The Allure Of Nature Documentaries Grows Exponentially The Older I Get.

Eh, not for the young of age.

Even though it was an age back, I can still vividly remember watching nature documentaries with my grandfather. Let me be honest and tell you that at roughly 8 or 9 years old, it wasn't a treat. If only it would have been an animated cat & mouse show, a la Tom & Jerry!

This Sunday morning, Bob, Maus and I were watching a stunning program on wildlife in France. Bob had a rather late night going walking ( or so he thought ) with friends and needed a restful view to slumber at. Maus had her own reasons ( buttering us up before we fed her... ) and added her two cents worth when a fox was heard making sounds.

I just sat there and recalled sitting with my grandfather in front of the TV. Those were still early days of remote controls but knowing how interested he was in technology, he might have had one and if not a modern one than at least he had me.

He knew, how seeing nature would refocus one's life back into sharpness. Especially what is and what isn't important. All the hype, paraphernalia and people that go with a modern lifestyle tend to throw us off track, malaised and far from happy. The simplicity of nature and the awesomeness of it, tends to let the cares slide of our backs.

From the vantage point of now, I can see another fantastic idea of my grandfather, and one I used to laugh at back in the day. As one does when confronted with an elder person's idiosyncrasy.

Perhaps it is more prevalent in society than I am aware of, but at my grandparents house, watching TV ensued a round of furniture moving. Oh yes, the comfortable padded chairs were swept aside for the harder and sturdier kitchen chairs. Somehow I could never fathom why they wanted to sit on such uncomfortable chairs, yet they never asked me to change mine.

Well, a few decades on, I have to tip my hat to my grandfather's genius. He had found the magic cure for that eternal problem of watching TV after dinner...

An uncomfortable, straight backed chair makes it jolly difficult to nod off!

If you, like me, tend to only see the opening scenes of any after 8 pm movie, perhaps you should join me in moving a hard backed wooden chair into your lounge.

Biggi