Once, we were obliged to send a thank you card when we received gifts or kindnesses or both.
I always think it's a sign of good parenting when such a note arrives, but alas, in today's busy world where writing takes an age and stamps can usually only be bought in soddin packs of twelve, little sweetnesses such as the
thank you note are as rare as hens' teeth.
However!
We do now have Twitter!
I have gotten into the habit of using my fairly barren twitter account as a thank you launch pad, especially when it comes down to visiting the theatre.
Actors are fickle characters and most will have a professional Twitter account where the handle of
performer or actor makes it into the pithy self description bar underneath their name.
So, when I have particularly loved a production and/or a performance , I can immediately stroke someone's ego with a supportive one liner and a cheerful emoji!
I love this ability to give positive feedback.
Having said this, twitter can be used as a force of evil too, as complaints can be tweeted just as quickly as pat on the back.
I was stood in the queue in Sainsbury's cafe the other day ( they do a nice low calorie Thai curry) when I realised that the lady cashier had not got a scooby do! Twenty five minutes later I was still there waiting for her to master the till buttons when I got a tweet reply from central office apologising for the service!
" If You Can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" so said my mother , a woman who could bad mouth even mother Theresa in private !
And so I'm sat here in the kitchen with my bucket of coffee, looking at a pile of paperwork that needs sorting. ( above)
Have I done anything?
Have I bollocks!
I've just noticed that one of the puppeteer actors from
Life Of PI has liked one of my praise tweets for one of his fellow actors. Now I feel obliged to send him one in return.
Thus is the etiquette of Twitter-dom
I've sat here for 35 minutes looking at tweets
And not a child in the house is washed!