Reporter's Diary

Press, 29 March 1980, Page 2

Reporter's Diary

Shop mascot LOUIS, a cute little white kitten with a. black patch on the: top of; his head, has been- adopted by the staff’of ; a city liquor store. His full name is Louis R. (after a brand of champagne that Bishop • and Company, Ltd, is promoting) and he lords about the shop, being pampered by staff and customers alike. Louis is only three months old, yet he already has a devoted band of regular customers • who make a point of petting him every time they. call. He has become quite a talking point. He sleeps in th£ shop during the week, but at week-ends the manager takes him home for * some home comforts. ■

Tuneful attractions WHILE Louis has been given the run of the liquor store, two other shops in the city have adopted caged birds as their resident mascots. In New .Regent Street, a plant shop has surprised many a passer-by with its singing canary, Edward. He hangs outside the shop Hn a handsome cane cage, singing his heart out all day. And a shoe shop in High Street has an exotic-look-ing bird in a cage hanging inside the shop. Add. these to the large Weimeraner dog that, is frequently: seen in a menswear shop in Cathedral Square and it would seem that Christchurch retailers are collecting quite a menagerie of mascots. Counter protest ONE theatre-goer attending the (Opening night performance of “Further Confessions of a Window Cleaner” in Christchurch on Thursday said he wanted to jump on the protesting band-waggon that had sprung up recently. “I would like to protest about the protesters who were outside the

theatre before the show began,” he said. He found it extremely difficult to get 1 inside the foyer of the Theatre Royal, he said, as he 'uses a walking stick, and the protesters made access restricted and hazardous. Fishy story SALMON, as. every angler knows, can be an elusive fish at the best of times. One angler had been at the mouth of the Wai-, makariri River for four hours yesterday' morning and had not caught a thing. Then a fellow angler came to join him and made his first cast for the day. The' newcomer was just about to launch into the narrative of a fishy story, as anglers are wont to do to while away the time, when — only seconds after casting his line — he had a bite. He successfully landed a salmon much to the chagrin of his neighbouring angler. Dual distinction VISITORS arriving in Christchurch from Los Angeles this week-end share two distinctions': they would be the slowest party of runners ever to come to New Zealand and they would also be the most wealthy. Arthur Lydiard, the famous athletics coach, who is responsible for the joggers’ visit, says they. are all nearly millionaires. They would have enough capital to buy all the hotels in the city — and then some. But staying in hotels is something they- -wish to avoid while in New Zealand. They would particularly like to. stay with Christchurch people vVho

are connected with running so they can get to know New Zealanders in their home setting. “The idea is 'to encourage cultural exchanges between joggers from the United States and New Zealand.” said Mr Lydiard. He added that, for those runners who planned to visit the Olympics in Los Angeles, such influential contacts might prove well worth while. Anyone who would like to have one of the Americans as a guest during their brief visit to Christchurch is invited to telephone Mr Don Cameron at 325-366. Polar hears

ALTHOUGH there is no shortage of polar bears in the Arctic region, Norway has decided to continue its protection of the species. The Norwegian Ministry for the Environment has decided to continue to protect polar bears because the animal represents the end of a food chain, therefore there is no danger of a drastic increase in its numbers. The Ministry has imposed a ban on killing polar bears, as have Canada and the United States, which is effective until May next year. Washers up EXCITEMENT is in store for the parishioners at the church whose hall kitchen is reported to have the following sign above the sink: “Will ladies kindly empty tea-pots, rinse round and, before leaving, please stand upside down in sink?”