shows are likely to persist although they may start to fade later on into just becoming a background noise in the house as we think about and plan for the coming growing season ahead. Then later a new cycle begins as we abandon the TV all over again...
Although before we do that, for a few moments and something to look forward to early next year, we may see something very familiar on our screen. Familiar faces staring back at us from the screen, in a place that is also very familiar to us too. And a reminder how fabulous last summer was ;)
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
It seems that these days there are as many great TV shows and movies as there are plants to covet, with the same restrictions: you can't watch/plant them all!
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky enough to work at home so I can get a dose of the daylight garden when needed.
Lucky you Alan :) on the odd days though that either of us get to go home early then we get see the garden weekdays with daylight still around, precious moments
DeleteOoh! The fuchsia-like flower after "mmm, marathon!" What is it, please? Your Fatsia 'Spiderweb' looks lovely, too. None of the uneven breaking up and clumping of the fine "webbing" I've seen on others.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy my TV shows. I watch Bones, Castle, Doctor Who, Sherlock (all 3 episodes per season), Agents of Shield, and others. I'm really enjoying the new show, Gotham, on Fox. I also love "property porn" shows, as you call them. I especially enjoy Love it or List it and Property Brothers. I enjoy the banter as much as watching the remodeling. I do have to limit myself, though. I find I feel much better if I limit myself to one show per night and do other things (blogging, reading a novel, reading other blogs, etc.) for the rest of the evening.
One advantage of my new work schedule 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. is that even after the time change I'll still have a bit of light after work. I don't have a garden outside, but it does give me some time to walk in the park. I had no idea that Britain changed time, too.
Nice selection of shows there Evan, and thanks for reminding us of Bones too, we've seen most of the older series but the last two ones we haven't yet so better keep an eye on them. Wish they would show more American property porn here, we enjoyed them when they used to show lots of it on cable but recently there weren't much (I suspect they will come back again).
DeleteThe plant is Fuchsia boliviana 'Alba' :)
Thanks for the plant ID! I could have sworn I've seen that one before, but I may be thinking of Fuchsia triphylla. Fuchsia boliviana 'Alba' is lovely.
DeleteHa, I'm such a TV addict. I envy a little bit Loree's inability to sit and watch TV.
Are you going to be on tv? :)
ReplyDeleteI unashamedly love unwinding in front of my favourite tv shows after a day at work.
Maybe Amy :) winding down after a hard day's work does sound and feels blissful sometimes
DeleteYour time change occurs before ours - we turn back the clocks on November 2nd - but the days already feel too short. BBC offers garden-focused shows too, doesn't it? Our garden TV shows have just about disappeared so I watch the British garden shows available on YouTube. As for regular TV, my husband and I record almost everything now so we can fast-forward through commercials and watch what we want when we want...
ReplyDeleteThat's the good thing about pre recorded shows Kris, you can fast forward skipping the adverts on to the show itself, saves time too. With some of the TV apps though they are getting clever and almost forcing you to watch the adverts first...
DeleteBBC has been good with keeping some of the gardening shows going although in the last couple of years or so it almost went bare minimum with Gardener's World the only one going for awhile. More and more seems to be creeping up again which is good :)
Ah the joys of relaxing in front of the T.V. and letting your mind rest! Enjoy yourselves, gents!
ReplyDeleteWill do Peter, lots and lots of it :) might snack on popcorn too whilst doing so every so often...
DeleteYou guys crack me up, "property porn" - ha! We don't watch much TV, just one night a week for whatever is in our Netflix queue. We just finished House of Cards, the second season, I guess it's an American remake of one of yours? We need to get started on the new Walking Dead season.
ReplyDeleteThe first truly grey and rainy day I sat down to see what I could find from the BBC selections on YouTube and started to watch "Around the World in 80 Gardens" then I got distracted and didn't make it back to watch the rest. I'm no good at TV! Of course I will be watching (assuming we can, over here) when those familiar faces and places turn up. Please give us plenty of notice and links.
I remember you telling us before Loree that you guys don't watch much TV but your other pursuits sounds far more interesting though :) The Around the World series was good and every so often we still revisit it although if we do we usually get distracted toward the end part of it. You guys should watch Walking Dead soon, the first episode was brilliant (hopefully they'll sustain that momentum...).
DeleteWill look more into House of Cards...
I had forgotten about the clocks! Thanks for the reminder (although I am now less happy than I was 5 minutes ago!) I keep putting tellies everywhere.... one in the kitchen to encourage the kids to stack the dishwasher (ha!)... one in the utility room to inspire me to become a domestic goddess (some hope). So far the only one I watch is the one I can see from my bath. There aren't many gardening presenters I haven't taken a bath with.
ReplyDeleteYour comment made me laugh Sarah! We have TV everywhere too but sadly none anywhere near the bath :)
DeleteI do not have your problem of not having enough day light hours unless I get up very late and I sympathise with your busy work schedule. I try to do a bit of gardening everyday but admit I do watch more telly in winter. Your viewing habits are questionable but I admire your candour :-) xx
ReplyDeleteWe have fine taste in tv shows Don, lol! ;)
DeleteOne of the joys of being a lady of leisure now is that I do get to see the garden in daylight hours over the winter months :) Having said that the weather doesn't always play so time to catch up with all the programmes I wanted to see when the weather was too good to be sat indoors watching television. I also read much more. Hope you enjoy your autumn/winter viewing guys.
ReplyDeleteNice days during the winter still has got so much to offer when it comes to gardening Anna, and great to hear the shorter days are not so much of an issue for you now. Reading books will be interspersed with watching TV here :)
DeleteWe all have a cycle, don´t we? not only our plants :) watching series, movies and documentaries is great when it´s cold and dark outside...so comfy :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed Lisa :) snuggled up, comfy, and not thinking much, nice!
DeleteThe juxtaposition of all those great garden shots against a listing of TV shows to look forward to was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that Ricki! I thought plant pics would be better than screenshots of those shows :)
DeleteWe watch much of the same shows. Coincidence?!? The Walking Dead started out with a bang--it might become the best season yet. I haven't finished season 2 of American Horror Story yet but season 3 looks to be even better.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, there are virtually no gardening shows on TV right now. Just an endless procession of design shows, most of them dull as leftover meatloaf.
We have another two weeks of daylight savings time, but even with that it's getting dark too early for my taste.
Great minds think alike Gerhard :)) Season 2 of AHS was great! And just saw the second episode of new Walking Dead, oh dear!! And so far they're on the right track.
DeleteEnjoy those two weeks, and I'm sure all of us will eventually get used to early onset of nights but there's the longer daylight next year to look forward to at least :)
After episode 2 of The Walking Dead, I'll never look at barbecued meat the same way again.
DeleteHi Mark, glad to see a portion of your house, and i love the space saving style of your TV. It is again time for me to feel "sayang" about your plants that will again succumb to winter. They may look so beautiful these days, but parting for me is always sad.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea :) most of those plants will be back next year though when it gets warmer again.
DeleteHey I watch the Walking Dead and love American Horror Story. Been watching since the beginning. On Sunday's my son and his friends come over and we watch whatever premium channel show is on at the time. Now it's the Walking Dead and Homeland. So fun!
ReplyDeleteThey are aren't they Candice? Nice preoccupation, even distraction during the winter months :)
DeleteA fine meditation on the change of seasons. Your bright white sun room must be mood-lifting during a stretch of gloomy grey weather.
ReplyDeleteHere we are just finished with our weather-induced incarceration--it's finally cooled off!
It is Gail, the bright/white was scheme was actually a response to winter seeming as most of the time it's gloomy outside here during the colder months. Glad to hear you guys finally get a respite from the heat wave :)
DeleteWas there a tantalising hint that we may see you on tv at some point ? That would be something! I agree with you about finding things to look forward to in every season. Autumn and winter mean candles and log fires and just being soon cosy ! I hate not being able to get outside but I quite enjoy making a warm little nest to hibernate in !!
ReplyDeleteWe do miss the longer days Jane when there's still a decent amount of time we can spend outdoors after work. But being cosy and warm and relaxing indoors doesn't sound too bad either :)
DeleteI love the way you are so positive about winter, and turning what could be seen as 'deprivation' of being outside in the garden into a nice cosy indoor time to look forward to. I still have your saying from last year, 'Life is too short to leave gaps in your enjoyment calendar,' up on my wall!
ReplyDeleteMy bestest favouritest TV programme has just started again this evening - The Big Bang Theory! :))
That's so cool to know Ingrid! Thank you and feel honored :))
DeleteP.S. If that was a hint that you are going to be on TV - do let us know in plenty of time!!
ReplyDeleteWill do!
DeleteLove that space! Can I move in with you guys???
ReplyDeleteI pondered the idea of doing without a telly a while back - thank goodness didn't follow through on that though! As the evenings get darker and chillier, cozy blankets appear on the sofa, the Tivo box records my favourites (loving Grantchester, Blue Murder and Scott and Bailey at the mo) and eventually the crochet will come out as well! I'm rather looking forward to it but only because I can still get out during the day, for a walk if not a spot of gardening.
ReplyDeleteLove the Fuchsia boliviana and also the new Mahonia - forgotten its name! Forget TV - we don't have live TV here in the USA - just download a few favorite programs - wouldn't miss Downton Abbey!
ReplyDeleteUsually our TV just collects dust, but lately I've been watching back to back reruns of Modern Family, which is perfectly timed for me to come home from work and crash on the couch. So silly, but it makes me laugh! Other than that, I'm looking forward to binging on one or two of the many good TV series I've missed over the years - plenty of goodies to choose from! Yes - please give us a heads-up when you're on!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! Looking forward to seeing you and your lovely garden. Personally, I prefer the warmer months too, but the idea of a good book in front of a warm fire appeals to my lazy side!
ReplyDelete