In 1965, my neighbour bought his first TV. Until then, he had been blisfully unaware of the countless friends that he had: long lost friends, friends of his youth, old school pals…
They would go out of their way to bump into him on the street and then make as if it was a perchance encounter.
“Fancy you meeting you, George! It’s been so long”. They would at first inquire about his health and then boldly say : “You’ve bought a TV, I see”. Well, the trouble with television is that it proudly advertises itself from your rooftop!
They would flock into his living room to pay him a friendly call, and once they were snugly seated in front of his TV he was simply ignored. Once, someone complained that the reception was not very good, and asked in a petulant tone if he could do something about it!
When there was a football match, he could hardly breathe for they would flock in – reinforced by their sporting friends. “Ton George won’t mind, he’s such a nice fellow!” Indeed, Ton George soon found himself relegated to a stool on his doorstep where, for all his neck’s craning, he could barely catch a sight of the screen. Once, he tried to say something but was unceremoniously silenced with a disapproving “Shhh!”
This was the straw that broke the camel’s back and he decided it was time to act. And so when the next big match came (Manchester United v/s Benefica), he quietly slipped out and went to the pictures!
2 Comments
February 25, 2008 at 8:54 am
Hi,
Just found this post ‘by accident’ and it was really fun to read
The first TV-sets were really something
Before that it was the radio… My parents tell me about the time when people gathered at a ’special’ neighbour’s home to listen to the radio a few decades ago.
Just a remark, could it be Manchester United vs Benfica?
October 11, 2008 at 4:40 am
Hello.
Watched attentively by big sisters Maud and Leah the newest member of the Norwegian royal family has been captured in homely shots used by proud parents Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her husband Ari Behn to introduce her to the world.
Bye.