Whistling in the dark times

September 14, 2021 â€" 9.00pm

In light of our current “troubled times”, Gaz Simpson of Edgecliff has reflected on how his parents and grandparents managed to stay buoyant during the Great Depression and World War II: “Well, they sang a lot. Most families had a Boomerang Songster ready for the Saturday night sing-a-long. They danced a lot, and best of all, they whistled a lot. Mum whistled doing the washing up, Dad did so as he walked along the street as did my grandfather and my cousin whistled songs on our local radio station! It is indeed sad to think that in undertaking such joyous, uplifting activities in our present epoch is to run the risk of a fine or, at the very least, a recommendation that you seek counselling.”

Despite the assertion from Peter Miniutti of Ashbury that it “sounds like a load of bull”, Ron Polglaze of Bullaburra thinks “Mr Tyson Cattle’s (C8) bid for nominative determinism is knocked out by the ABC’s political editor Andrew Probyn.”

“Along Epping Road through Lane Cove is a certain indication that spring is sprung,” reckons Lyn Langtry of East Ryde. “Congratulations to Lane Cove Council for maintaining the azalea garden along the roadside. It’s a veritable item of landscape heritage. Are there any other such displays eagerly anticipated each year?”

According to Allen Dodd of Kirribilli, tannin (C8) has its uses: “I used to help my great aunt by collecting eggs on her small farm. She always had a bucket of cold tea by the back door. When I asked her what the bucket was for she smiled and said, ‘If that silly bugger at the store is daft enough to pay me an extra halfpenny for a brown egg then I’m just daft enough to sell him as many as he wants’.”

“Cleaning fridge magnets (C8) is boring? A more tedious job is writing the catalogue number onto the back of each jigsaw puzzle piece for your local library. You can borrow some talking books to help the time pass,” says Rhonda Ellis of Lismore.

“Just once, I do believe your usually reliable correspondent, George Manojlovic (C8), has misfired. The mu variant is mad cat disease, not mad cow,” suggests Michael Box of Lugarno. Either way, help is at hand, thanks to Mickey Pragnell of Kiama, who says: “A good hard whack of ivermectin should stop the mu variant (C8) in its tracks, no?”

Column8@smh.com.au
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