At the coffee counter (C8), Bianca Rodriguez-Carleton of Drummoyne gives the name Beyonce: “It’s usually spelt incorrectly and either the barista giggles or says it sheepishly. You learn a lot about baristas from their reaction. I tried this in New York on a holiday. The barista came running outside quickly with the coffee, hoping to meet her idol, but was greeted by a tall, Aussie woman.”
“I accept that ‘haitch’ (C8) is here to stay, but I’ll keep fighting for ‘-ly’,” says Claire Edmonds of Floraville. “I refuse to ‘Drive safe’, ‘Cycle safe’ or even ‘Take it slow’. I am prepared to correct the next council sign that advises me to do so. Long live adverbs!”
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Rex Mossop really did light the touchpaper, as evidenced by the following observation from Greg Phillipson of Aranda (ACT): “On Friday night during the Penrith Panthers v Melbourne Storm game, one of the commentators said, ‘That’ll be four consecutive grand finals in a row for Penrith’.”
Sticking with the NRL, Peter Edwards’ query about the potential of back-to-back-to-back premierships has been addressed by Nick Walker of Bexhill: “If the Panthers win three premierships in a row, it will be referred to as a three-peat. An unfortunate expression that rubs me up the wrong way.”
Fans of ink slinging (C8) are coming from all directions to share their tales. Bill Leigh of West Pennant Hills floats the needle first: “Years ago, with my family at the supermarket, a highly inked apparition paraded by. My youngest boy watched on, mesmerised, and asked, ‘Daddy, why don’t you have a tattoo?’ Thinking for a moment, I replied, ‘My boy, tattoos are an individual choice and, in my case, I follow the rule that you would never put a bumper-sticker on a Ferrari.’ Many years later, my son became a professional tattooist/body piercer, with examples of his work appearing in many magazines, and winning recognition through industry awards across Europe.” Not a Ferrari guy, then?
Paul Hardin of Mangrove Mountain was visiting an inmate in custody as part of his job as a criminal defence lawyer. “On meeting my client, who was covered in tattoos, many of which were text as opposed to images, I didn’t know whether to shake his hand or read him.”
“Is your hairdresser’s name Cupid, Cecily Chittick?” asks Judy Achterstraat of Nelson Bay. “Reading about her sent a quiver through my veins.”
