2020 meet 1960s
Why did I ever change to Sky Q Box I grumbled when it dawned on me that it wasn’t going to work in my mobile home in Co Donegal No Sky; no On Demand, no Sky Cinema no Netflicks, no Catch Up.
How could I survive without the choice of films, box sets and documentaries to choose from?
Quick as a flash my thoughts took wings and transported me back to the 60’s. I began to think how much televisions and technology has changed since the days when we were first married.
After my husband Fran and I married we lived happily for four year with my mother-in-law Rose Ann in Fountain Park a short few miles from Ligfordrum and the TV Mast which had been set up in 1963. Now, living that close you’d think we’d have a brilliant reception.
A small temperamental black and white telly not much bigger than a present day Notebook or iPad sat in the corner of my mother-in-law’s living room. When the television was in a good mood we had the choice of two cloudy channels – BBC1 or Ulster Television. A roof aerial gave a better picture but money was in short supply then just as it is now.
In those days it wasn’t called being in a recession. It was called living in a high unemployment area and being poor. The question of fitting a roof aerial to the side of the chimney so we could get a better picture was as wished for as the top brand of Smart Television is now but alas, the cheaper option, a three pronged hand aerial was what we had. It sat on top of the telly its wire wings spread out, like a bird about to take flight.
Mary, lovingly polished the telly every day in case the dust from dirty coal or a blow-down from the open fire affected it from performing when it came time to make a well-earned cuppa, sit down, puff on her one pleasure – a fag – and tune in to her favourite programme, however grainy or grey the picture was.
An old neighbour watching the sun glinting of a sparkling new roof aerial being fitted further down the Spout Road remarked wistfully one day, “Very nice but ye have to cut your cloth accordin’ to yer pocket.”
If you had told her there would come a time when houses would have 60 inch tellies: and there would be a Sky dish on the gavel of houses that looked like something out of a science fiction story she’d have said it was as unthinkable as a telephone small enough to fit in your pocket.
On the nights Peyton Place, an American Soap was showing the four women in the house – the mother-in-law, the new bride, the daughter and the aunt – always booked their viewing slot in advance. Heart stopping romantic and tragic moments were lived with the actresses and actors; cherished, discussed and dwelled on as Rodney and Betty fell in and out of love and we waited with bated breath in anticipation of the next episode with as much heart throbbing excitement as if the stars were actually there, in the living room in person.
Ah as they say, those were the days when we were easier pleased.
And then, years later, when we got the big telly and the aerial on the roof what happened.” Analogue TV was replaced by digital viewing.
Overnight it seemed our old tellies were debunked. The old tellies with the fat back lay gathering dust discarded, unwanted – no use to man or beast while every room in the house seemed to have a flat screen.
. We nodded; our eyes glazing over as techno language orientated salesman reeled off instructions on how to get On Demand, HD, and Sky Plus and on and on
Taking on our new digital telly was almost as traumatic as bringing our first baby home. We knew about as much about this new-fangled telly as we had about looking after our first child.
But that’s not the end of the story. Oh no! Enjoying some quality time with my youngest granddaughter Cara, aged four, brought me bang up to date with my new telly and smack bang into the techno driven 21st century!
“. Pause it while I get a drink,” she instructed.
“You can’t do that, darling. Hurry back. I’ll tell you what happened,” I said
Picking up the remote control she pointed it at the telly. And hey presto! The film stilled. “See? Nana, you can,” she said airily. I sat there mesmerised. Drink of juice in hand she pressed the button again and the film picked up where it had left off.
Looking down at her I thought about our first telly wither great grandmother Rose Ann in Fountain park with its flickering and blurry images and I sent up a thankful prayer for signals and satellites and cyber space and all the other things that make my new telly work
But I was also filled with a kind of sadness for the loss of the companionship we shared as a family all those years ago when we only had one telly and we all sat together companionably in each other’s company..
Gemma Hill copyright
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