Sky’s the limit!

Sky’s the limit!

Hi there.

Thanks for popping in. Late back from my parents. Decided to spend some time with them – not least because they have moved from Virgin to Sky, and the whole TV-dish-modem-internet-phone process was taking place today, some time between 8am and 1pm. Which it duly did. All done and dusted, (even behind the telly!) and such a much MUCH better deal!

Why did they decided to migrate? The catalyst came when they just could not find HOCHANDA to watch our birthday weekend in September. There had been an update or a Freeview shift or something, and none of us could get it fired up for more than 24 hours without it disappearing again! Mum was so distressed about it, and that no doubt did nothing to improve Dad’s weekend! You can imagine the Sky engineer’s face when all we were looking for was HOCHANDA!! “Well, you’ve got the full package here: sky sport, sky movies…” “That’s great, but can we find HOCHANDA?” Says Mum.

Well then the fun began. The remote (correction: remotes. Four. Two for each TV set. One for Mum, one for Dad) come with a little voice recognition button on the side. “No probs,” says the young engineer. “Just press the button and say the name of what you want to watch or which channel.” Off he trotted on his white steed. Aka white van. An hour later, Mum, Dad and I were rolling around in front of the telly, splitting our sides. This voice recognition has clearly never heard Mum’s German accent. Added to which neither of them can pronounce HOCHANDA correctly anyway! So we were on a hiding to nowhere! “Ok. Forget HOCHANDA. Ask it for another programme” I suggested. “Question Time,” my Mum shouted at the box, because by now we had decided she needed to be louder, too. Nothing could be simpler, right? Well, not. We were speed dialled straight through to all the God channels. Christian Time was what it picked up. It was like a Monty Python sketch. Honestly, comedy gold. Then Dad tried, because he’d had enough of us two giggle pots; and when he held the remote to his ear like a telephone I just lost it.

Sky? I highly recommend it. Especially if you need a good laugh. Haven’t had that magic when you just can’t stop for a long time.

Anyway, I left them to it. I heard Mum say to Dad, “Surely we must be able to press the buttons like the old days, John!” He’ll probably tell her she needs to keep practicing. That’s one way of controlling what they watch!

Time to call it a day. No TV for me! I never watch the box when I’m on my own. Don’t know how to use the remote!!!!

Love & Hugs,

Barb xxx

25 thoughts on “Sky’s the limit!

  1. I hope they get the TVs sorted. I like being able to press the buttons, keep it simple.
    Managed to catch Paul and Josie today, good demonstrations. What Josie does is just magic.

  2. Oh Barb, don’t you just love it!! 😂
    Hochanda 24/7 now, so no more worries for me if insomnia strikes!!
    Can’t thank you enough for all your Clarity brilliance. Onward and upwards 🥰

  3. Hello Barbara
    Well, you have just had me laughing out loud. I could just picture the scene. OMG, your poor parents, I know just how they feel.
    Love
    Roz.xxx

  4. Oh my we enjoyed hearing that lol. Thanks for sharing. We’ve been watching the athletics and twas great, way to go Katharina Johnson Thompson😁

  5. Oh that had me laughing Barbara! Try doing that from 600 miles away down the phone – that was me and my dad trying to solve his virgin TV problems!!! Technology is great when it works x

  6. Good evening Barbara,
    Had a good laugh when I read the above. They have my deepest sympathy but I am sure they will sort it out.
    The OH loves gadgets so we now have TV, Sky, Netflix, video recorder, C D player, Bluetooth and a new sound bar all connected !!!!!! It is a right royal pain to switch between – so I don’t – I get him to work it out. Thank goodness Hochanda is an easy one to find or I would be having withdrawal symptoms.
    Thank you for sharing and cheering my evening.
    Hugs 🍒🍒🍒

    1. Same problem at my house. My engineer OH got a remote that combines everything. Took him two days to set it up. Now, even turning off the TV takes multiple steps. I love my technology, but not when it makes my life more difficult. So, I just use the computer. It’s strange to have that being the easiest bit of tech to use.

  7. I think we all suffer with all these things. I had my daughter helping me with a printer, did it on face time, Anne lives in Hong Kong, so that was a very long distance call, but she did it. Your story made me laugh. And I like the look of your pottery. Oh dear Port Sunlight another place I wish I could go to again, such a lovely area. Hope they all enjoy themselves xx

  8. Hi Barb,
    Oh, that was so funny! Mind you I have to say that my Dave is not far behind your Mum and Dad – he is hopeless with anything technical! He drives me up the wall with the remote, flicking between channels! Great that Hochanda is on 24/7 now – will be able to watch all your shows live now and record them. Just finished watching a fantastic night of athletics – KJT absolutely brilliant! Love and hugs,Alison xxx

  9. Oh that was so funny, havent laughed like that for a long time, could just see you all giggling. I’m no good with technology so like you I only watch television when Pete’s here to sort it out. We seem to have so many different remotes, so confusing. I did a stupid thing this lunchtime, after watching the show on Hochanda, I thought I must have those princess plates, so ordered them on the internet from Clarity, went upstairs to make sure I’d have enough room in the folder and found that I already had them. Oh the panic, rang Clarity, dear Debbie sorted me out so no problem, I thought the plates were new today. What an idiot.xxx

  10. Sounds such a fun afternoon Katie is same with her phone and I pad she gets so frustrated cause it don’t understand what she is saying 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂 I must admit we got that remote and just use the old one once know were Hochanda etc is its great but do have to program Hochanda every time what fun Hey technology hehe bless them xxx

  11. Oh Barbara you have had us laughing over your tale, we have the same accent problem with our sat nav in the car. I hope they manage to sort it all out ready for your shows at the weekend !!
    Have got home today from our trip up norf to find my happy post so am going to sit down now & read your letter & the project sheets.

  12. Sounds like a frustrating afternoon but made into fun being all together hehe good to laugh. Katie has same problems with her phone and iPad just don’t understand her you can her her getting frustrated with it cause it doesn’t understand her. Such fun was laughing reading think understand be okay when can remember there favourite channels and remember to press record every time as fiesta do repeat record on Hochanda. Night night xxx

  13. These sorts of things do seem to become more and more difficult to use and can sympathise with your Mum and Dad so I hope they soon get the hang of it, and naturally Hochanda is the one they need to find the most. x

  14. … and that’s why we only have Freeview! Seriously don’t think I could cope with trying to teach my OH (total technophobe) how to use the systems and he’d get so frustrated the remotes would go in the bin lol! Hope your mum and dad get everything under control soon. As for your mum’s accent…I wonder if voice control would fare any better with a quite broad Geordie? Glad there was lots of laughter to lighten the frustrations xxx

  15. Hello Barb, well here I was laughing right along with you, thinking how we used to have to get our Mum to press a channel button and release, otherwise she ended up on the adult channels, or with subtitles in Japanese or something. I suppose we should not make fun, because that could be us in years to come. Hope they get used to the new system. Take care all. Bx

  16. Love your description. These days technology makes me laugh, my tablet is an Amazon one and people talking on the tv keep waking up the Alexa function and also Siri on my phone,. It’s like Science Fiction come true

  17. That is so funny! Just back from holiday and got some hilarious results from asking Google to translate for me 😂😂 So looking forward to Sunday, I have craft withdrawal symptoms xx

  18. Oh how funny! My sister had voice recognition and she had to speak to it like a naughty child to get it to do anything! The best part was when I could tell it to turn off when she was watching something…such fun 😁 XX

  19. That is hilarious but I can also understand them being puzzled. Modern tech must be very strange for folk who have always just pressed a button. I don’t use the remote either it stays firmly by Fred’s side. We switched from Virgin last month , kept hiking up the price, got a much better deal with another company and better customer service as well. Always counts. X X

  20. That’s so funny Barb. Just what you needed too, good fun with your parents. Makes me glad to be on simple freeview, with an old telly with one remote that you hit the number buttons on… Happy to be a dinosaur!!! It reminds me of when I was having to phone the tax place after they’d messed up, their voice recognition couldn’t understand my Scottish accent! But I wasnae laughing, too upsetting! Methinks a remote control each isn’t going to make for a happy household… Your mum didn’t miss anything from Question Time last night. Maybe the remote has AI intelligence in it, telling your mum she’d be better off with a Christian channel than going to bed with the current politics in her head…!!! Hope you’re having a good day, and your mum and dad are not playing pingpong with their remotes switching telly channels… xxx
    P.s. Barb’s mum, Hochanda is on 673 on Sky 😉

  21. Oh Barb, what a tonic you are. I had such a laugh at your description and it started my day off happily.
    What a joy to have such happy, lovely times with your parents and making memories to treasure.
    I managed to catch one of Paul and Josie’s shows yesterday, but will catch up with the rest over the weekend. I have spent the days since we returned from holiday doing laundry and trying to get it dry, so my crafting mojo has not yet been awakened. Some princess plate work should do the trick, as I love them and they look lovely with the Art Nouveau plates.
    Hugs. Annette X

  22. I think this sort of hilarity goes on all over the place. Here, it is himself shouting (you have to shout to make it understand)” OK Google” into his ‘phone. I am no better, did you know you can’t change the telly channels with the telephone handset, however hard you press the buttons!! haha

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