The gusty winds are continuing to blow. “Last Of The Wild”, this evening, focuses upon the pelican. “Willesee”, at seven o’clock on Channel Seven, contains an interview conducted between Paul Makin, a reporter on the show, and an apparently drunk Robert Shaw. The actor, who was born in England, is asked about his role in the film, “The Deep”, which also stars the English actress, Jacqueline Bisset and Nick “Rich Man, Poor Man” Nolte.
Half past seven heralds another delivery from the American comedy series, “Good Times”, and an hour later, and also on Channel Seven, Bill Collins introduces the picture, “Reflection Of Murder”. Produced in 1974, it features actresses Tuesday Weld and Joan Hackett. Bill informs us that it is based upon a French film of the 1950s, which I remember having seen.
“Darling”, another motion picture, from 1965, screens from half past ten, however, we are only to watch the commencement of it. Evidently, the English duo of Julie Christie and Dirk Bogarde has a prominent role to play, as does the late Laurence Harvey.
Despite the temperature reaching a maximum of sixteen degrees Celsius, a bitterly cold wind made the day an unpleasant one. We paid two dollars and eighty-nine cents for a plastic garbage bin at Target’s store in Rockdale.
This evening, at half past seven, we viewed the motion picture, “Locust”. Set in 1943, it stars Ron “The Andy Griffith Show”/”Happy Days” Howard. It is followed, also on Channel Seven, by the film, “Night Of The Lepus”. Stuart “Cimarron Strip” Whitman, Janet Leigh and Rory “The Texan” Calhoun all feature in this fictitious drama, from 1972, which depicts enormous, carnivorous rabbits running amok.
Although it was a bright, sunny morning it was only six degrees Celsius as we left for work. I did the driving and was in a jovial mood. Tiki, who dislikes them intensely, kept stirring me over my fondness for Volkswagen ‘Beetles’. Because I refused to look upon them as she does, she informed me that I would have to walk home this afternoon. I told her that if that, indeed, were the case then I had better get an immediate start and walked off without having kissed her goodbye. It wasn’t until she espied me hiding behind a fence, constructed of corrugated iron, that we laughed and kissed one another.
“Follow The Sun”, an outstanding documentary on the coast of the region known as The Kimberley, in the north of Western Australia, is shown this evening between half past seven and twenty past nine. Meanwhile, at Trent Bridge, Australia is making a promising start with Davis and McCosker having advanced the score to 1-94. A programme of the defunct series, “Banacek”, is viewed from ten minutes to ten. George Peppard is its star, cast in the title role of the private investigator, Thomas Banacek. Tonight’s guest star is Joanna Pettet, who was born in England. When I finally retired for the night, at half past twelve, Australia had disappointingly slumped to be 4-134.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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 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.