Our Television has Died

It is very sad to say goodbye to an old piece of furniture. After all, it has become a friend of the family. Our television has reached this stage.

To understand the impact on us, you need to go back to October 2002. Hazel and I borrowed a trolley from the Thalwil InterDiscount (the local electrical store) and rolled the 11 stone TV down the road to our apartment, much to the amazement of the InterDiscount staff and the passersby.

Do you remember those old TVs? They are / were almost as deep as they were wide. This television was deliberately designed not to fit into our lift. We were on the fourth floor in those days. Each floor had thirty steps and the TV weighed the previously mentioned 11 stone - something of a challenge.

As good English folk, the first thing was to make a cup of tea. Now you have to
realise that this TV took about 40 minutes to carry up. Plenty of stops to boil the kettle, make the tea, drink it, make another one and so on. We reckoned that if anyone stole this 11 stone monstrosity, while we were taking part in the English tea ritual, then we would be able to recognise them by their crooked backs and looks of pain.

Eight years later, our TV has repaid this love and attention by switching itself off at random, usually during the last 10 minutes of detective programmes. It has also reduced the size of the picture, which has the advantage that you can no longer see the irritating news which moves across the bottom of the screen at one letter per second.

So for the last week, we have been immersing ourselves in learning and understanding new terms, LED, LCD, HD ready and Full HD, knowing what size screen we needed and getting used to the fact these new TVs only weigh 30 pounds. Imagine that; being able to carry the TV up the stairs without having time to make two cups of tea. Takes the fun out of the whole operation.

Delivery of the new TV is due on Friday. We think. Information about delivery of TVs, at least from InterDiscount, seems to be somewhat uncertain. We expect to be told before the TV arrives, but the interval between being told and the arrival might only be a couple of hours.

If you see me walking around with a hunched back next week, you will know that the TV has arrived, and that I am no longer able to carry a 30 pound TV.