Since we had, in any event, increasingly spurned what appeared on television, and viewed and valued it less as time went on, it is no great loss to find ourselves now without a television set. Its presence performed more of a distracting rule than an informative or entertaining one for us, in any event.

And now that we're free of its presence and the habit-born curiosity to see 'what's on', only to discover 'nothing much', it isn't being mourned in its absence.

Instead, we've turned our attention to other, more deserving time-and-attention-consuming habits. Like reading, conducting conversations, doing research on topics of interest, using both the Internet and our home library, and finding great satisfaction there.

We will, doubtless, in due time, relent and avail ourselves of a newer, more technologically advanced set that will accommodate the 'new and improved' signal reception.

In the meanwhile, we have at present the presence of a week's-worth of valued house guests. And they kindly offered to entertain us last night with a scintillating performance of 18th Century music, more enjoyable by far than the fare available elsewhere.