Lulu's blog

Hi everyone.

Since I posted a personal blog entry earlier in the week, announcing that Team-FM was returning to the air, I've been amazed, not to say touched, at the positive reaction I've received. If you're one of the many people who reached out to me, especially in respect of my thoughts about the decreasing of Twitter clutter, I'd like to sincerely thank you.

I know what some people are going to say. "Oh, more blindy radio! This station's been up and down more times than the Dow Jones Index! Yawn yawn yawn!" And that's the polite version. In a kind of way I sympathise with some of the comments and concerns levelled at internet radio stations run by and for people in the blind community. When I tell you that I'm bringing Team-FM back on air, if you're one of the people who's just annoyed by the whole net radio concept, I'd be grateful if you didn't immediately splutter, yawn, press alt F4 and get on with your day. Smile.

Introduction.

I don't know how many times I've heard it said that nothing and no one's indispensible. This is very true indeed, and sometimes it makes it easy for you to make decisions about things which you don't think are particularly important and you think oh, no one will mind, there's much better stuff out there, it'll soon be all forgotten. And then months, even years go by and you're still being asked when you're going to bring the thing people are missing back. This has, of course, happened to me, which is why I'm writing this.

I'd be the first to admit that I'm lousy at Christmas cards, even the perfectly doable ECard variety. I used to love the whole rigmarole and send dozens and dozens, I don't know when or why the magic faded.

Hi everyone.

I've just been listening to food writer and Chef Nigel Slater reading his book Eating for England to me via Audible while I ate my dinner, as I do most days. It's a lovely book that celebrates the delights and dreadfulnesses, the oddities and the O M Gs of British eating. Best of all it's a book that is wonderful for reading and re-reading, dipping in and out of, always finding something new to learn, to remember or to chortle over, to let your thoughts meander on while you munch on a chicken leg or tuck into a dish of pasta.

If you grew up in the UK around the late seventies or early eighties you'll have heard it. That playfully gung-ho, pseudo-military introduction, then that voice. A round, fruity, beautifully elocuted voice with a slight raspy edge to it. and what did it say? All together now:

"The bravest animals in the land are captain Beaky and his band, that's Timid Toad, Wreckless Rat, Artful Owl and Batty Bat. They march the woodland singing songs that tell how they have righted wrongs!"

I've seen lots of tweets today, mourning the death of a favourite NLS narator, Roy Avers. I've noticed how the Bard community seems to set much more store by their narators than RNIB Talking books do, though we all have our own favourites.

Hi everyone.

It's been maybe two days since I first became aware of a story which erupted on to my Twitter timeline, caused a tidal wave of condemnation, then debate, and seems to have divided opinions like the red sea.

I wonder how many of us have done it. I know I have. we've sat there in front of the screen when we were going to move on, we've listened to the annoyingly hyped up voice, we've watched, those of us who can, the oh so enticing gadget that we're suddenly sure is just the thing needed to make life perfect being used with absolute ease, and we believe it when we're told that either "It's so much fun!" or: "Clean up is a breeze!". Then we listen to the blandishments, the offers, the slashing of the price, the bonuses we'll get if we only call now!

Teeny Tiny Toby Jug, the reborn leprechaun baby, has to take the prize for cutest baby in all the gang of six, even when he is having a moment and demanding lunch now if not sooner!