I watched too much television today.
At lunchtime, I switched the devilishly hypnotising instrument on to watch England play Iran in their first World Cup group game - beamed live from the tiny Gulf state of Qatar. England played really well and managed to beat their opponents by six goals to two.
Before the game kicked off, the Iranian team refused to sing their own national anthem - presumably in solidarity with the brave men and women back home who continue to protest against their right wing Islamic fundamentalist government.
Earlier there was controversy about certain team captains wearing rainbow-coloured armbands in support of LGBQT+ rights. The international governing body of football (FIFA) had just warned that any players wearing such armbands risked sanctions - including yellow cards. In Qatar, being gay is against the law and if proven, acts of homosexuality may result in upto three years in jail and heavy fines.
At 5.15 I watched the quiz show "Pointless" hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman. It's such a gentle, well-mannered programme delivered in good humour with much respect for the contestants.
Then I made my stir fry meal in the wok that was given to us as a wedding present forty one years ago. Shirley was at a social gathering with former nursing colleagues so I had to fend for myself. I sat in front of the television once again at seven o'clock to watch Wales's first World Cup game against the USA. It was a tight encounter as the result suggests - a one-one draw.
By the way, may I tell you just out of interest that the population of Wales is bigger than that of Qatar!
There was more television to come. For the very first time, I tuned in to "I'm A Celebrity Get Me out of Here!" which is a kind of reality show set in a jungle in north eastern Australia. Celebrities have tasks to do and live together in a camp. One by one they are voted off the show by the watching public. This year much controversy has surrounded the presence of a serving Member of Parliament in the camp.
He is the former Health Minister. Mathew Hancock. He is paid to represent and serve the people of West Suffolk here in England and yet there he is in a faraway reality show from which he will earn around £400,000. He certainly isn't the life and soul of the party in the jungle and seems very much on the fringes of things. By rights he should be shouting. "I'm an M.P. get me out of here!" because in my opinion he should not have been there in the first place.
Yes - too much television - and now I'm looking at another screen as I tap out this blogpost.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/8ZblE4a
