Another short break at Pontins, Pakefield:

We're have another 4 night break up at Pontins, Pakefield - its just south of Lowestoft. We asked for a chalet with a walk-in shower, which we've got - really nice, reasonably freshly decorated and a decent little heater. And tonight, Monday, our first night, we had a really nice meal, simple but tasty - really enjoyed it . . .

OGD End of the season at Levington, October 2019

Sailing barge Thistle heads up the River Orwell, while Levington Marina is under dark clouds. Filmed 19 October 2019

Wanna be happy? 30+% of Brits have become "news avoiders" . . .

According to a surprisingly large amount of research, around a third of us in the UK have become what are called "news avoiders" - people who either accidentally or deliberately avoid watching the news on TV, listening to it on the radio, or reading a newspaper.

To be blunt, it seems like a really good idea.

I started out with the Brexit thing, taking aboard all of the news - Mrs May said this, some EU person said that - and then Boris Johnson took over. I used to be a fan of Boris, after being able to interview him about a local issue, but got fed-up with his porkies when the Referendum happened, and I became definitely anti-Johnson.

As things went along, I found I was increasingly getting annoyed and narked about it all. Stressed? Not sure - but certainly the constant stream of usually bad news, or adverse news, gradually got to me - so I've backed-off from watching or listing, and developed a viewpoint that seems to work for me.

Mainly, I ignore the national news. Because I cook our meals, I can dish up when I like - so lunch usually arrives at about 1.15, after the main burst of Brexit news is done-with. In the evening, I usually miss the national news altogether. I still watch either the BBC or ITV local news, because it tends to be mostly about real stuff that has actually happened, not fiction or fake news generated by politics and politicians.

So I guess I'm not really a proper "news avoider", but a part one. But I think I gain the benefits, because I no longer take much notice!

Some aspects of this seem similar to the effects people seem to experience when they give-up on things like excessive social media use - they feel better, lose the stress that bugs them, and are more interested in "real life" and the people around them.

So overall were we better off before the mighty internet came along in its present form? Like to know what you think . . .