Guess What
Guess What
I have no idea how I do it, but often within half an hour of surfacing each morning I have put my mobile phone down somewhere. It is annoying for me but Geordie really finds it off the scale frustrating and instead of ringing it or helping me he just keeps saying “I don’t believe it!”
I then have to find a land line to ring my phone: it might be balanced on a shelf where I put it down as I was carrying too many things, or in the pantry and quite recently in a shed when I was collecting more tonic waters as Nanny was staying and we had run out of gin and tonic water. That was more challenging and I had also left Geordie's keys there too - so a double whammy.
This is further complicated by the fact it is not always easy to find a mobile phone signal here at Highclere. We seem to be in a bit of black spot. There is, however, a reasonable chance of two bars of connection by a low brick wall near the Coach House and thus also somewhere to sit.
For my own part, I am not sure that this is a huge disadvantage as it means you have time to gather your thoughts and make a proper phone call. On the other hand if it is one to the team here it means it may be better to go and find that person and speak to them directly rather than via that rectangular gadget that is permanently glued to hand or pocket – if not in my case.
If your mobile does miraculously ring, the connection is often so weak that I find myself leaning out of windows or standing on desks in an effort to hear. Being of ancient years, I obviously grew up pre the mobile phone revolution. As much as possible we were outside, climbing trees, building forts, building secret paths as well as playing tennis, looking after ponies or reading and playing games of racing demon. As a child I always enjoyed climbing trees and cartwheeling, so I suppose it all helped instill the necessary innovation and agility needed for mobile phone use.
Everyone here has their favourite spot where they think they get the best signal. The Highclere team are regularly seen roaming the lawns waving their phones in the air whilst the gift shop ladies explore their own agility, climbing onto a chair by a window in the stockroom. I have to remind myself that times change but I think it is also always worthwhile evaluating change. Highclere is both ancient and modern.
Mobile phones obviously give us the ability to communicate beyond borders but equally they have no filter unless we remember to reflect first. Like a fire which can give us warmth on cold winter nights they can be positive but, if they are the only thing through which we look at and listen to the world, they would seem to me more like a fire which has ignited out of control in the wrong place and can consume us.
Certainly, it seems that attention spans have shortened over the last 20 years and there seems to be a growing body of proof that the more time a person spends consuming digital media each day, the more likely they are to struggle with depression and anxiety.
Husbands (or partners) however, seem to have a unique relationship with them. I occasionally ask Geordie whether he would prefer to go for a walk round the gardens with his phone or his wife. Naturally there is no competition, and so the phone goes on the walk with him.
Occasionally, I make the mistake of asking if I might borrow his phone to look something up which produces a near crisis of indecision and panic. With unbelievable reluctance I am allowed to hold it but, before I can find out what I need to know, he has grabbed it back saying he can look it up instead for me.
From time to time, I try to ring him on his phone as, in a rather old-fashioned way, I believe that apart from all its other functions, it is fundamentally a telephone with a person at the other end. It appears to be one of the miracles of the male sex (and also all children) that, even though he never seems to put his phone down, neither does he ever answer it. After 15 missed calls, I cannot decide what I want to do – moving swiftly from the options of divorce and/or murder to immediate worry that something has happened.
In fact, of course he is either too busy doing something else or merely oblivious. I have found the best thing to do is send a text saying that I took his silence for acquiescence and have just ordered a few more sofas, paintings and hand blocked wall papers and sent it to his account… Miraculously the phone becomes a phone again.
However, the fact remains that at Highclere, the most useful gadgets are the old black radios that everyone here carries. The banter on “Radio Highclere” is a treasured part of each day, sometimes functional, sometimes urgent and sometimes just to remind each other we are all here. It is occasionally augmented by John with a megaphone, trying to get my attention as I am late for a meeting with him and naturally have neither my radio nor my mobile phone on me.
111 Comments
P:ockets are useful.
I just downloaded a free phone app called "Find My Phone." When you lose your phone, you either whistle or clap, and the phone hears it and blows out the sound of a fog horn. If your phone is in a far away room, you may have to walk into that part of the house and whistle or clap there, so it can hear you. But it really works great!
I have it and my husband could look for it - or not
Hilarious, but oh ! So true !!
Thank you for this! I really enjoyed it. We can all relate!
Yes - phones and keys
AND GLASSES!!!
Shelley McLaughlin
Ah, think many of your readers, whichever gender, will relate to this post! :) Like the idea of the text sharing all the items you purchased. Appreciated the humor and a bit more insight to the reality that no matter where in the world we live, we have a lot more in common than we may realize. Have a blessed week.
We all live under the same sky
Yes - we can all relate to so many things you said. I especially smiled at how similar husbands are about not answering phones. :)
Oh how I enjoyed this one this morning.
Read it out loud to my husband and we both had a few good chuckles!
Over here in America amid all the chaos we are needing laughter to ease the heaviness weighing down in our minds and hearts.
Lady Carnarvon,
What a funny piece you have crafted for our enjoyment today. I share your frustration after listening to the much larger task of finding your phone (in your larger space) or getting someone who is constantly in possession of their own phone to either let you barrow it or for them to answer it. I am glad my challenge is significantly less than yours. I liked your photos with todays' story as well in particular the cover photo of you sitting on the stairway as it highlights the large expanse of the wall beside you. I hope for an improvement on the phone situation for you.
Thank you for such a day in the life piece.
I wonder if my husband might read this?!!
Oh Lady C I wonder what Carson would handle a mobile pin and it ringing g evrey 5 minutes 🤣, the feeling in your stomach when you carnt find your mobile is awful and you feel tge sweat breaking on your brow !!! 🤣🤣 My wife sometimes as a prank hides mine !! Thank you for another fab vlog best wishes Mark in Sheffield 🤘
Download Find My Phone app on your computer. Link your phone to it. Then whenever you can't find your phone open the app, click on your phone on the map and click on the 'i' in the circle. It will say 'Play Sound. Click on that and your phone, where ever it is, will emit a continuous loud sound, until you find it and stop it. Being of the pre-computer, pre mobile phone generation, I didn't work all this out for myself. For anything IT, I call on my grandson all the time!!
Someone has to click!!
This brought a big smile on a cold Monday in St. Louis, Missouri! Though I don't have a partner, I can certainly appreciate this story and the humor! Cheers!
Love it , I totally understand your husbands mindset...
I loved your story. I have a two bedroom condo and always seem to leave my phone at the other end of the house. I walk around shouting hey Siri or Siri hoping to get a response and I usually do. When I don’t, I have my trusty Apple Watch that I can cause to ding loudly. I feel for you having so much more space to lose your phone..
oh how lovely !..you are very refreshing and this is this mornings giggle for me ..must say i don't have your problem as my husband simply refuses to use a cellphone ..they don't work he says cheers the day
I had to laugh - I lose my phone in my small apartment on a regular basis. I can’t imagine having to backtrack my movements in an entire castle! This morning I got caught up in what I call ‘chaining’ - one thing bleeds into another and I’m 6 turns away from my original intent. 😆 Somewhere along the line I thought I had set down my phone… so I backtracked and still didn’t find it! As I stood there getting increasingly frustrated I realized… the darn thing was safe, sound and on my person, cozy in my pocket. 🤪 argh!
That is funny!
We live in a rural area. Both of our daughters live in large cities. They get very frustrated when they come to our house because their mobile provider has poor service at our house. I see it as a way to get away and enjoy the lake and surrounding beauty!
Lady Carnarvon,
I simply adore your down to Earth approach to all things. We all can relate to losing our phones (daily) and other hurdles we
try to clear with dignity intact. Thank you for sharing your everyday trials with us. You have such grace and a joyful heart.
Dorothy
Three words... pants with pockets.
Ditto
Try using the wifi network at the castle. Enable all cell phones to also use the wifi network. Lots of good geestions!
Regards Rsy
Husbands and cell phones....so many similarities the world over !! from a fan in New Orleans
This really Made me laugh!! Thanks. Next Time my husband doesn't answers, I will text, "just got my next trip to Highclere!"🤣😂🤣
That is funny! First class of course
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
I feel you! I was there with you through the whole story, and the pics helped ! On this Monday morning here in Montreal, Canada, grey skies and snow, for a few minutes, i laughed and fetl we were soul sisters. Plus,I had the joy to visit Highclere, so I felt I had a free instant visit, once more.
Please keep bringing us those true moments of life, they are universal. Love, Sylvie
Thank you! It does seem a bit of grey January...
This made my day! Can definitely understand this as have been there with my husband many days! Like the megaphone idea.......
This is all very familiar to me. Thank you for sharing this with us Lady Carnarvon.
I do not live in a castle, but I have the same problem in my home. I'm glad to know that it is a universal problem, especially for us ladies. So much time spent trying to locate it - now I wear a cross body bag around the house so I can roam on any floor and have it with me.
Oh, dear! Mobiles are a mixed blessing! In my case, I have to warn people that if they want to show my husband a picture, do not under any circumstances let him hold the phone. You are not likely to get it back for some time!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
I would propose you wearing a pouch for your cell phone, similar to a clutch of keys worn by the mythical Mrs. Hughes and real Highclere housekeepers of the past.
That way problem solved -- as long as you replace your mobile back in the pouch when done, of course!
Thank you for a smile-inducing read!
I, too, am baffled by how quickly and easily I misplace my phone. I was holding it in my hand five seconds ago! I'm constantly asking with a loud, stern voice, "Siri, where are you???" The beauty of aging... Welcome to the "Women of a Certain Age Club", everyone!
tout a fait dáccord! very well put
Oh my, what a delightful dissertation on the wonders and perils of that ubiquitous modern device that we are all destined to spend our lives with. I suspect that every home with two partners that one is devoted to the damn thing and other thinks it would be better to have an old fashioned wooden box hanging on a wall. That box would have a crank that when turned vigorously would get someone named Mildred or Martha(no offense meant to anyone named either) who would be asked to connect the caller to someone else. Simpler times for a simpler world.
Thank you!
We've lived in areas with poor mobile signal strength. Always used WiFi calling on mobile phone as a supplemental connection. But in an ancient, stone building...your results may vary
!
I feel your frustration! I too lose my phone and glasses. Our house is 1,800 Sq ft so not far to look and hubby will assist. Yesterday I realized I had one pair of glasses on my head and the other on my face.
Thank you for your blog and have a fabulous day. ❤️
That is so funny!!!!!
Lovely the pictures of guess what and did you an lord Carnarvon have a wonderful weekend and lam fan of downtown abbey and highcelere castle
I laughed out loud reading your story today. So familiar - sounds a lot like me, with misplacing things, and my husband, with the whole phone business. Thank you for brightening my day.
This was a fun read and I could relate so much to this! I love you reading style, thanks for sharing your thoughts and a bit of our beloved Highclere castle with us!
I enjoyed your post very much! I hate to admit how much time I spend looking for my phone. Just like Lady C, I usually set it down while "not having enough hands" to do various tasks.
The Apple "Find My" app can usually locate for me though. Thanks for the very timely post that I am sure most all your readers can relate to...!
I did balance my apple phone in an apple tree one day .. that was a memorable search effort.
Hahahahaha!!!!
Thank for for the best smile in days!
We have all experienced the phone frustrations you bravely admitted to.
Thank you also for the wonderful pictures. They remind me of my May visit......
Wonderful! Spot on, on all accounts! We, most of us, truly do have much in common.
Hello Lady Carnarvon.
I have a spare PANIC BUTTON device if you need it.
Perhaps it is time to consider a cruising holiday with no access to a mobile phone.
Carry on and carry on again at Highclere.
You made me feel so normal! I loose my phone multiple times daily and my husband gets so frustrated with me! So glad I’m not the only one‼️
You made me feel so normal! I loose my phone multiple times daily and my husband gets so frustrated with me! So glad I’m not the only one‼️
Extraordinary how husbands are all the same
How true! Husband and teenagers are always glue to their phone but they seem not have understand the real purpose on the black box. It's a phone for heaven sake, give a ring and answer when it rings. I agree that has too many fire, unfortunately, the use of the phone really has gone out of control, but who knows, maybe the next generations will find the way to managing the time and the way we use it.
Very interesting to read today so typical of me wheres my phone!!!!! Thank you glad I’m not the only one xx
I might be stating the obvious but providing you’re not too far away from your router you may find WiFi calling will help. Just go to settings on your mobile and select WiFi calling and see how you get on
Castle Manager John with a megaphone -- I'll be laughing all morning over this. Just no dignity at all (but plenty of authority)
My first criteria for purchasing pants or jackets if that they have to have a zippered pocket.
Soo enjoyed! My family got me one of those apple watches and I use it to locate my phone ALL the time! Drives them crazy!
Of course, LOL Highclere is certainly much bigger than our Texas home. But glad to know that even over there some normal problems
remain the same. Glad you share glimpses of everyday life there. Thank you! Have a lovely week!
I love my wristwatch - it was from a friend and it tells the time!
I lose my phone daily, and my husband laughs and proceeds to look for his lost glasses within minutes.
All in a day's laughter. Sometimes it is a battle to find my phone before he finds his glasses.
Thank you for the Monday smiles.
My husband does not understand that you have to leave the phone “on”. If I am in need of him picking me up at the airport, I call his cell
Only to find that it is shut off. Eventually, long after my landing time he will turn his phone on and call me and will ask if I am ready to be picked
up? The ride home is rarely pleasant. Having said that he is 88 years young.
Dear Lady Carnarvon, Perhaps your home is a tad bit too large for cell phone use. I think you need to downsize. LOL. Obviously I’m just kidding. It is a wonderful home. If get back to the UK in the next few years, I would dearly love to visit. Doug Naffziger, Colorado, USA
What a very amusing blog this morning. We can all relate to it. Thankfully, I rarely misplace my mobile, but then I don’t move around large spaces like you most of the day. However I live in a Retirement Village with approximately 500 other independent residents, many of whom misplace their mobile phones every day. Landlines are almost a thing of the past here in New Zealand, which is nuisance but a fact of life now. We spend hours trying to find phones left down between sofa cushions, in the library or goodness know where. We’ve actually found texting is better as the sound carries further but often they’ve left the phone in their apartment or town house. Now many of our 80+ year olds have small cross body bags in which they carry their mobile phones and tissues. Thank you for such a lovely morning read.
Dear Lady Carnarvon, I really enjoyed this Monday blog! I had a good giggle! Sounds just like my husband and I. As like you, I tend to set my phone down and
my husband has to call from his phone to help me locate where I have left it. Cell phones are the "Bane to my Existence" as the saying goes!
Have a super week!
Very very funny and wonderfully well written !
I laughed out loud when I read your so true post …I recognized myself in it.
Thank you very much, Lady Carnarvon, for brigthening my day !
Excellent !
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
It seems we all relate to the challenges of the missing phones! My additional panic comes when I realize that my phone is on “silent”!! I am an early riser, and so as not to disturb my husband, I put my phone on silent as I send texts to my children. And then I forget to put the sound back on! Lots of additional running around and retracing steps.
The devices are a mixed blessing!!
Thank you for another great read. Be well.
Best regards,
Charlotte Merriam Cole
The silent bit does not help..
Oh you crack me up. But, please don't kill or divorce Geordie.
LOL XXOO
More likely to buy more wall paper..
Such a fun post and SOOOO relatable. I love my husband dearly, but he seems to suffer from the same malady as Georgie in respect to the phone!.
Absolutely delightfully and funny ( & useful) blog post. Thank you!
My dear Lady- you gave me quite a chuckle with your options based on not answering the phone.
I’ll admit to sometimes not picking up as well, since I know someone wants something. No one calls me just to chat any longer, so I’m reluctant to answer.
Keep up the great stories of life at Highclere. They give me glimpses into life there that I find facilitating.
Cheers!
Thank you for this enjoyable message - I am of the same generation. The problem with my husband is that he always has his phone off - even when he calls me and I fail to pick up on time when I call back his phone is off.
Guess what—you lost your phone again! I thought it was going to be something like the rumors are true, they’re secretly filming DA again and I get to break the news. You deserve someplace to sit out back besides a brick wall. Loved the photo angle never used in the show, of the staircase like that. Laughing now, realizing it was you looking for a signal.
Oh my, I loved this post. I can relate.
And for sure about those boys and their phones.
You could not have said it better! Both laughing and agreeing. Very well said. ; )
I think we can all relate to your morning blog. Besides losing my phone, I also misplace my glasses. I, however, am not as bad as my husband. We once found his phone in the refrigerator.
Thank you Lady Carnarvon, for this weekly peek into your life.
This is why everything needs to have its own place in my life… much to the dismay of my dear husband. He puts things down where he last used it….
But then complains that he can’t find it…. And so the quest for said item begins.
I don't live in a castle, but I SO can relate! Thanks for the chuckle.
You made our day.....just read to the hubster!!!! Hilarious and soooo true! Thanks for keeping it real!
Yes, true! I have learned people in the wifi
generation will never answer phone so I only text them! I live in a retirement home and one of my friends lost her phone for a week (finally found between the seats in her rarely used car), so she made a little bag that hangs around her neck! She made a bunch of them and they were hot sellers at our bazaar!
So I wear one of these to hold phone when I don’t have pants or vest with a pocket!! Works great!! !
Who hasn't experienced this! Thanks for another hilarious post about the mix modern life is. I particularly enjoyed the acquiesence part...sometimes it is the only way to get through.
I understand your husband’s connection to his phone. When I was in he environmental business I always had my phone with me, as currently would call all hours of the day and night. Now that I’m retired if I don’t recognize the number calling I don’t answer it. If it is important they can leave me a voice mail. At home my phone is usually in a different room than I am.
It happens to me all the time. Thank you for your wonderful articles.
Bless you and happy new year. Nilda
Laughing in the middle of the vlog. I hate it when I'm looking for my phone and it's in my hand!!!
Before retirement, we used radios at work, loved it!!!!! Maybe get a little crossbody bag that holds only your phone. Just a thought.
Have a wonderful week
Lisa Cosgrove, Illinois
Highclere Hilarity
There once was a glorious castle
Where finding lost phones was not facile
The signal was spotty
Made the residents dotty
Using mobiles, in short, was a hassle!
Absolutely hilarious post and so very true in every aspect you mentioned. I am going to try the texting re just bought something really expensive lol, which will get an immediate reply for sure! Love your sense of humour lol. Best wishes from Australia.
Lady Carnavon,
I so enjoyed your post and your sense of humor!
And living in a castle, you certainly have MANY places and floors where you might have to search.
It's one way to get your exercise!
This was a much needed and well understood moment of laughter today, thank you. It reminds me of the heads, shoulders, knees and toes excercise except now it's wallet, glasses, keys and phone. Wishing you a lovely evening.
Best regards,
Audrey Kuebodeaux
Wonderful essay! I enjoyed it. Thank you.
Nilda Cepero
Nildapoet@gmail.com
Such a fun read. Thank you so much.
Lady Carnarvon,
After reading all of the funny stories responding to yours, all I can say is ‘been there many times’! Another thing to lose in a retirement home is the badge to open your door. I searched the house for 10 minutes looking for mine one evening before going to dinner, and it was clipped to my collar. Yes, it was. Getting older is rarely a lot of laughs! Have a great week!
Martha G
The pic of John with the megaphone just made me laugh! I need one of those!
Very funny. I'm assuming that the shed episode was later in the day and Nanny wasn't desperate for a gin and tonic just after you surfaced.
Yes to give Nanny her due she waits until lunchtime ..
A bonus of course of mobile phones are the cameras which I suspect is the second most use that people utilise. I certainly did when visiting HighClere and the beauty of not using flash to obtain great pictures.
Not so happy with the Artificial Intelligence (AI) they bring though that all companies have jumped on the technological bandwagon though.
I have a new phone and the camera is just amazing -
So amazingly funny. Thank you as I needed a good laugh this morning.
Hahaha! I love it. Hilarious photos too. I particularly like the slightly red face husband with the megaphone. They should have let you write an episode for Downtown! Or a fitness book “How to keep fit walking whilst trying to do other stuff”.
Thank you for the laughs.
Kind regards from Vivian
OHMYGOSH!!! I nearly didn't comment as there already were many on the blog. However, this blog hit home. I laughed out loud several times. It is funny, to the point and universally accepted that the constant connections that mobile phones create are running the world. I truly appreciated your comments....and pictures! Thank you for trying to put some kind of sanity to the vexations of using cellular phones.
Thank you for a hilarious entry! I could relate to the misplaced phone and having to call that number with my husband's phone. But he is the one that misplaces it more than me! I find that the phone is glued to me in case one of my son's needs a baby or dog sitter at the last minute. How did we do it when there were no cell phones and only land lines? At least then, there were actual conversations.
Laughing very hard right now...
Hilarious ! thank you for this element of connection between us , we can all relate!
Once I tried to call my phone (to find it) with my phone, which I was already holding in my hand. The other day I put my spare pair of glasses on top of my glasses, which I was already wearing .
That's when I decided I had to slow down a bit.
kind regards, Silvana
Oh my, how I can relate both with the lack of dependable reception for my iPhone as well as setting things down and forgetting where they are - usually keys and/or
phone! Really aggravating when I find I cannot call my mobile phone because it needs charging or have turned it off. Of course, my excuse is: " My mind is on
overload with all I have to do"! So far, that works...ha ha.
Good to know I am not alone!!! Thank you for sharing.
My partner worked on the team at Motorola when they were developing this new technology. He said they were a bad idea then
and still thinks so & rarely uses his. He retired in 2007 and still draws schematics for the power supply in his sleep. SIGH!
Dear Lady Carnarvon:
Thank you for this Monday's hilarious all too true blog and the great pictures of everyone.
As a suggestion, perhaps you could acquire a cellular phone lanyard and wear it around your neck. Otherwise, perhaps it is time for a Bluetooth type earpiece or a smart watch.
Until next time, keep calm and looking and listening for that ringing phone.
Perpetua Crawford
Dear Lady Carnarvon:
Guess what?! I received this Monday's blog twice via e-mail, approximately two minutes apart for each transmission.
Perpetua Crawford
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Perfect!
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts
and making my Monday :-)
All the best, Karin
Thank you!