Reporter’s diary

Press, 21 May 1988, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Mutton-headed

ANSWERING questions about New Zealand at the Brisbane Expo is a difficult task for the hostesses, who have to cope with curious visitors to our pavilion. A Canterbury farmer, impressed with their ability, thought he would test the extent of their knowledge and asked one how many breeds of sheep there were in New Zealand. She said that we had most types. “Does that include Hereford, Simmental, and Angus?” “Oh yes,” she replied. “We have all of those.”

Slowly does it AIRMAIL from Britain and Canada, which takes up to 16 days from posting to delivery, enraged a Christchurch woman so much that she demanded that New Zealand Post explain. Delays were caused, said a spokeswoman from the Christchurch Central District Post Office, because mail to New Zealand is “direct bagged” to Auckland without being sorted first overseas. Only mail from Australia is first sorted into main centre destinations before being sent. This is a result of a policy made by British (and other countries) Post

authorities, about years ago. Likewise, airmail sent from New Zealand is not sorted either. An initial explanation, that airmail was delayed because it had to be trucked down from Auckland, was quite incorrect, the spokeswoman said.

Ruling off ECCENTRIC laws may soon be removed from Italy’s statute book if the Italian Consumers’ Union has its way. Screaming at the sight of a mouse in a crowded place (hard luck, Mickey) in a manner likely to frighten the creature (punishable by a fine up to $450) is one target. Others on the doomed list include carrying a bundle of dirty rags on a bus ($9), and refusing to take off a carnival mask when so asked by a policeman ($6O).

Worm report UPDATE on the giant earthworm which is being nursed back to health and, hopefully, full length, at Brambles Wildlife Park near Canterbury, England. Named Michelle, the worm’s front 15cm is doing well under the loving care of the park’s owner, Alan Breeze. After one week the remains of the worm expanded to

20cm. The worm originally was 1.95 m. But that is far short of the 6.7 m earthworm found in the Transvaal in 1937.

Flying shy OUR' hearts go. out to the shy Little Egret. A pamphlet published by the Hunter Wetlands Trust noted several aspects of varieties of egrets, which enable observers to distinguish between birds. The benighted Little Egret is notable for its “red face when courting.” With maimais full of birdwatchers training their binoculars on the birds, it is hardly surprising.

No kidding? ALTHOUGH critics contend that a book of Ronald Reagan jokes would be tautological, plans are well in hand for publication of a book with the 400 most popular jokes and one-liners of the American President. The “Guardian” reports that the anthology, calling “Grinning with the Gipper,” should be published before the Republican convention in August in New Orleans. Two tantalising examples from the collection are: “No matter what time' it is, wake me, even if it’s in

the middle of a Cabinet meeting.” And, “It’s true that hard work never killed anybody, but I figured, why take the chance?”

On water only FOURTEEN-year-old son is using the holidays to teach his caffeine-sodden parents the dangers of their pleasures. Now, not only are they forbidden coffee (with 440 mg of caffeine in every cup, and eight cups of coffee a day making them addicts in his view), he has also severely warned them against a brand of chocolate drink. It contains, he claims, from six to eight milligrams of caffeine. If his parents drank 502.8 cups of it daily, they would be gravely addicted to the stuff. They’re terrified.

OH? SO excited are the members of the Christchurch branch of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry about next month’s topic that there are now two meetings scheduled for June instead of the usual one. The venue for both? Giesen’s Wine Estate.

—Jenny Setchell