Funny British TV

Growing Up with The Young Ones in America

The early 80’s in Pittsburgh Pa were a sad time for adults. The fall of steel industry had left a lot of folks without jobs. But as a teenager I was only interested in music and having fun. My aunt was the first person I knew who had cable TV. My cousins and I would get to spend weekends there and we would sit up all night watching MTV. In addition to showing music videos, (yes, they did that back then) MTV would air some TV shows. My cousins and I soon found The Young Ones. We were immediately addicted.

The Young Ones was a British Television comedy written by Rik Mayall, Ben Elton and Lise Mayer and staring Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan and Alexei Sayle. The Young Ones was part sit-com, part sketch comedy, part variety show and always fun. Back in the day the British television studio allotted a smaller amount of production time and money to sit-coms than they did to variety shows. So, the creators of the Young Ones decided to add some puppeteering and live music to each episode. Thus, qualifying them as a variety show and allowing a bigger budget and more production time. This caused me to see for the first time the band Motorhead! At around 13 years old I had heard their music before, but I had never viewed a video or even picture of them. With each episode there was another musical experience with bands like Madness, Dexys Midnight Runners, The Damned and Nine Below Zero among others, my musical horizons were permanently expanded.

The episodes center around the four college roommates and the places they live. The four are never actually shown at school. It’s almost all based in their houses which they rent form a crazy landlord and his family. The comedy is very slapstick, violent and funny. Almost like in old cartoons where they knock each other on the head, and no one ends up in the ER (Casualty) or dead. A lot of the situations centered around them being poor students who didn’t have money or really care about going to school. Almost all episodes are interrupted by a band playing a song as the boys continue to act out the episode. It is The Eighties in all its glory!

In the mid 80’s I once again found the Young Ones on PBS, which is public television funded by donations. Back in the 70’s we had the delight of watching Monty Pythons Flying Circus on this network. But that’s another story. By then we had a VHS recorder, so I was able to get them on tape. My friends and I would have Young Ones watch parties at my first apartment, in 1989. Good Times!

If you haven’t seen The Young Ones, add Brit Box as a streaming service and enjoy!

Watch for an episode by episode breakdown in the near future…

Gardening/Landscaping

Why You Should Have a Water Feature in Your Yard Even if You Don’t Have a Yard

 Having a water feature in your yard or garden can be one of the best things you can do for the environment and for your mental health.

All types of yards and gardens can benefit from having a pond or other water feature. They include:

• Large yards that are basically fields of grass. Pick a spot near the back of the house that is easily accessible. Or pick a spot away from the house that is quiet and has some tree cover. Don’t get too close to the trees though. You just want there to be some shade.
• Medium sized suburban yards that may have a fence line. If you choose to put the pond near the fence you can get some protection from the sun and weather. Construct a path that goes from the back or side of your house out to the pond. Don’t be afraid to remove some grass and break up your yard. This gives you a great excuse to add flowers or shrubbery along the path and around your garden.
• Small city yards that are usually surrounded by fences or other homes or buildings. These yards can be some of the best for having a water feature. If you can’t dig a hole for a small pond, then try upcycling something that will hold water. Try an old bin or a cooler with a broken lid. Get rid of the lid, find a spot for the cooler that is shaded and add a small water pump. For under $20 you can have a water feature.
• Apartments? Yes, if you live in an apartment or an inhospitable climate you can have a water feature indoors. Just make sure it is small and has a bowl or dish underneath to collect any overflow. We don’t want any water damage! Check online there are very small water features that can sit on a desk and really are nice.

For constructing an in the ground pond, decide if you want it to be natural or ornamental.

• A natural pond will attract all kinds of wildlife immediately. I put our pond in over the course of a weekend. As soon as we filled it with water a pond skimmer showed up. After it’s in you will see birds, bees, moths, dragonflies and even some hummingbirds.
• An ornamental pond or water feature can be exquisitely beautiful and will attract some small wildlife. Depending on where it’s placed it can be the centerpiece of a high-end homes’ patio.

To do the actual labor you will either choose to do it yourself or you will choose to pay a professional.

• Paying a professional is easy. Just pick a reputable landscape designer and tell them what you want. They should be able to help with placement and any questions that you may have.
• Doing it yourself is not that hard. Basically, you dig a hole and line it with a pond liner. Try re-using the dirt you dig out around the pond or elsewhere in your yard. After the liner is in fill it with water and watch as it fills to make sure the liner lays correctly.
• If you choose a container, place it in a good location, fill it with water and add some water plants, gravel and stones.

After the pond is finished place some plants around it and set up a chair or bench.

• If you are in a good mood, sit by the pond and you will be in an even better mood.
• If you are in a bad mood sit by the pond for ten minutes and you will feel better.

As time goes by you will see more and more wide life and your pond will become more established.