Modern annoyances

 The internet and AI are useful and have become a modern necessity. It is difficult to know how we could manage without them. Yet there are aspects which are deeply irksome.

1) Being asked to review a delivery. A person walks up my short, front garden path and places a small package in a box marked "Parcels here". I am then asked to review this amazing achievement by rating the courier's manner, promptitude, courtesy etc. Mostly I have never seen him or her but I feel obliged to do the review so that they will keep their job or even get promotion. One day I'll be asked how kind they are to their great-aunt and I will find myself giving them 5 stars for looking after the old lady so compassionately.

2) Being offered services that I have not asked for. I make a simple Google enquiry about something and AI leaps in and asks me if I would like help exploring it further and in writing about it. If we all said we would, a whole ghastly, bland, unispeak language would take over the world and all quirky individuality would be lost. I make a point of looking for and pointing out a solecism in their use of words. I gather that AI uses a great deal of water and I deplore any unnecessary waste. Just give me the information I ask for and only that, I mumble. Even the BBC is joining this trend by suggesting that I might like to listen to mind-soothing, soupy music when all I want from Sounds is The Archers. The unctuously pseudo-helpful tone is so irritating that I am in need of my own calming remedies like a strong cup of tea. 

That's all for now but there will be more to come! Much more.

Mother, father and child.

 Have you heard those words recently or seen them written on social media? Or even read them in a solemn context such as a person writing about a funeral? 

Neither have I. They have been replaced by Mum (not always with a capital), Dad and kid. People talk about grieving for their mum or sending their kids to school. I know I am old-fashioned but I think it's a pity to lose the more formal tone entirely.  Let's keep the subtle distinctions of different registers. 

"Upset" and "incredibly"

 These two words have a profoundly disagreeable effect on me. "Upset" is a bland umbrella term used to mean anything from mildly bothered to deeply distressed. "Incredibly"denotes the exact opposite of what is meant: the speaker expects the listener to believe what s/he has just said cannot be believed. 

9:30 start

Sent from my iPhone

Warwick Castle - mixed reaction

This gives you some idea of the magnificence of Warwick Castle - and it is so rich in history. English Heritage? Yes but there is a burger tent in the Bailey plus intrusive music to distract the visitor. How can they destroy atmosphere in such a way? I know they need to keep up the revenue but surely the added entertainments could be outside the castle walls. So disappointing and such a contrast with the magnificent Kenilworth Castle nearby.
There is a responsibility involved in managing a castle - and that includes other considerations than short-term revenue. Do not turn these sites into theme parks. 

Tai Chi and Qi Gong

   I thought you might like to gaze at this photo of my left foot! Actually I don?t have a selfie of me doing Tai Chi and so this piccie of my greatly improved appendage will have to do.

   I took up these routines because an ex-GP I know said it improved his balance and I confess to wobbling sometimes. I have bought lots of dvd's and go to a class and find it all both soothing and energising. All my body seems to work better and so do its functions, the mentionable ones  like sleeping and the unmentionable like ... 

   It has taken me some time to work out the difference, if any, between Tai Chi and Qi Gong and I am not sure I have it right now. In Tai Chi you can do individual poses and movements - which have fascinating names such as The Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg - but you have the ultimate aim of joining them up into a "form" like a slow ballet. This is my stumbling block as I seem to have a poor memory for continuous movements. I won't give up but, meanwhile, I prefer Qi Gong, where the individual exercises have a healing claim for the various organs.

  I do recommend these methods of exercise: you can adopt the philosophy behind them or just treat them as physical routines but you can do them into old age, even sitting down. You do not heed any special equipment - just wear comfortable clothing. Yet I confess to envying the silk pyjamas the presenters wear! 

  For me it has been a life changer and the golden rooster stands on one leg a little longer every day. In summer I shall stun my neighbours by performing in the garden.

The Charterhouse - central London

   Last week when I was in London I went, with my daughter, on a tour that she had booked for us to The Charterhouse, near St. Paul's. We had a wonderful guide who walked us round this ancient building which has been a Plague burial ground, a monastery, a Tudor mansion  and a school, hospital and almshouse. It is still home to 40 Brothers - who are elderly people in need - and I found the sight of the table set for afternoon tea very moving.
   If you want to do something quiet and different in the heart of London that you will remember for a long time, book yourself onto this tour.
   I have written more about it on my history blog: History on the Buses.