I record programmes the don't watch them.

If it is, * Nankate *, you are not alone! From distant collections of 'must have' 78s, 45s, EPs, LPs, Tapes, and CDs through to video recordings, Betamax then VHS, then DVDs and memory sticks, hard-disks and goodness knows what else we have collected, recorded or down-loaded stuff we've often hardly ever bothered to listen to or look at, so we've stopped doing it except in very special circumstances. Blue-ray, what's that all about, do I need to know?

DH is the one who can't be bothered to watch what's been recorded so I find it's easier to catch up using the lap top and headphones - usually while he's watching snooker/football/formula 1/rugby etc.

I watch all my recordings, and save a few as treats for when there is nothing else on.

DBH on the other hand has hours' and hours' worth of stuff he never looks at.

I'm like you, NanKate. Yet I'm sure when we used to record programmes on video we actually did watch most of them!

Sometimes I record a film, don't watch it and then watch it when it's shown on the TV again - even though I've still got my recorded version.

I too have a list of films and other programmes that I haven't got round to watching. It's like having stacks of weekend newspapers and supplements to get through - it turns into a bit of a chore rather than a pleasure. I often end up just deleting them.

We seem to have a gremlin that records things while we aren't looking. One of us will go through the list of recordings and invariably say "what's this? When did you record it?" "I didn't, must have been you!" It's no wonder there's never any space on the recorder. Then there are the innumerable episodes of things my grandson likes to watch when he comes over which have to be weeded out from time to time and he always wants the episodes that have gone!

From the very beginning I realised that, by recording something I somehow felt that it was part of my own personal memory bank. I have boxes of videos [some of them behind me as I write]. I still mean to watch them, though....

We never record programmes, for that very reason.

I've often wondered why video recorders don't have a timer for playback as well as record, then you could record the programs you don't like and play them back while you're out.

Come to think of it I don't know why the remote control has an "OK" button, but not a "No it isn't OK" button.

It was a sad day when I could no longer record programmes onto video when everything went digital .I'm now the only person on the planet that doesn't have any means of recording programmes because I can't understand how anything works now . And I can't watch iplayer either now. I did ask the nice knowledgeable chap at Currys yesterday if he would like to come and live at my house .

I can't record anything now, but everything comes round again eventually so I'm not bothered.
In fact, I'm not bothered about much these days, I just come back to GN.
It is a 'getting older' thing, I think.

Tegan when we had a new telly we decided it was worth getting the Curry's type firm we bought it from to come and set the telly up put all the wires in the right place and give me a lesson in how everything worked, it was money well spent.

Another suggestion is to get yourself a PVR (personal video recorder) we bought an excellent one from a company called Humax, it is not hard to use, I can record two programmes at once and watch a programme I have recorded at the same time. It is linked to the tv.

If you are on a tight budget And don't want to pay out for the above some charity shops sell second hand electrical items such as PVRs.

Final suggestion TVs which are called SMART which means they can access the Internet have most of the main TV stations with catch up which gives you about a month to see programmes.

Hope I haven't deluged you with ideas.

Tegan, PVR recorders are very simple to use. Unlike the old VHS recorders you just select the program you want to record from a menu instead of having to faff around setting start/stop times, and a channel number. You don't have to worry about whether there's enough room left on a tape either, as they record everything on one internal disk that lasts for hundreds of hours.

Another advantage is that they will play back whilst recording, so you can either watch one program whilst recording a different one, or you can use it to "pause" a live broadcast. If the phone rings, just press record, and then press play after you hang up to resume where you left off.

Some of the HUMAX ones will record two programs at the same time whilst watching a third.