Sunday mornings

So, I have this not so secret secret.
I like to drink beer on Sunday mornings.
I like to drink beer and watch Coronation Street.

A friend of ours, who grew up in Scotland, first got  us hooked 14 years ago by giving us informal tutorials on who was who and who was related (and who used to be related) and who did who wrong in the past.  The tutorials were critical to our ability to get sucked in.

There have been countless weddings, deaths, accidents, fires, firings, affairs, babies born in unusual places since then.  Secrets are not kept for long on Coronation Street.

It is re-broadcast on CBC here in Canada throughout the week and in one big 2.5 hour block on Sunday mornings.

Nothing beats the cosy relaxed feelings that come over me as I sip my beer and watch both the minutae and mayhem unfold on the cobbles episode after episode, year after year.

The kids don't have much interest in their parents watching a show for 2.5 hours at a stretch, so we have not been able to fully have a Coronation Street morning for ages, but the dream is still alive that someday we will.

Come on, join us...it will be fun.  Ask a friend to give you a tutorial so that the Northern English accent and numerous characters do not overwhelm you.  There are so many tantalising story lines to be enjoyed.  What Coronation Street writers do really well is, despite the melodrama, write characters that can be both reviled and sympathised with almost simultaneously.  That is not an easy feat.

We don't live on that street and we probably wouldn't survive 2 weeks if we did.  However, it sure is fun to fantasise that we too are part of the fabric of this tiny community, equipped with a local and a corner shop that makes it all seem so real.  We do not just passively observe but, rather are made to feel included, in a way, just like another one of the nattering neighbours.

If you want to get started, start watching episodes on the CBC website.  Don't forget to stop by the liquor store first!

What do you like to do on Sunday mornings?  Do you prefer floating away activities or getting rooted activities?  Once I pull myself away from Coronation Street, it is always nice to have a Sunday adventure to get connected with MY street and family again before another long week.