Highlight of my week: watching the furore about Normal People

‘IS THAT IT?’ I SAID TO HIMSELF AS THE CHARACTERS PUT THEIR CLOTHES BACK ON. ‘I COULD DO BETTER MYSELF!’ SAID HIMSELF

IT’S been a slow news week. The only remotely exciting thing to happen was the dog escaped. We spent two hours looking for him before finally finding him hiding under the decking in the neighbour’s garden. Chasing a dog around a garden is the biggest adrenalin rush I’ve had in months!

We’ve also been baking a lot. Well, I say ‘we’ but I actually mean The Youngest and her dad. I couldn’t bake to save my life. Nor would I want to. All that measuring out of ingredients and mixing etc. I can’t be doing with that.

They’ve baked lemon drizzle cake. Chocolate cake, flap jacks, scones, cookies and tarts. Anything with tons of butter and sugar in it they’ve made it. I am feeding my boredom...literally.

I mean I don’t even really like cake that much. It’s all fun and games till the jeans don’t fit as they say, well that day has come and gone. I’m afraid someone is going to ask me when am I due when I come out of lockdown!

The highlight of my week in all honesty has been watching the furore surrounding the series Normal People on RTE.

Having read the book and loved it, I didn’t expect to like the tv adaptation but I did. I absolutely loved it.

What I loved even more was reaction of the older generation to it. The sex scenes provoked a flurry of calls to Joe Duffy last week calling for it to be banned and describing it as pornography.

Apparently one of the sex scenes was the longest ever broadcast on Irish TV. Myself and Himself waited with bated breath. Half way through last week’s episode there was a bit of ‘how’s your father’ but nothing like I was hoping for.

‘Is that it?’ I said to Himself as the characters put their clothes back on.

‘Seriously?! I’ve been looking forward to this all week,’ Himself shrugged his shoulders. ‘I could do better myself!’

A friend of mine is in her 80’s and very conservative. I rang her the other day for a chat. She couldn’t wait to mention it.

‘Did you watch that thing on the telly? It was disgraceful. Left nothing to the imagination!’

I was tempted to say that there is an ‘off ’ button on the telly but I suspect a lot of those giving out are watching it just to have something to give out about.

Personally the sight of a few naked body parts did wonders to cheer me up!

‘I take it you won’t be watching the next episode then?’

‘Sure I’ll have to now. I’m after watching it, I may as well find out what happens!’

Isn’t curiosity a wonderful thing!!