Watching a live view of a nature reserve at daybreak with no commentary or music is almost as relaxing as sitting in a hide yourself with a pair of binoculars and, to be perfectly honest, allows you to do it without all of that tricky early-morning driving, sandwich-making, or preparing a thermos flask full of something hot, and it has the added benefit that you can fit it around the irritating practice of having to get ready for work or whatever it is that you do with your day.
Instead, as the normal morning routine unfolds, TV camera images showing the gentle antics of a few birds in the wetlands, and the lapping of the water, as the soft breeze wafts through the reeds is quite possibly the most serene and relaxing start to the day that our telly has to offer, at least for a few short weeks, and becomes something that ought to be cherished, even if, on occasions, it draws us in so much that the "normal routine" I mentioned can be thrown completely off-kilter.
In our less than multi-channelled part of the world, for most of the year, there are really only two morning TV news options, and we pretty much gave up on the BBC option a long time ago, preferring silence to their inane prattle, although, much against my better judgement, I have recently been drawn in to the top of the hour headlines and the morning newspaper review just so that I know what's going on in the mad world I seem to be having to inhabit.
Regular readers will know that I have little time for "the other side" in general, and their recent revamp with the "much loved" big signing (who I personally have always found utterly loathsome and self-obsessed as a TV personality) has not persuaded me otherwise, and so, on most mornings, the TV stays firmly switched to the "off" position.
But for three weeks in the year, the "red button" offers another option, and an escape from the hustle and bustle, bad news, pointless vox-pops, and "celebrity chat" that is the normal offerings of breakfast TV, and it comes as a huge relief.
Personally I'd prefer it if they could give me that option all year, but I know that's not going to happen.
Anyway, if you are up at that time of day and have nothing else to do, give it a whirl. I really don't think that you'll regret it.
Anyway, if you are up at that time of day and have nothing else to do, give it a whirl. I really don't think that you'll regret it.
Just back from a few days watching birds in Wales. Very relaxing.
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