Category: My Diary

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.

 

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.

The early morning was a mixture of drizzle and sunshine after which a leaden overcast developed. Nevertheless, there was to be no further rain.

Some teachers from schools in the inner city went on strike, again, today. This is the third such occurrence in the past six weeks. The strikes stem from a dispute in regards to staffing at the Erskineville Infants’ School.

“Here It Is” follows “Last Of The Wild” on Channel Two. In this evening’s edition, Steve Raymond is made to look like a werewolf by an artist who specialises in such effects. Another in the series, “Gemini Man”, follows “Willesee” on Channel Seven.

The Second Test begins at Old Trafford, in Manchester. At 10.00 p.m., Australia was 1-61 with opener, Ian Davis, on thirteen and Greg Chappell, thirty-nine. Rick McCosker had been dismissed for just two. Chappell was in superb form, as his score would suggest.

When stumps were drawn, early this morning (A.E.S.T.) Australia was 7-247. Doug Walters’ 88 represents his highest score in a Test on English soil. Of those batsman dismissed, Greg Chappell scored 44 and Rod Marsh, thirty-six.

I thought that the prices had been adjusted at The Nut Bar, inside the main entrance to Miranda Fair, but when I realised that they had not I was moved to comment that the price of cashews there was twice that of elsewhere. This drew a heated response from the woman behind the counter as she informed me that she only worked there and, therefore, had no control over the prices that were charged.

And whilst on the subject of charging! This evening’s edition of “Last Of The Wild”, from six o’clock, is about the elephant. Channel Two screened recorded highlights of the first day’s play in the Second Test, from eight o’clock. This was followed, at half past eight, by its coverage of the second day’s play, live, from Old Trafford, in Manchester. Australia was dismissed for 297 and England was 2-24, in reply, when I turned in, at ten minutes to midnight.

We were awoken, at 7.00 a.m., by a bird which bore the call of a wolf-whistler. I turned on the radio and learned that England had fought back from being 2-23 to be 3-206 at stumps. Derek Randall had compiled seventy-nine while Bob Woolmer remains undefeated on eighty-two.

At noon we watched a programme in the series, “Cher”, on Channel Seven. It was followed, at one o’clock, by another documentary in the series, “Survival”. This one is about the rare birds in the English county of Norfolk. At ten minutes to two and also on Channel Seven, Malcolm T. Elliott, situated in the studio in Sydney, introduced today’s live coverage of the Australian Rules match from Melbourne between Essendon and the competition’s leader, Collingwood. The ‘Bombers’ led for a time, only to be overhauled prior to the final siren.

“Grey Affair” won the Doomben Cup, in Brisbane, this afternoon and paid $5.05 and $1.40 on the N.S.W. T.A.B. New South Wales defeated Great Britain by thirty-five points to five, in rugby league’s match of the day, which was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The score at half-time had already been twenty-one points to two.

“Plant Eaters”, a documentary that is narrated by the actor, Vincent Price, screens from half past six. It is followed by “King Solomon’s Mines”, a film that bears the copyright of 1950 and includes the English pairing of Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr.

I watched the Second Test, live, on Channel Nine. Bob Woolmer and the lanky Tony Greg were thrashing the bowling. The Australians — wicketkeeper, Rodney Marsh, in particular — obviously felt, as I did, that Greig had edged a delivery from Jeff Thomson and been caught behind, but the umpire did not see it that way. When I retired to bed, at a quarter to eleven, England was 3-288, with Woolmer, 137 not out and Greig, also undefeated, on seventy-six.

Australia is struggling in the Second Test, with England 9-436 at stumps — a lead of 139 runs.

Fallen needle-like leaves from the palm, at the front of the house, became tightly entwined around the lawn-mower’s blade shaft. Sensing my frustration and annoyance, Tiki came to my aid with a sharp knife.

While Tiki painted the doors of a cupboard ‘Tusk Ivory’, I gave the walls of the bathroom their second coat of the same. We only just had enough paint to finish both jobs. Later, she dusted and placed clothes in draws.

In the afternoon, during the washing of our 1973 Chrysler ‘Galant’, we realised that water had entered the vehicle via a leaky, rubber seal in the rear door on the driver’s side. The only plus from today, thus far, has been the gloriously sunny weather, which delivered a maximum of eighteen degrees Celsius.

Tiki, from four o’clock, watched the picture, “Slaves Of Babylon” (1952), which features Richard Conte. Ninety minutes later, “Ask The Leyland Brothers” covers travelling across the Nullarbor Plain aboard the Indian-Pacific train, which traverses the longest straight length of railway line in the world; and the tranquillising of deer, from a helicopter, in New Zealand.

Channel Two’s edited replay of this afternoon’s clash between Canterbury-Bankstown and Manly-Warringah follows. Played at the former’s home ground, Belmore Oval, Canterbury held a slender advantage of three points to two at half-time. Although Manly moved to a lead of seven points to three, it was receiving little ball from the scrums and it was, therefore, of no surprise when the opposition prevailed by twelve points to seven. Today’s loss means that Manly-Warringah is now in fifth position on the competition’s ladder, with twenty points; three ahead of Canterbury-Bankstown.

Channel Two’s news is followed — as it has been for years — by “Weekend Magazine”, which includes an item on the train, ‘The Gulflander’, which runs between Normanton and Croydon in the far north of Queensland. “Test Cricket Highlights” came next, at half past the hour, but by eight I had turned the dial to Channel Nine and the latter half of “Hawaii Five-O”.

In Adelaide, the Australian ‘Socceroos’ defeated Hong Kong by three goals to nil in a preliminary match of the World Cup.

As we had been about to eat lunch I had enquired of Tiki, “Is this pumpkin butternut?”

“Kent”, she concisely replied.

“As in Clark?”, I volunteered.

“That’s right.”

“Does that mean that when I eat it, I’ll be able to fly and jump off tall buildings?”

“Yes. But before you do the latter let me know, so that I can have the garbage bin in position.”

 

A repetition of “Holiday” is viewed, from 6.00 p.m., on Channel Two. It conveys the viewer to Surfers Paradise and Hayman Island before embarking on a journey by raft near New Zealand’s largest lake, Lake Taupo.

After “Willesee” and the “Dick Emery Show” we watched the final programme in the current series of “In The Wild”, with Harry Butler. This evening’s edition is the conclusion to the trilogy on Barrow Island, which is located just off Australia’s north-west coast.

The commencement of the fourth day’s play in the Second Test was beamed live from Old Trafford, in Manchester, from half past eight. Australia required seven balls to claim the last English wicket. Nevertheless, England’s score of 437, in its first innings, means that it now has a lead of 140 runs.

Australia’s pursuit of these has proven to be a disastrous one. Rick McCosker was dismissed when playing an undisciplined hook, before a run had been scored. His fellow opener, Ian Davis, was dismissed in a similar fashion when the score was on thirty-one. Craig Serjeant contributed eight and the tall, lanky Tony Greig trapped Doug Walters leg before wicket in the last over before lunch, after the right-handed batsman had scored but ten.

Thankfully, Greg Chappell has batted exceedingly well and at lunch Australia is 4-92, of which Chappell has scored fifty-two.

I awoke at 2.00 a.m. and turned on my trannie just before the majestic Greg Chappell took his score from ninety-eight to one hundred and two by straight driving a no-ball from Bob Willis to the boundary. Kerry O’Keeffe was the other batsman at the crease and Australia’s total was then 7-188. When I awoke for a second time, at half past six, I was made aware that Australia had been dismissed for a meagre 218 of which Chappell had compiled 112 and David Hookes twenty-eight. O’Keeffe had remained not out on twenty-four. England, at stumps, was eight without loss, which means it requires just seventy-one runs to win when play resumes tonight.

This evening, “Last of The Wild” transports the viewer to Switzerland to observe marmots. “Willesee”, at 7.00, is followed by another programme from the comedy, “Good Times” and from eight o’clock, on Channel Two, we watched “Test Cricket Highlights” which has the lively instrumental, “Soul-Limbo”, as its musical theme. “Soul-Limbo” was a hit, in 1968, for the multi-racial group, Booker T. and The M.G.’s.

Channel Seven’s resident movie buff, Bill Collins, introduces “Lock Up Your Daughters”, from half past eight. The film, which bears the copyright of 1969, stars Canadian actor, Christopher Plummer and the English pairing of Susannah York and Glynis Johns.

On this pleasant sunny morning, “Behind The News”, presented by Barry Eaton, screens from ten o’clock on the A.B.C.’s Channel Two. Topics for review include uranium, Pakistan, the Australian animated feature film, “Dot And The Kangaroo”, as well as the revolution within Melburnian schools where healthier, more nutritious foods are being sold at tuckshops.

Two men arrived to install a telephone at our house. They informed me that they were unable to install a wall phone neatly because of the plaster walls and subsequently we have been left with a customary one, in the colour ivory, in a corner of the lounge room.

Tiki and I left on foot at twenty past four so that I might cover my diurnal six kilometres. Two teenage boys were riding a home-made minibike near Camellia Garden. Its engine sounded like that of a lawn-mower. During our inward leg Tiki told me of how, earlier today, a lady had accidently dropped her baby on to the asphalt near the bridge at the rear of this same garden.

This evening’s edition of “Last Of The Wild” is entitled ‘The Shark’. Sharks do not age nor are they open to disease or infection. We viewed the motion picture, “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, which was produced in 1965 and features a plethora of stars, two of whom are Charlton Heston and Jose Ferrer.

A David Humphreys appears on the thirteenth page of today’s copy of “The Sun” newspaper along with the renewals to five drivers’ licences, which were sent to him through the post. One of the renewals pertains to him.

England won the Second Test by nine wickets when it scored the remaining runs required for victory. The only wicket to fall was that of its captain, Mike Brearley, who scored forty-four.

The highly controversial Sir John Kerr resigned today from the position of Governor-General. As Australia’s representative of Queen Elizabeth II, it was he who dismissed the Labor Government of Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, on the 11th of November, in 1975.

Towards the end of a bitterly cold and windy day, in Sydney, we watched “Las Vegas Entertainment Awards”, from half past seven, which featured Barbara “How To Marry A Millionaire”/”I Dream Of Jeannie” Eden and singer, Wayne Newton, amongst others. “Policewoman” occupies the following hour. In this evening’s offering, a young man dresses as a female in order to murder middle-aged women.