George von Martini of Lilyfield would “like to know who opens the door at number 10 Downing Street and on cue? Somebody standing behind the door 24/7? Is there a spyhole, or CCTV, or a sensor? Because every time someone walks towards the door, it opens; even when the house cat ran towards it, it opened. I’m tossing and turning all night. Please can somebody help me?”
According to Jim Pollitt of Wahroonga, for people of a certain age, a parking spot snared right outside your destination (C8) “is known as ‘an Audrey Hepburn park’.” Especially if it’s in front of a green mansion.
“Simulating playing musical instruments in films (C8) is another massive offender,” notes Lorna Denham of New Lambton Heights. “Out of brass, woodwind and strings, I’m not sure which is the worst offender. Keyboard playing can be fudged by not filming the fingers. Perhaps all music students should be taught drama as well to overcome this problem, and it would add another string to their bow, so to speak.”
“With Hollywood movies to be filmed here, would it not save time to simply put an Australian twist on existing American hits?” asks Don Bain of Port Macquarie. “Quickly coming to mind are One Flew Over the Kooka’s Nest, The Wedding Sanger and Aplatypus Now. Any advances?”
The recent talk of getting old (C8) got Tony Hunt of Gordon thinking: “at what age are you too old to have died prematurely?”
More guns (C8), this time on the roof. Vince Russo of Woonona says: “There used to be a rifle range on the roof of the old Water Board building in Pitt Street, now the Primus Hotel. The range was part of the war effort in the 1940s. When I joined the board in 1959, I recall finding the odd shell casing on the roof. It was later used as our basketball court.”
“No doubt that soap products store on the lower north shore (C8) has a surfeit of bubbles,” ponders John Lees of Castlecrag.
David Gordon of Cranebrook thinks Australia’s wait for colour TV (C8) was worth it: The US system is called NTSC (National Television Standards Committee). However, NTSC soon came to stand for Never Twice the Same Colour. It really was awful. Red lips would appear on cheeks (facial, just to be specific). The German PAL system that Australia adopted was infinitely better.”
Column8@smh.com.au
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