Articulate English: Be Selective, Not ‘Picky’

Our once expressive language is inexorably being reduced, in mathematical terminology, to its lowest common denominator, with the accent very much on the word ‘common’.

A further example of this is the verb pick, which almost solely pertained to the removal of fruit or flowers. One might also have picked at one’s nose or even at a scab.

Nowadays, it has almost universally deposed the verbs select and choose. In the past, a team was formed via a process of selection — hence the common noun, selector. One chose what to eat, buy, wear or do.

One did not pick. Nor did one ‘go’ for something, as in “go (for) number four” or “go (for) the green”. Go is a verb that signifies the act of leaving or departing.

 

‘Gemini Man’: Friday, 29th July, 1977

I awoke to the news that Australia had been dismissed in its first innings for 243. Rick McCosker had scored 51 of these and Kerry O’Keeffe remained not out on 48. At one stage in this Third Test, which is being played at Trent Bridge, in Nottingham, Australia was 8-155. At stumps England had scored nine runs without loss.

John Burles, on 2KY, played Kenny Rogers’ hit of the moment, “Lucille”, as well as that bonzer “oldie” of more than a decade ago, “You’ve Got Your Troubles”, by The Fortunes.

https://youtu.be/4SDVkdcO8ts

At 6.00 p.m., the final programme in the series, “Last Of The Wild”, is screened on Channel Two and is devoted to the study of apes. “Willesee”, on Channel Seven from seven o’clock, includes a segment devoted to the mother who allows her baby girl to play with snakes and lizards.

“Gemini Man” is viewed from half past seven. In this series, Ben Murphy is cast as Sam Casey, an agent who works for the government. Having been caught in an explosion whilst underwater, he discovers that he has the ability to render himself invisible.

England had advanced its score to be 2-50 when I turned off the television.

“Who Needs A Chisel?”: Saturday, 30th July, 1977

Overnight, England recovered from being 5-85 to be 5-242. This places it just one run short of Australia’s total. Geoffrey Boycott and Alan Knott remain unbeaten on eighty-eight and eight-seven, respectively.

Our next-door neighbour knocked on our front door to hand us a key to our front door, as well as the garage. The keys had been left with the family by the previous owners, who only today decided to come forward. Can you believe that?

We left for Nock and Kirby where we paid twelve dollars and ninety-five cents for a Lockwood deadlock. The young chap there had been explaining about the various locks on sale when my nose unmistakeably detected that someone had passed wind. When he left to go out to the rear of the store, I mentioned this fact to Tiki and she admitted that she was the one responsible. “No wonder he’s gone out the back!” I quipped.

At half past twelve, on Channel Seven, we watched the second half of today’s edition of the series, “Cher”. This was followed by another from the documentary, “Survival”. This afternoon it is about the wildebeest and wild dogs of the Serengeti.

“Mum” and “Dad” arrived as we were watching the film, “A Stitch In Time”. It is a classic British comedy and stars the diminutive Norman Wisdom. I first saw it in December, 1964 at a cinema in Hunter Street, Newcastle when my favourite songs were “Downtown” by Petula Clark and “Saturday Night At The Movies” by The Drifters.

https://youtu.be/vB08hqjJnPo

“Dad” installed our new lock at the front door, using a screwdriver in place of a chisel. He also chiselled away the brick work at the doorway to the garage, this time using the head of a bolt and a hammer. This has allowed the front doors to close freely. In addition, he transferred the lock that was in the front door of the house into the side door of the garage. After dinner we all watched the movie, “The Time Machine”, which bears the copyright of 1960. Based on the book by H.G. Wells, it stars Rod Taylor, who was born in Australia, and Yvette Mimieux.

The partnership of 215 between Boycott (107) and Knott (135) equals the English record for the sixth wicket in a Test against Australia, first set by Len Hutton and Joe Hardstaff, in 1938. When I retired at half past eleven, England was 7-334.

‘The Kingston Flyer’: Sunday, 31st July, 1977

England was dismissed for 364 and, at stumps, Australia, in its second innings, had lost two wickets for one hundred and twelve runs. This means that it is still nine runs short of ensuring that England bats again; weather permitting, of course.

We picnicked at the Lane Cove River Park on what has been a delightfully sunny day. The paddle-steamer, ‘Turraburra’, was plying up and down the river.

The Australian series, “Ask The Leyland Brothers”, which is produced by the brothers, Mike and Mal Leyland, appears on television from half past five. This evening’s edition visits Lyndhurst, in South Australia, to view carvings done in talcum, before it crosses the Tasman for a look at the old train, ‘The Kingston Flyer’, that travels between the towns of Kingston and Lumsden on the South Island of New Zealand.

At half past six, “The Wonderful World Of Disney” is about a pelican with a broken wing. “The Bionic Woman” follows and centres upon the world of women’s professional wrestling. We watched “The Anniversary” from half past eight. Produced in 1968, it stars Bette Davis, who is cast as a brute of a mother. Her character gives her three sons, daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be, hell. The film also stars Sheila “The Rag Trade” Hancock, Jack Hedley and Elaine Taylor.

‘American Bandstand’: Wednesday, 1st June, 1977

“Behind The News”, at 10.00 a.m. on Channel Two, contains segments on the siege in The Netherlands that involves the taking of hostages by extremists from the Moluccas; the plight of the dingo in Victoria; and uranium and its waste, plutonium. It is followed, at twenty past ten, by a programme that features Aboriginal poetess, Kath Walker, talking about her native Stadbroke Island.

Bitterly cold conditions are accompanied by biting winds and a maximum temperature of just fourteen degrees Celsius for a second successive day. The only difference being, I suppose, is that today is regarded as being the first day of winter although the winter solstice is still, yet, to be reached.

I rather foolishly paid one dollar and twenty-five cents for one hundred grammes of cashews at The Nut Bar, inside Miranda Fair.

‘Winged Fury’ on “Last Of The Wild” concentrates on the falcon. The fabulous “25th Anniversary Show of ‘American Bandstand'” screens from half past seven and includes many stars, both past and present. Rick Nelson, Johnny Rivers and Johnny Tillotson are just three to appear. Johnny Tillotson seems to be embarrassed to see himself as he appeared in 1959. The programme concludes with “Roll Over Beethoven” which is performed by Chuck Berry, at the age of forty-five years , whilst he is accompanied by a galaxy of talent.

‘Prudential Trophy’ Begins: Thursday, 2nd June, 1977

After dinner I washed the dishes, prior to watching the commencement of the one-day international series which is being contested in England. Against the English attack, both Australian openers, Rick McCosker and Ian Davis, scored but one run each and Australia was in bother, to put it mildly, at 2-2.

Greg Chappell and Craig Sergeant were attempting to stabilise the innings when I left Channel Two for Channel Seven, in order to watch “Policewoman” from half past eight.

England Draws First Blood: Friday, 3rd June, 1977

England reached 8-173, overnight, which thereby enabled it to defeat Australia by two wickets. The latter’s innings had ended on 9-169, with the Western Australian pair, namely Craig Serjeant (46) and Rodney Marsh (42 and ‘Man of the Match’), almost having scored half of this total between them.

We left at 7.15 p.m. for the small and bitterly cold Forum Cinema, in Miranda. Neither of us had been there before and were disappointed although the movies, thankfully, were entertaining. “McQ”, from 1974, stars John Wayne and Diana Muldaur, and culminates in an exciting car chase on a beach. Tiki had seen the film previously, but did not complain. We were gelid by intermission, however, “Enforcer”, with Clint “Rawhide” Eastwood, helped to take our minds off the apparent total lack of heating. Tyne Daly is cast as the policewoman who is assigned to work alongside Clint’s character, ‘Dirty Harry’ Callahan, in what is the third instalment of this highly popular series, which bears the title of Officer Callahan’s nickname.

 

I’m Over The Rainbow

When I was in my late teens, I lived in a residential dormitory for two years with thirty-one other males. One of whom was engaged to be married. Therefore, when he quite unexpectedly invited me into his room one day I had no trepidation in doing so. That was until he locked the door behind me, lay down on his bed, pulled down his shorts and asked to fondle him.

What shocked me most of all was the fact that his fiancee was on a tennis court one hundred yards distant, blissfully unaware of what he was requiring of me.

I was so shocked and repulsed that all I could think of doing was to threaten to yell and scream at the top of my voice and after I had promised never to mention what had just occurred to anyone else he opened the door and released me.

Decades later, I read in a newspaper of how he had been accused by male students of acting inappropriately towards them in a dark room during a lesson in Photography.

It was July of 1974 when I had to move from the house of the octogenarian couple because they were about to place their place on the market. When I informed her that a gentleman just a few doors down the street had offered me a room in which to board, she advised me to be wary of the offer without offering any further comment.

Nevertheless, the gentleman had always appeared friendly and, besides, I was not looking forward to repeatedly loading and unloading my ample belongings into and out of my two-door Volkswagen ‘Beetle’. Additionally, the move also negated the paraphernalia associated with finding somewhere else in which to live.

Doug, a handsome young man of fine physique, even assisted me with the conveyance of my personal effects. He, too, was a boarder at the house and when he announced that I was moving in with, in his words, “a pair of poofs”, he certainly was not overstating the case. Doug always maintained that he was a heterosexual and that Bob and Ron had been friends of his family for a lengthy time and, during my stay, I was given no reason to doubt his veracity.

The house was really impressive, with tasteful decor and furnishings. Moveable lights were attached to tracks laid into the ceiling of the loungeroom, and the views of Sydney Harbour were quite mesmirising.

Not only were the doors devoid of locks, there were no handles even on the shared bathroom that was adjacent to my room. The subsequent circular holes were presumably there for anyone who had the urge or desire to peep.

Still, unlike during my year or more with the elderly couple I had just left, my meals were prepared for me and life, in general, was pretty good. What did not sit so well, however, was the fact that as the months passed it became more and more evident that the pair was totally amoral.

Under-aged teenagers would be brought to the house where they would be fed, made to feel at home and (how shall I say?) ‘entertained’. Usually, within a week, they would be returned to from whence they had come. This cycle would reoccur, but not on a continual basis.

Bob possessed an incredible personality and, as a salesman, he would complete his daily schedule in a matter of just a few hours, thereby allowing him to engage the men who would come and go. He would regularly brag about the fact that many of them were married with children.

Something I found to be even more incredulous was the fact that from their outward physical appearance I would never have suspected them of being of that persuasion.

Just when I believed that matters could not have become any more depraved, I learned that, at weekends, the pair would volunteer to work amongst young children.

What I could not understand, was how Ron, at least outwardly, did not appear jealous in regards to what Bob was indulging himself in whilst he was busily at work from nine to five.

One evening I was sitting in the loungeroom, amid a group that had gathered, when the pair began to screen a film, which, in its opening minutes showed the anal insertion of berries and cherries. It was at that point in time that my presence was suddenly realised and I was instructed to leave. I did not know from where such material was being obtained, but I did notice that the pair expressed an attraction to the German city of Frankfurt and the need to return there.

Being enamoured, at that time, of Cat Stevens’ classic album, ‘Tea For The Tillerman’, I decided to literally embark on the “Road To Find Out” and, therefore, left on the 7th of November to drive almost aimlessly in my ‘Beetle’. Upon my return, exactly a calendar month later, the vehicle’s odometer showed that I had driven eight thousand and fifteen miles at an average of of nearly two hundred and sixty miles per day.

The fact that I had driven so obsessively, convinced me that I was really in need of a break and a more relaxing holiday. However, despite the fact that I had gone ahead and sold my car for five hundred and twenty-five dollars in order to pay for my airfares to and from New Zealand, Bob and Ron informed me that because, in their words, I was “straight” I had to vacate the house prior to my date of departure.

Fortunately, I successfully pleaded with them to be allowed to pay them the thirty dollars per week, in advance, in order to secure my room during my seven weeks’ absence.

One morning, before I was told that I was no longer welcome to stay, Bob had brought a young nubile woman into the house. The pair, in a move that I believed was preconceived, began to shower together in the bathroom that was juxtaposed to my room. Before long she began to release a repertoire of all the orgasmic utterances that she could muster, designed solely by Bob in a desperate attempt to get his hands (and goodness knows what else!) on my person. She persisted for all of, perhaps, fifteen minutes.

All of the while my willpower fought the almost insuperable urge to be in that shower with her, especially as I did not have a girlfriend at that time. I regarded Bob’s actions to be both despicable and perverse, but because we were under the one roof, kept my opinion to myself.

During Australia’s postal referendum, organised under the government of Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, on marriage between people of the same sex or gender citizens were virtually gagged from speaking their minds because, in our democracy, there was imposed the threat of a fine of up to twelve thousand dollars for anyone deemed to be doing so. There were instances of forms being stolen from people’s letter boxes. People could state that they had not received their forms or had incorrectly filled theirs in and apply up until a certain date in late October to apply for a replacement. Nevertheless, without vigorous and forthright debate on the subject at hand, the outcome, to what has rightfully been a waste of one hundred and twenty-five million dollars, has never been in doubt and is to be officially announced on the 15th November.

No one, therefore, mentioned anything about how just seven per cent of couple’s of the same sex remain in a monogamous relationship. It has been said that the sudden onset of such marriages here will boost the country’s economy by eighty billion dollars. I predict that once the marriage celebrants, businesses that host receptions, the caterers and honeymoon destinations have had their fill, the next big winners will be the lawyers. The biggest losers, of course, could be the children of many such unions. I certainly hope that this shall not be the case.

We know of a septuagenarian whose daughter is a lesbian. She’s freely admitted to Tiki that she’s always found it hard to accept her daughter’s sexuality. This was compounded more recently when she was given her daughter’s computer, second hand, only to find that the many repulsive sexual downloads that her daughter had believed had been erased, had not been, after all.

Although the daughter and her partner have since separated, there remains disagreement between the pair as to when and whether the two children in the relationship should be accessed. Additionally, the estranged partner is reportedly refusing to contribute maintenance towards the upkeep of the two children.

As for the right of such couples to marry being all about equality and nothing else! How can there ever be equality? To begin with heterosexuals do not see the need to parade about with a flag, especially one that is based on one of nature’s most natural and visually beautiful spectacles.

Secondly, heterosexuals have far more self-pride than to overtly parade in public often in lewd, skimpy outfits.

Thirdly, we don’t turn on our own kind, branding them as homophobic, should they express an opinion that is not in agreement with our own; unlike the same-sex supporters did when a homosexual couple appeared on ABC-TV to advocate that people should vote ‘No’ in the referendum.

Fourthly, I’ve already mentioned that only some seven per cent remain monogamous, far below the percentage of that attained by heterosexual couples.

“Cheque, mate?”: Saturday, 4th June, 1977

At the hardware store, Mitre 10, on the corner of the Kingsway and Mackay Street in Caringbah we selected four litres of Berger ‘Ceiling White’, four litres of Dulux ‘Tusk Ivory’, a paint brush, a paint roller and an accompanying paint tray, only to get to the checkout and be told, to our astonishment, that our cheque for $42.50 would not be accepted. As we had spent a considerable time in choosing the goods, I tried to reason with the foreign owner but he said that he had had much trouble with cheques bouncing and, therefore, remained steadfast in his stance. We walked out in disgust, leaving the goods that we had intended to buy where they were.

We entered the smaller Green’s Hardware on the next block, where we were received much more warmly. In addition to the goods selected previously, we purchased a block to facilitate the usage of sandpaper, as well as a tin of sealer, which the chap at Mitre 10 had not suggested. I wrote out a cheque for $47.34 and we headed for home where I set about painting the ceilings of the main bedroom, kitchen, sunroom and laundry. Tiki, meanwhile, used the new brush to paint the cornices. We felt exhausted by the time we had finished, at three o’clock, and I felt no guilt in sitting down to listen to the encounter between Manly-Warringah and South Sydney that was broadcast from Redfern Oval.

The ‘Sea Eagles’ held a lead of ten points to three at half-time before extending this to 15-3. However, South Sydney fought back strongly and Manly only managed to scrape home by seventeen to fourteen after both sides had each scored three tries. Following “It’s Academic”, on Channel Seven at half past five, I viewed the edited replay of the game on Channel Two’s “Top Saturday League”.

The second international, which is a part of the series to determine the holder of the Prudential Trophy, is being screened live from Edgbaston, in Birmingham. England is batting first. Greg Chappell was on a hat-trick, having captured the wickets of Brearley, when the captain was on ten, and Randall, for a duck. At lunch, England is 7-90, with Dennis Amiss (35) and Graham Barlow (25) having scored the bulk of these runs. Greg Chappell has the short figures of 4-12 and Gary Cosier those of 3-8.