The old sofa on the verandah got a good workout on this sunny autumn afternoon while I sipped a hot cup of TWININGS vanilla-and-cinnamon-flavoured chai and listened to BBC Radio Dramas which I had previously saved to a USB stick.
Remember radio dramas? I do! I was fortunate enough to grow up when there was no television; when we would sit around the wireless in the evening, with the magic dial glowing in the dark, ready to navigate us around the world.
The radio drama was our entertainment then and, while I may be seeing it through sepia-tinted glasses, in my opinion it is superior to nearly every television series. The use of sound effects was truly amazing in its ability to conjure up vivid images and changing settings.
This afternoon I indulged myself in W. Somerset Maugham's short stories, such as "P&O", "Winter Cruise", "Rain", "Footprints in the Jungle", "Before the Party", "Flotsam and Jetsam", "The Round Dozen", "The Vessel of Wrath" and "The Tenth Man". Even the parrot found them interesting.
Oh, and by the way, don't believe everything you read on a cup: I felt quite the opposite this afternoon - it was happiness on a USB stick!
