Month: August 2019

I awoke at a quarter past seven and arose twenty-five minutes later, on this dull, overcast morning, to have breakfast on my own after having disagreed with Tiki over whether I should attend the final round of the Australian Open at Kensington tomorrow. We mended our differences before nine o’clock and once she had dried my hair we left at a quarter past ten. I sped towards town in the ‘Galant’. That is, until I almost received my just desserts when I ever so nearly ran into the rear of a VW ‘Kombi’, as I stared at a sports car that was passing in the opposite direction.

Once the car occupied a space in the parking station next to her Majesty’s Theatre, I discovered that I had failed to properly close the car’s bonnet when I had checked the oil, in the garage at home. We walked to Cambergs corner store where I didn’t even have to explain about the letter we had received inviting us to chose our free Christmas gift.

A ‘rough diamond’ pointed out that we could choose between a wooden carving of an elephant and its calf and another that depicted small elephants which stood one on top of the other. We selected the latter, which we were informed was valued at four dollars and ninety-nine cents.

We walked to the cinema in the Pitt Centre which, as the name suggests, is on Pitt Street. There, we purchased two tickets, at three dollars and twenty-five cents per ticket, in order that we might view the movie, “Smokey and the Bandit”, from two o’clock. The film stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed and Jackie Gleason.

Just a few doors from the cinema we located a crowded McDonald’s and, at a quarter to twelve, I ordered two Fillet-o-fish burgers and a chocolate thick shake for myself  and a Fillet-o-fish burger, a Junior burger and a chocolate thick shake for Tiki, at a total cost of three dollars and forty-five cents.

Having consumed lunch, we walked on until we reached the Opera House. I had been trifling with the idea of purchasing four tickets so that we, in addition to Tiki’s parents, might attend a concert by the singer, Kamahl, next month. However, I was told that the tickets for it were not on sale there and was, therefore, given the name of Camini Promotions along with a relevant telephone number.

We returned to Circular Quay and when I dialled the number from a public telephone box I was informed that all of the unsold tickets had been sent to the Opera House last night. As we didn’t feel like walking back to the Opera House, we returned to Pitt Street and located a T.A.B., in which the woman behind the counter instructed me on how to fill out a new card that would allow me to place a bet on the trifecta, to be held on this afternoon’s meeting in Sydney.

It was twenty-five past one by the time we reached the cinema. As “Smokey and the Bandit” bore an ‘M’ rating — fifteen years and over — we were amazed to see so many young children in the audience. We sat in the back row of what would be the equivalent of the front stalls of some years ago. Our seats were comfortable and afforded us with plenty of leg room.

Films on dancing and singing by people of different nations, in Wales, and the sport of orienteering in the United States were screened prior to intermission. After the main feature we walked to the Hoyts Cinema Centre on George Street, in order to use its toilets, before we crossed to the Parisienne Pussycat Restaurant where we splurged eighty cents each on a cappuccino.

Upon our return to the parking station we paid the bill of two dollars and sixty cents. I parked the car at the rear of the Wentworth Hotel and, again, we embarked on a walk to the Opera House; only to be informed that the tickets to Kamahl’s concert were not being placed on sale until Monday.

On the way back to the car we passed retarded men as they boarded a bus marked ‘New Haven’, and saw two policemen drag a man, who appeared to be intoxicated, out of a paddy-waggon and up the steps of the police station while he remained on his knees. Knees, which appeared to contact every one of the steps during his ascent.

Two of the three horses we included in this afternoon’s trifecta: “Little Ben” and “Bye Shayne” were unplaced — the latter actually fell — whilst the other, “Leonotis”, finished third.

Tiki drove home by half past six and in spite of all the walking we had already done, in town, we departed at half past seven to jog and walk through Gymea and Miranda. It was difficult for us to comprehend the number of young teenagers who were walking aimlessly about the streets. Others were congregated outside the Miranda Hotel.

We awoke at ten minutes to seven and arose to begin to prepare for our day at the golf at Kensington. After some moments of doubt, so did Tiki!

She drove while I navigated and parked the car in the street that leads to the Southern Cross Expressway’s flyover. However, upon our arrival at the entrance to the golf course, Tiki was ready to turn around and return home because it was there that she noted that entry was to cost us five dollars each. Again, it was up to me to convince her otherwise.

Greg Norman, Colin Kaye and a young, slim R. Baker teed off at nine o’clock. Each was around twenty over par and I overheard Greg Norman — who rose to national prominence when he so clearly won his first major tournament, the Westlakes Classic, in Adelaide, last year — remark to his playing partners that he would have rather been at the tennis.

We followed this trio as far as the fourth hole, a par three, where we remained at the back of the green and watched the balls of following groups descend from the sky above the water hazard. A playful young dog was making a thorough nuisance of himself, that is, until he was caught and whisked away in a motorised golf buggy.

We returned to the area of the second green and third tee and watched more players pass through. With rain now falling, we moved to the practice tees and watched the left-hander, Bob Charles and a jocular Arnold Palmer hit some balls. Just as it appeared as though the rain was about to set in, it ceased and conditions cleared!

When I saw that Gordon ‘Showcase’ Boyd was headed in our direction I greeted him with: “Hello, Gordon”. He, however, did not present himself to be the amiable, jovial character that we had witnessed on television and appeared to be resentful of the fact that someone who did not know him on a personal basis should dare to utter such a greeting.

I literally retched at the sight that greeted me in a portable toilet. Surely, the depositor of what I witnessed must be living on borrowed time!

Jack Nicklaus teed off at noon. He bogeyed the first two holes and so we decided to wait for the final trio, namely the American, Don January, whose forty-eighth birthday falls due today, David Graham and Randall Vines. David Graham is thirty-one, but Tiki commented that he looked closer to forty. Randall was to have a disastrous outward nine and was to complete this final round with a seventy-eight.

The sunshine was decidedly warm by the conclusion of the first nine. The tall Texan, Don January, led David Graham by a stroke after the expatriate Australian had enjoyed a lead of two strokes, at one stage.

I went to put my arm around Tiki without looking and, instead, put it through that of a middle-aged gentleman. Don January carded a double bogey on the tenth after he had taken two to get out of a fairway bunker. David Graham, therefore, led by a stroke.

By mistake, we went to the twelfth green instead of the eleventh, however, it was worth the wait for Don’s ball came to rest at our feet, as we stood at the rear of the green. We must surely have been on television then and, again, on the eighteenth tee as we watched David Graham tee off on his way to winning the Australian Open, and a cheque to the value of thirty-six thousand dollars, by two strokes. Don January, New Zealander, John Lister and another American, Bruce Lietzke finished tied for second and each received thirteen thousand dollars.

We departed halfway along the eighteenth, in order to beat the crowd. I drove home by twenty-five to six to see if we were on the news, but we weren’t.

Australian Ken Warby has piloted his “Spirit of Australia” to a new world water speed record of four hundred and sixty-four kilometres per hour — the equivalent of two hundred and eighty-nine miles per hour — on Blowering Dam, near Tumut.

I washed the dishes as Tiki watched the conclusion to ‘The Horse In The Gray Flannel Suit’ on Channel Nine’s “Wonderful World of Disney”. Dean Jones and Diane Baker appear in principal roles. Tiki became really excited over the scenes which involved showjumping.

“Hawaii Five-O” followed before, at half past eight, the dial was turned to Channel Seven for the screening of “Perfect Friday”. A product of 1970, this film stars the Swiss actress, Ursula Andress and the Welsh actor, Stanley Baker. “In Like Flint”, a movie from 1967, is also on television tonight. It features James Coburn in the title role.

Our arms and noses are noticeably sunburnt.

It has been a pleasantly sunny day with a maximum temperature of twenty-two degrees Celsius. At 7.00 p.m., on Channel Seven’s edition of “Willesee”, Michael Willesee verbally attacked the prime minister, Malcolm Fraser, over the resignation of the treasurer, Phillip Lynch.

We left at a quarter past seven, with Tiki at the wheel as we headed to the Opera House. I had to yell harshly at her in order to get her to understand that she was left with no alternative but to double-park near the building.

I ran in to purchase four tickets to attend Kamahl’s concert on the fourteenth of December, at a cost of seven dollars and ninety cents each. Tickets for standing room were the only ones available for John Denver’s concert, which had just commenced. I emerged to find Tiki driving about in a circuitous fashion, so as to avoid the possibility of being booked.

Tiki continued to drive and we arrived home at ten minutes to nine. I managed to persuade her that we should not bother going for a walk tonight.

Western Australian, Craig Serjeant, has been appointed as the vice-captain of Australia’s team to play India, at cricket, in the First Test which begins next week. Craig is twenty-six years of age. His superior is Bob Simpson, who is fifteen years his senior.

Benita Collings and John Waters presented “Play School” on the ABC-TV’s Channel Two. John told the story of “The Three Billy-goats Gruff”. “Play School” was followed, at ten o’clock, by “Behind The News”, which was presented this morning by Desmond Murphy, in the absence of Barry Eaton who is in London.

Today’s programme centred upon Egypt’s historical mission of peace to Israel, led by the Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat. Other topics that were covered included the expansion that is being made to the Sydney Museum on the corner of College and William streets, and that of “Tango Duke”, a horse that is in its forty-third year, which means that he is the oldest thoroughbred, not only in Victoria but the remainder of Australia as well — and perhaps the world? Forty-two, in human terms is the equivalent of one hundred and sixty years.

We visited Tiki’s parents’ to observe their new circular laminated kitchen table and the green and white swivel chairs that accompany it. In “Willesee”, at seven o’clock, the voice of Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, was continually drowned out by hecklers, who support the Labor Party.

Following our baked dinner, I washed the dishes while the others watched a programme of the series, “Star Trek”, from a decade ago. For the first time I had ice-cream topped with Kahlua. “Mum” and “Dad” had consumed half a bottle of the liqueur in the past five days.

I left their house at twenty minutes to nine and walked and ran home by five past the hour, which meant that I could watch Channel Two and the last half an hour of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival”, which featured Little Richard, and The Coasters. The latter performed its hits, “Yakety Yak” and “Charlie Brown”.