Our week that was: Apple picking, a play date and moon missions

We’re still playing catch-up here on the blog after another fun-filled week – time is whizzing by in a flash. It does, doesn’t it, as you get older?

Apple picking

One of my friends from the Women’s Institute has a garden with an orchard. She invited a couple of us over to pick some of the apples, as she’d never be able to make use of them all.

The apple trees are old, rare Welsh heritage varieties such as Baker’s Delicious and Cadwaladr.

As well as apples, there were a few, much less commonly found trees in the orchard… including these walnuts that were almost ready to harvest.

We spent less than an hour apple picking, after which I returned home with two large sacks, heavy with fruit, with not much of an idea of what I was going to make with them. A pie and an upside-down cake are most likely; I have so many apples, I can attempt things I’ve never done before; apple juice, apple jam, hard cider?

Play date for Barley

A few weeks ago, we encountered a lady out walking her dog near the Arch near Hafod. After a tentative 30 seconds or so, we were all really pleased to see that her dog, Tala, and Barley hit it off splendidly. They’re about the same size and possess the same energy levels. They got on so well, in fact, that we agreed to meet the following week in the same place for a doggie play date.

The afternoon of the play date was a welcome chink of lovely, warm sunny weather in an altogether damp and dreary week. Tala & Barley loved it; tearing through the woods, chasing each other for most of the hour-long circular walk. We hope it will become a regular occurrence.

For All Mankind

We’ve just binge-watched 3 series of For All Mankind. The series proffers an alternative world history that hinges on the ‘space race’ not ending with the USA landing on the moon in 1969. The series broaches many subjects such as male chauvinism, feminism, sexuality, politics, technology and conspiracy theories. And I’ve just found out – there’s going to be a series four at some point in the near future!

Our week that was: The first in a new series

This is the inaugural post in a new series we’re launching entitled, ‘Our week that was’. It’s where we’ll share a few highlights of our previous week; be it somewhere we went, something we watched, something we did etc.

Television

We’ve just finished binge watching all three series of Australian tv programme, Mr Inbetween. We thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t recommend it highly enough. Without giving too much away – it follows the day-to-day life of protagonist, Ray Shoesmith, a contract killer.

App

The Merlin Bird ID app is my new addiction! It all started when I heard an unusual-sounding bird while out walking the dog. I recorded its call and shared it on Instagram, but no one could identify it. I downloaded Merlin to help solve the mystery.

I’m amazed at the way the app can analyse a sound recording of a chorus of song and pick out all the individual birds from it.

A week or so after hearing the mystery bird, I saw a post from a near neighbour about a hoopoe visiting their garden – it made the main Welsh news website!

Hoopoe sighting news headline from the Wales Online website

Image of hoopoe from the Wales Online website

Event

Justin went to The International Antique Home & Vintage Fair of Wales at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Showground in Builth Wells. It happens twice per year, and we always make sure to attend to buy stock for our shop. The fair is huge, with sellers both inside and outdoors.

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Why home improvement shows are so popular

Home improvement TV shows are a staple of multiple cable channels. These shows use industry experts to show how anyone can make their home fashionable and functional. If you dissect these shows, you can see how these shows gain and maintain an audience.

Personalities

Every successful home improvement show features one or multiple personalities who make people want to tune in. These individuals must use their charisma to draw viewers in and help them understand how to complete a specific project. Modern, energetic hosts have helped to evolve the genre from the technical jargon-heavy style of the past to the brighter style of today.

Many of these personalities achieve a level of fame that eclipses the overall show. An example of this is Chip and Joanna Gaines. The pair starred in the popular HGTV series “Fixer Upper” and have parleyed their fame into multiple companies and endorsement deals. After the pair moved on from “Fixer Upper” they were highly in demand by other networks and advanced their careers even further.

In addition to having charisma, these personalities must also be experts in their specific areas of home improvement. Viewers may come for the TV personality’s charisma, but their expertise will keep them watching.

If viewers tune into a show that claims that it will help them choose and install dark wood kitchen cabinets, they want a knowledgeable and experienced cabinet expert to present it to them. Similarly, they want actual interior designers to explain their thought process, and real estate agents to explain what sells and what doesn’t.

Viewers want to hear a story

One of the most timeless truths in entertainment is that people are attracted to a story with a beginning, middle and an end. You may not be aware of it, but each of these modern home improvement shows tells you a story while they instruct you in DIY projects.

Typical home improvement shows follow a broad formula:

Problem – The living room floor is structurally unsound
Formulation and execution of a plan – The experts examine the floor and make a plan to fix it. They purchase the supplies and execute the plan
The finished product – They present the finished project and wrap up the segment/show

Years of consuming entertainment have psychologically conditioned viewers to expect this type of formula in any entertainment medium. Sticking to this outline gives viewers a sense of comfort and will keep them coming back.

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Viewers like to imagine what they can do to their home

Most people are not 100% happy with their homes. No matter how much energy and love they have put into it, there are always some things that they would change. Home improvement shows stimulate their imagination and gives them a chance to explore the possibilities within their own space.

They may watch the show and decide to hire a landscaper to finally redo the garden they’ve been putting off for years. They could also be inspired by a kitchen renovation to completely gut their own and start from scratch. Or to contact a Flat Roofing Specialist to install a new roof. These shows teach people that the possibilities are endless when it comes to the improvements they can make on their own homes.

Some viewers want to learn

Home improvement shows have been around for decades but, the current crop of shows is very different from those that aired in the 1970s. Past eras of home improvement shows placed a large emphasis on the correct procedures without worrying about making the show flashy to appeal to viewers.

However, many people use modern home improvement shows as a jumping-off point for their own personal projects. They learn the buzz words and trends, then research deeper to understand how to carry out the project.

Home improvement shows attract viewers because they feature big personalities, a cohesive story, and informational content but, there are also intangible reasons for their success that are hard to describe. According to CNN, the Review Home Warranties website is offering money to find out exactly what attracts viewers. The website offered $1,000 to someone who’ll watch a variety of home improvement shows and write down their detailed opinion.

The popularity of home improvement shows has endured for decades and, there’s no sign that the public taste will turn against them any time soon. People just love to watch them. The reasons for their success are many, but at their core, they appeal to every person’s desire to improve their living space and their lives.

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4 tips to improve your home entertainment set-up

Your home entertainment set-up keeps you from getting bored, especially on cold, wet or dark days. It helps you keep up with the latest TV, watch movies and listen to your favourite music too. Whether you have a very modest set-up or you’re obsessed with AV tech, you can always do a few things to improve your home entertainment and make it better for you and your family. With just a couple of easy changes or upgrades, you can make your home entertainment set-up more secure, more convenient and more fun. Try these changes for some excellent improvements to your tech.

Make it smart

If you don’t already have a smart TV, you should think about getting one. A smart TV allows you to connect to the internet and benefit from all kinds of things, from streaming to games and online services. A smart TV definitely doesn’t have to be expensive, with a range of price points available. Of course, paying more could get you a better quality picture, better sound, and even a more reliable connection. Cheaper smart TVs might not last as long or have as many features. But you can still get a lot out of them, even if you don’t buy the most expensive TV on the market.

Keep it secure

If you’re making your home entertainment smarter, you should also think about keeping it secure. Anything that requires an internet connection could be vulnerable to being exploited in some way. Whether you’re using an Amazon Fire TV stick or streaming from your favourite streaming site, a VPN can be helpful to protect your private data. At Troypoint.com, you can find out about the benefits of using a VPN when you’re watching TV and movies. It could be useful when you’re streaming music too, as well as for other online activities.

Rearrange the layout

Changing the positioning of your home entertainment set-up can make it better too. This can include moving around not just your tech but also seating and other things. If you put your television at the right height, it will be more comfortable for you to watch it. By putting your speakers in the right position, you can get the best sound when you’re watching TV. You can experiment with where you put everything, but it’s also a good idea to find some guidelines online that suggest the best layouts for your set-up.

Perfect the sound

While the picture is important on your TV, you can’t neglect the sound. Everyone wants to have a crisp sound when they’re enjoying a movie or a show. Plus, if you have excellent audio, it can be good for listening to music too. You might want to upgrade to some quality speakers or even consider installing surround sound to get great quality audio at home. Make sure that you put your speakers in the right place too.

With an improved home entertainment set-up, you can prevent yourself and your family from getting bored at home and enjoy all the movies, TV and music you want.