Cooked eggs and Proteas; see you next year

EXTREME weather makes dramatic news, and the media go to extreme lengths to illustrate it. It was ever thus.

Peter Richardson.

EXTREME weather makes dramatic news, and the media go to extreme lengths to illustrate it. It was ever thus.

I was reminded of this on Torrid Tuesday, when my old Fahrenheit thermometer, which is about as old as I am, recorded 98 degrees (36.6 Celsius) on a shaded outside wall of my unit and indicated that this was the highest maximum reading there since I reset it some 10 years ago.

This reminded me of my days in Toowoomba as a young reporter, assigned to write a colour story about a heat wave in which the thermometer topped the 104 degrees (40C) mark.

When someone commented that it was hot enough to fry an egg , I thought I had my hook to the story, so I bought a couple of eggs, picked a suitable spot outside the office and cracked a goog in full sun on the footpath. Result, just a gooey mess. Hot, yes, but not set.

A colleague suggested a car bonnet might be better, but it had a slight slope, and the second egg slid slimily off. All I got from the experiment was a mess to clean up and some queer looks from passers-by.

I seem to remember that the editor settled on a set-piece 'contrast' picture of a butcher taking refuge from the heat in his cold room. An oldie but a goodie.

HAVING watched a fair bit of cricket from my recliner during the Test series just finished, I'm pleased that it was just that ... a fair bit of cricket.

l enjoyed the arm wrestle between the world's two top teams, and was pleased with the spirit in which it was fought by both sides. Full credit, too, to the Proteas for their gracious team tribute to Ricky Ponting

Although Australia was eventually done like a dinner, I don't see any need for hand-wringing media post mortems, and even in the unlikely event that Sri Lanka confounds the pundits and emulates South Africa's well deserved triumph, I'll be happy for the underdogs.

Why? Because cricket is only a game, dammit, and despite its sometimes crass commercialisation on TV, one can still get a whiff of sportsmanship.

Long may this spirit last. After all, "That's not cricket" has for a century or so been the ultimate put-down of unfair behaviour. That is a proud heritage for the game. Whether played by knockabout kids or elite professionals, or watched by a few proud parents or millions around the world, cricket has much to teach us all, and the basic lesson is that good old Aussie exhortation "Fair go, sport!"

I'M off for a short break, so you can read my next maudlin musings on January 5. May your Christmas be memorable, not so much for the presents and the feasting, but for the spirit and the sharing.

As for the new year, may it spark inspiration and renewal in the global village, our nation and our lives after a year that has been overloaded with tragedy, turmoil and uncertainty.

As a new resolution, let's focus on making good things happen rather than wishing someone else would.

Originally published as Cooked eggs and Proteas; see you next year