Encompassing the World

I'm thinking of freeing myself from TV ownership. So many programmes are about doing up your house, moving house or sharing a house with lots of weird people it's become boring. I'm so in love with my radio that I think I'm nearly ready to tell the telly to leave. It's not paying its way, its not funny anymore, it wastes my time and keeps staring at me when I'm lying on the settee. It doesn't do any housework, can't do the gardening and won't clean the car.

I'm going to buy some good speakers for the computer and buy a comfy chair for maximum slumpage comfort (I'm seeing an executive leather affair that tilts back and maybe even has one of those foot rests that pings out when you achieve 45 degrees).

That's just reminded me of one of the most fascinating things I ever did see on TV, back when I was about four. It was on 'Play School' and I think it was through the 'Round Window' - a cunning device to disguise the educational element (I was fooled, were you?). It was a short black and white film of a double decker bus doing the 'tilt-test'. I was transfixed by the bus leaning over, but mostly transfixed by the over sized protractor attached to it, with a swinging arrow indicating the angle of tilt. It is a seriously geeky admission I know, but I think it started an early interest in geometry. I went on to enjoy shopping for maths sets. Other girls wanted matching bra and pant sets, I wanted a matching compass and set square set.

I loved making those flower patterns using only a compass and totally was engrossed by drawing perpendicular lines by marking out little arcs. I know the Greeks (is this where the word 'geek' comes from?) and Egyptians managed to measure the circumference of the earth and probably the distance to the moon with little more, but I was happy drawing a flower.