Fighting the digital world

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The digital world is taking over. My mobile is flooded with dates and reminders. As soon as I have made an appointment a message comes through. Then a day or two before the date another reminder arrives. Even after the event a ‘how did we do?’ probing text arrives. This seems fair enough for health appointments but now my hairdresser is in on the act sending confirmation and then a reminder. When I order online, I often get prompts that goods are arriving the next day then a reminder on the day itself and if you are not sure you can track its progress.

My friend counts her steps every day with the help of an app on her mobile. She has a daily target. If she does well the target moves to a higher number. She is always trying to do more. At night if she is short of her target then she paces the house, up and down stairs and from room to room, she goes to bed when she has done what her mobile tells her is enough. I know that exercise is good, but I have deleted my step counting app because I was going the same way as my friend. Now I set my own targets but there is always that nagging feeling that I am not doing well enough.

On a calmer note, have you noticed the birdsong at dusk? They are making their presence felt now that spring is approaching and nature is awakening. When we go out at night, we notice a little wren. Not because of its song, but because it seems to have taken up residence in our hanging basket. I think that it is roosting there when the sun sets. One year a wren nested there amongst our display and our plants were ruined and of course we did not mind.

But the owners of the garden centre I went to recently did mind the intrusion of a certain bird. They were used to birds in their large greenhouse especially a pair of nesting robins and a singing blackbird.

“Where are your garden birds?” I asked in dismay. I had always enjoyed them flitting in and out of the bags of fertilizer and pot plants.

“All gone. A sparrowhawk got in the other day and the little birds fled for their lives.”

I was as about as welcome as this sparrowhawk when I turned up at my sisters’ get together without the cakes I had agreed to bring. It had completely slipped my mind and I had promised. I should have sent myself a text reminder.

  (Taken from my column in the Shropshire Star)

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