The Top 40 Fantasies No.2

1. It’s A Heartache (1977)                                                                                                                                                                                                               Bonnie Tyler                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Marie (1937)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Tommy Dorsey; vocalist: Jack Leonard

3. Mozart : 1st Movement From Symphony No.40 (1971)                                                                                                                                                      Waldo De Los Rios

4. Little Bitty Pretty One (1957)                                                                                                                                                                                                    Thurston Harris

5. When You Walk In The Room (1964)                                                                                                                                                                                      The Searchers

6. That’s All Right Mama (1946)                                                                                                                                                                                                    Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup

7. Whatever Happened To Old Fashioned Love (1983)                                                                                                                                                             B.J. Thomas

8. Let The Good Times Roll (1956)                                                                                                                                                                                               Shirley and Lee

9. I’ll Make You Happy (Just Like Your Mama Wants) (1966)                                                                                                                                                The Easybeats

10. My Hang-Up Is You (1972)                                                                                                                                                                                                        Freddie Hart

11. Jingle, Jangle, Jingle (1942)                                                                                                                                                                                                       Kay Kyser; vocalists: Julie Conway and Harry Babbitt

12. Funkytown (1980)                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Lipps Inc.

13. My Sweet Lord (1970)                                                                                                                                                                                                                 George Harrison

14. At Last (1961)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Etta James

15. Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car (1988)                                                                                                                                                                     Billy Ocean

16. Five O’Clock World (1965)                                                                                                                                                                                                          The Vogues

17. The Ballad Of Lover’s Hill (1963)                                                                                                                                                                                               Teresa Brewer

18. Pictures Of Matchstick Men (1968)                                                                                                                                                                                            Status Quo

19. It’s The Little Things (1967)                                                                                                                                                                                                         Sonny James

20. I Found A Love (1962)                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The Falcons

21. Axel F. (1985)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Harold Faltermeyer

22. At Last (1942)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Glenn Miller; vocalist: Ray Eberle

23. Living Next Door To Alice (1972)                                                                                                                                                                                                The New World

24. I’d Rather Be Sorry (1971)                                                                                                                                                                                                              Ray Price

25. Language Of Love (1961)                                                                                                                                                                                                                John D. Laudermilk

26. Dear Hearts And Gentle People (1949)                                                                                                                                                                                       Bing Crosby

27. Rock ‘N’ Roll Ruby (1956)                                                                                                                                                                                                               Warren Smith

28. Be Bop Boogie (1950)                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Mustard and Gravy

29. I Ain’t Living Long Like This (1980)                                                                                                                                                                                             Waylon Jennings

30. Marilyn (1952)                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Ray Anthony; vocals: Tommy Mercer and The Skyliners

31. Numbers Boogie (1949)                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Sugar Chile Robinson

32. Summer (1976)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                War

33. In The Middle Of A Heartache (1961)                                                                                                                                                                                          Wanda Jackson

34. When You Walk In The Room (1987)                                                                                                                                                                                          Paul Carrack

35. Parade Of Broken Hearts (1957)                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ned Miller

36. Living Next Door To Alice (1976)                                                                                                                                                                                                  Smokie

37. Universal Soldier (1965)                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Donovan

38. Sugar On Sunday (1969)                                                                                                                                                                                                               Tommy James and The Shondells

39. Better (1991)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       The Screaming Jets

40. Ma Belle Marguerite (1947)                                                                                                                                                                                                             Georges Guetary

Articulate English: Auxiliary Verbs

Many people know far more about English grammar than I, so should you detect a failing in this area on my part, please, notify me.

Some verbs (or “doing words”) are readily recognisable, e.g., run, jump, throw…while others are not so easily detectable.

These include: am, is, was, were, has, have, had, did, do, done.

Sometimes these act as auxiliary (or “helping”) verbs which precede other verbs, e.g., I do think; he is arriving; have they paid?

In the above instances ‘do think’, ‘is arriving’, ‘have…paid’ are examples of what some people term “double verbs”.

The double verb ‘is arriving’ consists of the auxiliary verb ‘is’ and the present participle ‘arriving’. Using the past tense ‘is arriving’ would become ‘had arrived’, with ‘had’ being the auxiliary verb and ‘arrived’, the past participle.

“The Male Is Brighter Than The Female!”: Friday, 1st July, 1977

Once the bitter cold had eased on this fine day we spent some time in the backyard. Suddenly, Tiki exclaimed, “Oh, look at the two parrots in the branches! See how one is brightly coloured? That’s the male. The male is brighter than the female.”

To which I replied, ‘I’d like to get you stating that on tape.’

“Get what on tape?”

‘You stating that the male is brighter than the female!’

Perhaps not! For this afternoon I bought a litre of Berger’s ‘Ceiling White’ at a hardware store in Cremorne for $3.90. That is almost a dollar more than I recently paid for the same amount at Green’s Hardware, in Caringbah.

We dined at K’s Snapper Inn, in Manly. Tiki had calamari as an entree, while I ordered the fried Tasmanian scallops. Both were priced at $2.50. As a main course we respectively ordered grilled bream fillets ($4.20) and a prawn salad ($6.00). I had the pavlova for dessert and Tiki, the banana fritters. Four glasses of orange juice, one cup of tea and one cappuccino later and the entire bill came to twenty dollars.

Our only possible gripe was that Tiki’s main course had arrived before she had finished eating her entree.

Is Twenty-One Old Enough (Because Eighteen Certainly Isn’t)?

Do you remember yesteryear when the age before an Australian could vote in a political election was twenty-one?

How did it ever get lowered to just eighteen?

All too regularly we hear about the immaturity that is on display from young adults. Commentators all too often respond inarticulately with utterances that pertain to giving these individuals “a break” or refer to their need to be “cut some slack” because “they’re only young”.

Young, yes, but still old enough to legally cast a vote!

Additionally, and without wanting to degrade those who do, many people in their late teens possess little knowledge of the real world around them. One only has to watch many of the current quiz shows to realise that the questions have been diluted and set in accordance with this fact.

Now that alcoholism amongst our young is such a major problem and drain upon our society, why not raise the legal age at which one can imbibe to twenty-one and reinstate the age at which one can vote, simultaneously?

‘Never Buy Fitted Sheets’: Saturday, 2nd July, 1977

Briton Virginia Wade defeated Betty Stove of The Netherlands, in the early hours of this morning, to claim the Ladies’ Centenary Singles crown at Wimbledon. Virginia — despite having won the corresponding event at the U.S. Open, in 1968, and that of the Australian Open, in 1972 — was considered to have been by far the outsider of the pair to win the title. Virginia Wade recovered from having lost the first set by 4-6 to take the next two: 6-3, 6-1. Virginia is only a week shy of her thirty-second birthday.

We called at Rayworths, which is located opposite Miranda Railway Station, to price the Slumberland ‘Gold Seal’ mattress. The fast talker, who served us, tried to talk us out of buying one and settle (no pun intended), instead, for a cheaper variety, the Sealy ‘Flex-o-Firm’. We laid upon a number of different makes and styles. The salesman also told us that one should never buy fitted sheets, for the bottom sheet is always on the bottom and, therefore, they do not last for as long as conventional sheets.

Whilst in Miranda, we did buy a new (paint) roller cover as well as a Sabco roller. The former cost $3.80 and the latter, two dollars and seventy cents.

“Maybe Mahal”, ridden by Roy Higgins — whose nickname is ‘The Professor’ — and “Romantic Dream”, ridden by Darby McCarthy, finished first and second respectively in the Doomben Ten Thousand, which was run at Brisbane’s Doomben Racecourse, at 3.00 p.m. The result meant that trainer, J.B. (Bart) Cummings, made the event his own personal triumph for both the winner and the runner-up ran under his livery. “Maybe Mahal” started at the odds of 8/1.

It is now 5.00 p.m. and a nice sunny day has given way to the cold. “Jeopardy” and “It’s Academic” fill in the hour before six o’clock. Both quiz programmes are on Channel Seven and compered by Andrew Harwood. Teams, consisting of school children, compete against one another and for the honour of representing their respective schools successfully.

The “Barry Manilow Special” airs from half past six. It includes Barry performing his hits “I Write The Songs” and “Mandy”. The latter had previously been a hit for Scott English, in 1972, only then it was entitled “Brandy”. We watched another programme of the series, “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, on Channel Nine, from half past seven, and, an hour later turned to Channel Two to view another edition of the perennial investigative series, “4 Corners”, currently presented by the slender Caroline Jones. This evening’s programme focuses upon the politician, Don Chipp. The series first appeared in 1961.

Bjorn Again: Sunday, 3rd July, 1977

Bjorn Borg of Sweden defeated the American left-hander, Jimmy Connors, in five sets overnight to win his second successive final in the men’s singles at Wimbledon. The score reads: 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.

It was a delightfully sunny morning, but only six degrees Celsius, when we awoke at half past seven. A female Old English sheepdog, with its fur clipped, and a black, woolly Alsatian, followed Tiki and I as we walked to our new house. Having failed to gain entry, the pair waited outside for about an hour before they disappeared.

We combined to give the walls of the kitchen their second and final coat of ‘Tusk Ivory’ and then I covered the white undercoat on those in the bathroom with a first coat of the same. I left to walk ‘home’ at half past twelve, which meant it was my first afternoon off in, perhaps, the last four weekends. I found Tiki to be watching “The Iron Glove”, a film that was produced in 1954. It is set in England, in the eighteenth century, and features Robert “The Untouchables” Stack.

A motion picture, “Three Worlds Of Gulliver”, from 1960, screened from half past three and, at half past five, a new series of “Ask The Leyland Brothers” commenced: John Palotta’s ‘Tudor Court’ at Sandy Bay, in Hobart; and The Snowy Mountain Scheme — built between 1949 and 1974 — which includes a visit to the Berembed Weir, where my sister and I used to be taken as children, are featured.

“Seven’s Big League”, from half past six, covered this afternoon’s clash which was played at Cumberland Oval. I had heeded Tiki’s advice and not listened to hear the score earlier, therefore, it was tantamount to watching the match live. It proved to be an exciting and bruising encounter. The Parramatta ‘Eels’ led by six points to two at half-time, however, Manly-Warringah rallied to just scrape home by thirteen points to eleven. I had overfilled my glass of peach and mango juice in the doorway to the kitchen as I had attempted to watch the screen and pour simultaneously. Fortunately, Tiki took the incident fairly well.

The British film, “Carry On Up The Jungle”, from 1970, followed the latter half of “Hawaii Five-O”. It stars the late Sid “Hancock’s Half Hour”/”Bless This House” James, Frankie Howerd and Terry Scott, as Tarzan.

“Mum” had called in briefly, in the early afternoon, to check on our progress. She took one look at the nicely finished ‘traymobile’, that we’d given a home to after it had been placed on someone’s nature strip, and informed us that it was, in fact, a baby’s changing table. We had been puzzled as to why it only possessed wheels at one end.

Tiki plans to use it to hold her many potted plants.

 

Gloves Required: Monday, 4th July, 1977

We awoke, at half past six, to an extremely cold temperature of five degrees Celsius. As we drove to work we became convinced that we each need to buy a pair of gloves.

Four jewfish cutlets cost us three dollars and fifty-seven cents. As Tiki cooked them, I watched a repetition from Bill Peach’s series, “Holiday”, which transports the viewer to the New Hebrides before embarking on a journey across southern Australia on the Indian-Pacific Railway and, finally, goes on a tour to Melbourne, which includes a day at Flemington Racecourse to witness the running of the Melbourne Cup.

Being totally predictable, we watched “Willesee” and “The Dick Emery Show” prior to reverting to Channel Two, at eight o’clock, to watch ‘Barrow Island: The Key To Survival (Part 2)’ from the series, “In The Wild” with Harry Butler. Harry, whilst being a rustic adventurer, is also a passionate conservationist.

In turn we reverted to Channel Seven, at half past eight, to watch the third instalment of “Captain And Kings”, which stars Richard Jordan, Barbara Parkins and Vic “Combat” Morrow. Produced last year, this mini-series traces the rise to wealth of an Irish immigrant in the United States of the late eighteen hundreds.

Articulate English : Never Saying What They Mean

Today’s children are unfortunately having their vocabularies emasculated by adults who should be more mindful. They resort to using a seemingly almost endless array of trite and hackneyed expressions that bare no resemblance to the usage that they should be conveying to the young.

The singer/songwriter, Joe South, in his successful recording of 1969, “Games People Play”, makes mention of people ‘Never saying what they mean now’.

In a somewhat different context, today, nothing could be closer to the truth.

I have spent a considerable time attempting to decipher what the users of some of these expressions might actually be attempting to convey, in terms of acceptable English.

check out (observe, investigate)

good to go (ready, prepared)

get-go (commencement, beginning)

hit town (reached, arrived)

hit the ground running ( commenced with purpose or haste)

listen up (concentrate, become silent)

blown away (astonished, amazed, exhilarated)

back-to-back/straight/in a row (successive, consecutive)

talk/run me through (explain, describe, elucidate)

down the track (henceforth, foreseeable future, forthcoming))

doing it tough (struggling, enduring)

up to speed (brief, inform, make knowledgeable)

run the tests (conduct)

only way to go (imperative, advisable, essential, acceptable)

won’t end well (ill fated, disastrous)

thinking this one (referring to, selecting, considering, contemplating)

step up to the plate (survive, manage, volunteer)

cut some slack (tolerate, be considerate)

tapped out/cracked (reached, ascended to, peaked)

made good (succeeded)

game-changer (pivotal, essential, vital)

doesn’t come cheap (is expensive, dear, costly)

measuring up (performing)

must-see (compulsory, imperative)

over the top (extravagant, outrageous, ostentatious)

heaps (numerous, many, extremely)

heaps tough (extremely difficult, demanding, challenging, enervating, exhausting)

all over the shop (haywire, erratic, uncontrollable, unpredictable)

above board (legitimate, legal, lawful, conscionable, just)

How come? (Why?)

go with (support, select, choose)

up and down (inconsistent, varied, vacillated)

get on board (join, combine, unite, partake of, assist, enrol, collaborate)

pick up (intensify, strengthen)

picking up (detecting, identifying)

level playing field (fairness, equality, parity)

a bunch of (an array, a display, numerous, a variety, a plethora, glut, abundance)

up front (forthright, frank, open, initially, a deposit, in advance)

run with it (accept, embrace, act expeditiously, be progressive, far-sighted, futuristic)

on the same page (in agreement, concur)

whistle-stop (fleeting, ephemeral)

messed up (confused, disillusioned, behaved mistakenly)

think outside the square/box (be creative, unconventional, imaginative)

the only way to go (prudent, sensible, obvious, desirable, logical, the only alternative)

pick up the ball and run with it (be determined, progressive, far-sighted, futuristic)

no-win situation (hopeless, undesirable, unenviable, imperfect situation; an impasse)

did a runner (fled, bolted, absconded)

jump on (access, board, enplane)

make it big (succeed, achieve, be successful, become renowned)

set the bar high (excel, raise the standard of significantly, aspire)

stand out from the crowd (be unlike, different, unique, display individuality)

go-to (dependable, reliable, knowledgeable, forthright)

up and running (operating, operational, effective)

anytime soon (shortly, in the foreseeable future)

Today’s children are having their vocabularies emasculated by adults, who should be more mindful, using a seemingly endless array of trite and hackneyed expressions that bare no or little resemblance to the usage that they should be seeking.

Australian children’s skills in writing are at a nadir. Is this any wonder when our adults continually bombard them with this drivel?!

Try and instill in your children a love of words from an early age. Begin with short words such as rue, coy…and encourage them to use them in their writings.

Coax them to learn a new word every week or fortnight. Introduce them to crossword puzzles.

Do not depend on their teachers to do this for you. Few will.

 

 

‘Shane’: Tuesday, 5th July, 1977

It was a “warm” seven degrees Celsius at 6.30 a.m. We were listening to Cliff Richard’s “Don’t Turn The Lights Out” as we reached our place of work.

This evening, upon our return, we set out at half past five to walk up Port Hacking Road to Caringbah before we returned via Taren Road. This brought my mileage walked since the fifteenth of April to two hundred and thirty-five.

The usual viewing of a Tuesday followed, with Channel Seven’s “Willesee” followed by the American comedy, “Good Times”. It began to teem with rain, and, at eight o’clock, we turned the dial to Channel Nine in order to watch the latter half of “Charlie’s Angels”.

At half past eight, on Channel Seven, Bill Collins introduced the western, “Shane”, which is, indeed, a classic motion picture. Produced in 1952, it has the late Alan Ladd cast in the title role. Jack Palance is also present, as is the late Van Heflin, and Jean Arthur. The late Brandon De Wilde plays the part of Joey.

 

Foolhardy Act: Wednesday, 6th July, 1977

The early morning drizzle has stopped. We paid one hundred and forty-nine dollars for a Lullaby ‘Innercell’ mattress at Bob Pollard Discounts, in Caringbah. It will go on our spare double bed.

As we participated in our daily walk, a motorist made the decision to cross to the opposite side of the street and, unbeknownst to me, drive up from behind so as to pass as closely as he dared to the point of my left elbow. He then sped off as I stood there in total disbelief at just how foolhardy he had been.

Channel Seven screened the movie, “Amelia Earhart”, from 7.30 p.m. Made for television, it lasted for three hours with the inclusion of breaks for advertisements. Its cast includes the Canadian actress, Susan Clark, who portrays the intrepid aviatrix, John “Bachelor Father”/”Rome With Love” Forsythe, Susan Oliver and Jane “Father Knows Best” Wyatt.