Saturday 5 April 2014

Listening to the peace.

Last time I was a widow I listened to the radio a lot. I had one in every room so that as I moved around the house I never missed a vital bit of the current story.

The sound of radio 4 coming from every direction gave the illusion that the house was inhabited.

I have now returned to the radio though not in every room. This is a much bigger house!

David's radio played Classic FM . The small wireless in his dressing room is still set for that and I now listen whilst I iron..

I leave the news behind me though for the most part...if it's a really gripping story I just stay put till it's over....not only is the house much bigger, I am much older but the daily habit of listening remains.

I can track this back to my childhood, listening to Children's Hour . I loved it, the stories, the serials heralded by lovely music that I would never have encountered anywhere else...the Home Service in all it's glory became my spiritual home as a child. It gave me riches lacking in daily life...I belonged! I knew what to expect from everyone...it was the nearest thing to a comfort blanket in a time of insecurity and pain.

No wonder that now in times of grief and doubt I still cling to sound to reassure and instruct me.

Now, as well as the daily programmes on the radio, I have audio books. If I sit in the garden I am still listening...the habit is strong now I live alone again...thank you children's hour, Dick Barton special agent, Mrs Dales diary et al.

There is always silence and I cherish my times of meditation, my internal dialogues with God where peace comes dropping slow and I am left with a sort of serenity which will do...it's not full blown happiness yet but it is an opening myself to beauty again...all I have to do is listen. The song of the birds, the tinkle of the wind chimes all conspire to make me whole again. Thank you God.

 

4 comments:

Babs said...

I am a radio person. I love radio 4, and I hahve it on to put me to sleep. Its a lot better than sleeping tablets. I don't sleep well, so I have earphones in mostly all night so as not to disturb Ron.
During the day I listen to classic fm, as if Ron starts to talk I don't miss anything. I am also beginning to learn how to down load to my kindle fire.
Yes Jean my memories go back to Larry the Lamb Uncle Mac Dick Barton and on occasions Valentine Dyall as the Man in Black which my Mum and I used to listen to together but on a repeat Saturday afternoon as it was to scarey for evening listening. Given the choice between a radio and a TV my radio would win. Dont get me wrong I love my telly but....
I have a DAB radio which I carry from room to room.

Revjeanrolt said...

What is now amazing is how innocent we all were then....my mum never let me have man in black!

Babs said...

I think she was to scared to listen alone

UKViewer said...

I too love Wireless (what we called radio when I was young - not sure if it was described that way outside London?). Home Service and Light Programme were our daily diet as we didn't possess a TV until the late sixties, and I didn't own one until the mid-seventies.

I loved the comedy shows and some classics such as "Around the Horne" with Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, John Pertwee and others, "The Navy Lark" "Hancock's Half Hour", "The Clitheroe Kid" and many others were listened to avidly as we sat around the Radiogram (state of the art Grundig - bought 2nd hand from closing down sale) listening and chatting and laughing together.

In a troubled childhood, these were possibly the only happy times that I can remember after all of this time.

I'm really glad that you've recovered the love for the Wireless, because it's something familiar and comforting when we really need it.

In recent years when I was away from home, the portable, wind up radio went everywhere with me and has been listened to in some strange places as far north as Scotland and as far East as Wales and Exmoor and as far East as Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Happy times.