Reporter’s diary

Press, 31 May 1986, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Long and short

WE HAVE ALL been tormented by short-pants fanatics who insist on wearing their minuscule shorts through the worst of winters. A technician with Radio New Zealand, who had been oblivious to the shudders of work mates, and frostbitten knees (at least), was eventually persuaded to don long, warm trousers, just for once. It was a shame that a nor’wester also decided to come on the same day, pushing the temperature up to 17 degrees. He got a bit hot under the collar. Sympathy FARMERS IN BRITAIN took the hat round for a New Zealand farmer who told them of the difficulties facing farmers here. The president of West Coast Federated Farmers, Mr Bruce Hamilton, in Britain on a Nuffield Scholarship, said he had been to two grassroots meetings where farmers had been outspoken on the subject of New Zealand access. “At one meeting I was introduced only after the debate, and was asked to comment,” wrote Mr Hamilton, reporting home in a letter to this week’s annual meet-

ing in Greymouth. “My host, after I had spoken, was asked to take the hat round for me because they felt so sorry for my situation. Basically they have no idea of our situation unless, as is not uncommon, they have had sons sent to New Zealand for a year.”

Another one IF ANY HARRODS supersnoops are looking for more people who are using the name, besides taking into account the Hornby “Harrods” shopping centre, they should count Harrods Court, in the heart of Fendalton. This small cul-de-sac, whhich runs off Woodford Terrace, is so new it does not yet appear on most maps, which probably explains why the one-and-only London store had not nobbled it for being naughty about copyright. Hark, hark A KEA MAKES an unlikely but effective alarm clock, as one household in Christchurch has discovered. Two mornings this week the bird has clawed a way to a noisy skid landing on the roof of a house in Hackthorne Road. Although the residents have a few native

trees and an “interesting” compost heap, they are not sure why the kea, which is almost twice the size of a cat, should have honoured them 1 with its presence. Perhaps it has run out of cars to vandalise. Ducal drawers IT COULD NOT possibly happen to ordinary mortals, but if you were the Duke of Wellington it would not be surprising that someone in 1986 would be prepared to ’pay £1760 for your undergarments. Sotheby’s sale in London last week of a diverse collection (which included a pair of monogrammed cotton drawers) of the Duke’s underwear, outstriped the prices paid for Queen Victoria’s underclothing. Although the first sale of Queen Victoria’s knickers fetched £2OOO in the early 1970 s because it was assumed they were rare items, a rash of discoveries of other pairs followed, knocking the bottom out of the market. A pair of the Queen’s bloomers are now valued at a few hundred pounds, while the Duke’s drawers are worth at least three times as much.

—Jenny Clark