The Shop of Dreams - 26 July 2021 - Plague Journal Day 501

Micah 6:8
Jeremiah 18:1-4
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Early in the pandemic days we started watching a BBC programme on Netflix called "The Repair Shop" which had been recommended to us by our English friend, Dorothy. Her recommendation was spot on.

We entered a world of the fixing of family heirlooms. of stuffed animals filled with wood wool and memories, of damaged oil paintings and village signs. More importantly, we entered a world of very caring artisans and craftsmen who lovingly repair and restore those items for the folks who bring them in, hoping for wonders, but expecting much less.

Most of the episodes we watched seem to have rotated off of Netflix, but we did manage to find a lot of them on DVDs - which necessitated the purchase of a region-free DVD player - and we're steadily working our way through the seasons.

If you like any of the Antiques Roadshow-type programs, and if you like any of the repair and restoration programs that are all over various channels these days, I can heartily recommend "The Repair Shop" to you. It's consistently heart-warming and fascinating in equal parts as you watch the artisans figure out how to repair the project of the day and hear the story of why that item is so important to the person who brought it to be repaired.


Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Why Is This So Hard? - 24 May 2021 - Plague Journal Day 438

Micah 6:8
Matthew 7:7-11
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

What's wrong with the BBC? They make some wonderful television (and some stinkers too), but they make it so hard for us to watch on this side of the pond.

Sure, there's BBC America, with a smattering of the real stuff and then reruns of our stuff too.


There's some content available on Netflix - at least for a while, then it goes away.

There are even DVDs of the programmes available on Amazon - but only Region 2, so we'd have to buy separate players or rip the DVDs on a computer to watch them. (By the way, thanks to the industry for setting those regions, it certainly makes your customers happier to do business with you. Jerks.)

Why don't they just let us pay a license fee as their locals do and then stream the programmes. There are a lot of us who would gladly pay to be able to do this simply and legally. It can't be that hard to figure out.

grr.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.