As you may know if you read my tweets, I am a huge fan of the radio.

I usually have BBC Radio 4 on all day in the background. I make time to sit down and listen to the Archers and when possible, the afternoon play.

And I love to drift off to sleep to the gentle burble of a late-night comedy.

I can also be tempted by vintage offerings on BBC Radio 4 Extra and even occasionally by BBC Radio 6 Music. Although when it comes to music I generally prefer to choose what I listen to, rather than have someone else’s choices forced upon me.

And I can’t abide radio adverts.

My partner’s the same. He also favours Test Match Special, which always reminds me of my dad.

I have a copy of the Leicester Mercury from 1953, which includes this photo of my parents emerging from church after their wedding via an archway of cricket bats:

When I was a child, summer had truly come when cricket-mad dad was in the living room in his shorts, curtains closed, watching cricket on telly with the sound turned down and Test Match Special on.

I can still remember the spectacular whiteness of his legs, which never really saw the light of day.

Anyway, what I was going to say is that this amazing vintage valve radio arrived as a present for my partner’s birthday the other day, courtesy of his brother.

It has been restored to working order, although we think it needs an aerial as we can’t get much out of it so far other than a distant crackling.

But it is spectacularly nice, nonetheless.

It glows gently and gets warm when you switch it on.

Even if it never makes a sound, I will be happy to have it there, adding it’s vintage good looks to our living room.

Whilst I listen to my favourites via digital radio, courtesy of the much-less-photogenic telly 🙂