Terry Wogan and me...

My mornings are just not the same without Terry Wogan (who is on holiday at the moment). He has been making me laugh and playing good music, that is to say music I like, (the Beatles, the Eagles, Norah Jones etc..) for twenty-odd years. When my children were very small and I was very lonely, he made me feel cheerful even though I'd had broken nights and had been awake since 6 am most days. Without him, my days would have been very bleak. He's also very professional compared with the people who sit in for him. This week we have Johnny Walker, who is highly regarded by some people I'm sure, but I don't want to listen to him. Also, he doesn't seem to enjoy life on the radio in the same way as dear old Sir Tel. He plays two records in a row, presumably while drinking a cup of coffee, and then slips in the name of a tune and disappears again. It's just not the same. We know when Sir Terry is eating a bacon sarnie, or spluttering with laughter, because he shares it with us. Whatever it is, his listener feels included in life and the jokes. And he never plays two tunes in a row just to get a break.

At last, summer has arrived, so I have been either at the paddling pool or at the beach for the last two days. Odd, isn't it, that as soon as the weather changes for the better, it seems as if it has been hot forever? No-one is complaining yet, of course, but give it a couple of weeks and they will start saying that it's too hot!
Not me, I'll be lapping it up. I went in the sea twice today, and it was freezing cold, but wonderful because I had a chance to cool down.

I have tried to push the cannabis question to the back of my mind, but it surfaced again yesterday with a snippet from the news which told us that smoking just one joint causes five times more lung damage than one normal cigarette. Apparently the effects are five times more toxic because people who smoke cannabis tend to do so without using a filter. This is bad news indeed for all the young people who believe that smoking cannabis is perfectly harmless, because they won't discover the truth until their lungs collapse!

Is there ever any good news? I recalled that a friend of a friend, who was suffering from depression recently, was told by her doctor (quite seriously) not to buy a newspaper, watch television or listen to the news. He recommended this instead of prescribing anti-depressant drugs. This is a novel, positive and forward-thinking approach. Until "they" produce a "Good News" newspaper or programme, let's all boycott the bad news. After all, there's enough of the gritty reality stuff in our own lives and those of our friends and family. Maybe that's why I like Terry Wogan so much. When I listen to him, I start the day laughing, and laughter has been proved to be very good for you.