Why?

Some days, it's all going well, and then something, some little thing will happen. Someone will say something completely innocuous, I'll catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye or, without warning, it will hit me like a sledgehammer and then the tears come.

I'm not actually depressed. My doctor told me so. It's happening less these days and I'm getting better but sometimes I just can't stop the tears, that's all and the one thought just goes round, and round, and round in my head.

Why not me?

Then, by and by, it passes. And I'm happy and relaxed again and I get on with my life and everything's good but a part of me knows that deep down, that question lurks sometimes hidden, sometimes yelling and screaming to get out.

Why not me?

tv

I have often wondered about Australian tv, before the advent of all the digital channels, for the most part all you got was either sport or American sitcoms (either new or re-runs - M*A*S*H was on constantly when I first got here).

However, since free to air digital tv, it's almost like I've been transported back in time to my childhood. Take tonight, for example. I had the choice of watching (listen carefully, I shall say this only once...):

'Allo 'Allo*
All Creatures Great and Small**
Vicar of Dibly
Bless this House
Heartbeat
Bargain Hunt
Escape to the Country
Birds of a Feather

and at other times during the week

Keeping up Appearances
Love Thy Neighbour
Jonathan Creek
George and Mildred
Pie in the Sky
Wycliffe
Coronation Street
Emmerdale
Hollyoaks
Quincy ME; and
The Antiques Roadshow

And that's really without venturing into the realms of the ABC (think the BBC but Australian...and with adverts) which is the acknowledged place to find all programming of a British persuasion. The ABC is where I get my Dr Who/Torchwood fix :)

You can also catch at various times Knight Rider, The A Team (loving it!), Get Smart*** and Hogans Heroes*** and the original Star Trek.

* Graham had me in fits of unexplainable giggles the other day when for some reason something he said about a picture made me ask "Is it the Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies?" He still doesn't understand what was quite so funny.

**I had to laugh at the description of this on the guide - it was apparently "*all new*" 'All Creatures Great and Small'. From 1989.

*** Didn't actually see these in my childhood but discovering them made me feel like I was back there anyway :)

Phone frustration

Ok, I'm sure I've probably mentioned this before but, as I sit her on hold for the 17th minute, I feel the urge to say again how flipping hopeless Telstra* are. We bought a landline and what they call a T-Box which is a set-top box with free internet music/sport/movie channels. Sounded good. Unfortunately, not only was reception a bit dodgy in our area but to get the movies (which is what we really got it for) you had to register and confirm your age with a credit card. We don't have one, nor were we told that we'd need one.

So, after two whole weeks of trying to get Telstra to explain to us why we couldn't register and receiving a myriad of excuses until we found the one person who knew straight away what the problem was, we said that we no longer wanted it as it didn't do what we'd been told it should. "No worries" said Telstra "Just send it back to us in this lovely registered post bag that we ourselves will provide to you and call us if you keep getting charged and we will sort it out". Too easy.

The next bill arrived not long after. With the monthly charge. I ignored that one as we had only just sent it back. The next bill arrived and of course, we were still getting charged (and not only that but they had whacked a massive 'one off' charge on which apparently always shows on your second bill. Not happy as this had most certainly not been mentioned, I think I would have remembered someone saying 'Oh, and by the way after lulling you into a false sense of security with your first, normal bill, we will then give you a heart attack with a massive second bill". Made such a fuss that they credited that back to us too) So, I rang up and they credited us the $11.00 and said that we wouldn't be charged any more. Fantastic.

Next month. $11.00. I mean, honestly. So here I am, again, on hold to Telstra (the all Australian company which is why I'm talking to someone in the Philipines...). Maybe this time...**

*for those of you in the UK, this is the Aussie version of BT
**one bright spot, they said at the end that they would put me through to a survey and instead the line went dead. Yay :)