Sunday Things

Sunday Papers

My Dad used to buy a copy of the “Sunday Observer”, a phenomenal paper in classic broadsheet format together with various supplements and whatnot. There remains a fond memory of the paper spread all over the table, pots of tea and the rain on the window. It used to take him all week to read.

There was something special about Sunday papers and even when I set up here I read them myself, for a while.

Now I just don’t bother and I’m not sure why, maybe that with all the constant access to information on broadcast TV, news and social apps on the phone it simply isn’t necessary anymore. Maybe our recreational time is not what it once was – do modern families simply have the time to sit down for an hour or so on a Sunday to browse the columns?

The drop in circulation and indeed their change in format from broadsheet to tabloid gives us a clue.

Sunday Media

It would seem that those days of long lost idyl are being preserved by some of our big institutions. Although the ‘Top 40’ no longer seems to happen on Radio 1 at 18:00 on a Sunday, our TV entertainment remains unchanged, ‘Country file’, ‘Antiques Roadshow’ and ‘The Sunday Drama’ (currently Poldark).

Next Week

The other traditional Sunday activity is preparation for next week (The weeks begin on Monday here in the UK).

As a child, this involved being put into the bath and cleaned, in my youth this was to do with making sure my homework was done. .  or rather I had lessons timetabled that meant I could do my homework at school and in later life this now involves making sure all the outstanding emails are read, actions identified and a general schedule in mind. In a few years I expect that list to reduce to make sure everything is switched off before you go to bed.

This all marks the differences of key stages in life.

So there we have it

I didn’t begin a sentence with ‘So’ – its a joining word and I think its OK in a title.

This is a reflective post and I think that at this time of the week a little self-indulgent reflection should be allowed in order to take stock of ‘things’. A way of putting everything behind ahead of clearing the papers away, making sure everything is ready for the week ahead and jumping body and soul into the glory that is Monday – the start of the next week and all the fascination it will bring.

At whatever stage of life you are at, the closing down of this week, ahead of the start of the next has some tradition, normality or habit that you may find yourself doing even if subconsciously.