“Just wondering if Col8-ers have any special travel habits for each new country they visit,” writes Geoff Carey of Pagewood. “Mine is finding a barber to investigate the local nuances of a balding No. 1 buzz cut. My best experience is a tie between the Istanbul barber who denuded every orifice on my head with great intensity and the Omani barber’s pyrotechnic sterilisation of his blades by igniting alcohol, causing a brilliant metre long flame in the air.”
“I’m at my mum’s in The Kitchen that Time Forgot,” says Jo Rainbow, currently of Speen, Midsomer, UK. “Please can your learned readers explain the purpose of a pressure cooker, other than being donated to make Spitfires?” Chocks away!
The punchline challenge (C8) from Suzanne Saunders might just have a winner, in the form of George Manojlovic of Mangerton: “A lost sock and an old fart walk into a bar. Lost sock: I’m looking for a match. Old Fart: For my sake I hope you don’t find one.”
John Elmgreen of Mosman reviews the World Cup: “When Argentina beat England in the semi-final, we had the Argentinians in effect claiming to have reversed the result of the Falklands War. Australia beat Turkey in their opening match – but did Australia claim to have reversed the result of the Gallipoli campaign? Just as well England defeated France in the play-off for third place – otherwise we would have had a claim to reverse Waterloo!”
“The anticlimax of a third-place play-off game has all the lack of excitement, intensity and interest from players, fans and commentators of an exhibition game of a pre-season touring all-star team playing locals,” thinks George Zivkovic of Northmead. “Just give both teams bronze medals and concentrate on the final.”
“I remember the mock publication mentioned by Roger Hallett (C8),” says Chris Smith of Epping. “But my recall suggests it was printed as The Sydney Moaning Tharunka. It was, however, so good a replica that I bought one, thinking it was actually that day’s Herald.”
“The ‘kidnapping’ of a compliant Ann Miller (C8) reminded me of the German wedding we attended in 1989 where, in accordance with tradition, the groomsmen secretly kidnapped the bride during the reception and took her to nearby bars,” says Roz Millar of Moss Vale. “The groom had to track them down and pay ‘the ransom’ (the bar tab) to get her back.”
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