Over the Christmas break I finished a number of books I was part way through at the end of 2016 including Life on Air by David Attenborough . Does anyone else find that December just throws your routines and habits into disarray and everything gets mucked around? I had great fun seeing lots of people, cancelling the gym class for more champagne(!) and getting my flat ready for family to visit. My new couch arrived the day before my parents did on Christmas Eve, phew, my dad helped me use an electric drill to put up blinds around my flat and we road tripped as a family, my sister was a surprise visitor, up to York in North England. There were two new books in the Santa stocking as well as a few that I was soooo close to finishing that I have kicked my butt into gear to write some blog posts about.
I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like David Attenborough with his calm British accent speaking over a wildlife image explaining how those animals aren’t very different to humans. David first published his autobiography in 2002 and has since updated the copy to include his most recent exploits. His book is no different and as you read you hear his deep tones vibrating through the written word.
Taking us back to the 1950’s London David describes his journey to the BBC as a producer interested in the new TV technology. Working in the golden age of television where programs were put in place to educate and were done live, David describes his time as constant learning, bureaucratic red tape and adventures across the world. In conjunction with London Zoo David, representing the BBC, traveled far and wide to bring back specimens and footage creating a TV show. It was only due to illness of his colleague that David appeared on screen as he had no real intention of presenting these shows and was quite interested to be behind the scenes producing.
As expected Davids descriptions of his travels, the people, landscapes and animals allow your imagination to place you with him in his adventure. He also unexpectedly gives gold nuggets of information including his description of his first flight(s) to South America that took over two weeks, the first stop from London was Amsterdam. I travel this route often for work and it is now a short 45mins, less if the wind is behind us! David also writes throughout about the technology advances that allowed more in-depth camera work and smaller/more fearful animals habits to be captured.
David Attenboroughs Life on Air is a really interesting read and I thoroughly recommend it as next on your reading list.
