RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33418, 27 December 1973, Page 15

RANDOM REMINDER

O\ ERSIGHT

The art of conversation' has not quite expired through the assault of ■evision, radio, and traf-i tic noises. There are still some who find that the words come readily, no matter what the circum-j stances may be. One had to admire the' man who can find some-) '■ ig interesting to say at B’most any time and the admiration is even deeper for the one who can lis"i. It is not often that ‘ th attributes can be in the course £ r rting fixture, but there was a prime example in a £' f four in Christchurch i w»>'k or two ago,

ij There were four men,) [ old - established friends f and they played nine holes without particular •'incident. One of them had i scored rather better with > bon mots than birdies. They trooped off to the ’ tenth tee, each brandish- ; ■ling his driver. Silence (descended. broken at i'intervals by the swish ofi ■ the clubs and the sweet' : sound of impact. They! i reckoned the balls went' ■ 240 yards up the fairway;) ■we know better than that,' t and would suggest 180. ? maximum. There was af following wind. Our conversationalist) i resumed his discourse on i various aspects of life as i they marched m line up

i the lush green of the fairway. The first player stopped and played his second shot. Two others did the same. The fourth man, our talkative friend, was unable to play his second. Because he hadn't played his first. The discovery of his ball in his pocket turned i a usually bronzed counItenance into the purple of !a Colonel Blimp. And conversation languished :at last, as he aboutI turned and set off to ■cover the 180-240 yards i back to the tee. I The others couldn’t Isay anything at this deI licious moment. They 'were all fighting off attacks of internal seizure.