Moan, moan, moan----get it off your chest or have a chat

[Giles]

..and if we are thinking of the 'moan,moan...' was I the only one sufficiently depraved to see Maggi's unfortunate progression from 'million' to 'billion' to
a certain South American country? (modesty prevents me from being more explicit!).

[Maggi Young]

..and if we are thinking of the 'moan,moan...' was I the only one sufficiently depraved to see Maggi's unfortunate progression from 'million' to 'billion' to
a certain South American country? (modesty prevents me from being more explicit!).

Giles, you do me a great mis-service... the perpetrators of this supposed naughtiness where one Anthony D ( well known for spending time on the naughty step) and Lesley Cox.....another, almost as tricky....but  I am innocent, (First time for everything , I suspect)..........innocent I tell you!!  Innocent as those Smoothies they keep advertising......

[Anthony Darby]

It wiznae me! A big boy done it and ran away!

[Maggi Young]

Anthony, what on earth is the photo in your side bar, please.... my ageing eyes are not able to discern the text, which I think I spot..........what are you up to, Lad?

 I believe I can see " I think......" what comes next ?  .... "therefore I shop" ...one of my personal favourite tenets of belief....... or     "I know where to get really good chocolate at below wholesale prices".... which would be even better....

[Anthony Darby]

It's a doodle from Darwin's note book of 1837 showing his earliest illustration of 'the tree of life'.

[Maggi Young]

I like that doodle.
1837, eh? So .......just before he had his evening meal.... I love these intimate details from the lives of the great and good.

[Lesley Cox]

 and Lesley Cox.....another, almost as tricky....

Age is a terrible thing. I probably AM guilty - always seem to be, but if only I could remember what I'm guilty OF!

Yes Gerry, our own version, but the very magazine of which you speak (with some longing?). I like it for the music of course, and for the only informed political comment we get (frequently with tongue firmly in cheek) and with theatre, art, books etc as well as some jolly good cartoons. Visiting Australian friends look at it with envy.

May I add to David's list please? Programmes (from UK) about people who are bullied into buying clothes they don't want, (I did like that whatizname the chef called his plump pigs Trinny and Susannah ) programmes about people who should NEVER be seen without their clothes on, people who DON'T look 10 years younger in 10 days, and a dozen more of that ilk. Not to mention our own "public" broadcast TV channel which on the day's main news broadcast, after in item about the world's current economic problems, a further item about the new PM's new cabinet, ranks 3rd in world significance and importance, an item about the fact that Angelina Jolie regards her family as very important in her life. Hello?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Not that I don't agree... I most certainly do... we get the same kind of "formats" from our local TV stations, but this thread does need to be moved to the moan moan moan thread !!!!! 

[Tony Willis]

It's a doodle from Darwin's note book of 1837 showing his earliest illustration of 'the tree of life'.

I had to go out last night to a retirement do and so did not see it until this morning. It looks more like the veins on some of my ex colleagues noses

[Gerry Webster]

Yes Gerry, our own version, but the very magazine of which you speak (with some longing?). I like it for the music of course, and for the only informed political comment we get (frequently with tongue firmly in cheek) and with theatre, art, books etc as well as some jolly good cartoons. Visiting Australian friends look at it with envy.

Yes Lesley, I speak with longing & envy. It's impossible to imagine the BBC producing anything like it today. I was introduced to it by one of my teachers over 50 years ago &  I continued to read it regularly for years. Over time it gradually deteriorated & when it folded in the early 90s it was a  mere shadow of its former self. Sad.

[Lesley Cox]

Not that I don't agree... I most certainly do... we get the same kind of "formats" from our local TV stations, but this thread does need to be moved to the moan moan moan thread !!!!! 

Of course you're right Luc (and Maggi has achieved that small miracle for us ) it's just that the moan we want to have is relevant NOW and somehow loses its punch when we start looking for somewhere else to put it.

Gerry, I think ours has been going for many years, (1939, I just phoned their office, so 70 next year). It's published nowadays by one of the big (Australian) newspaper companies but is very independant editorially and is probably the best magazine we can get here, except Time which I rarely have time to read thoroughly every week. I guess I've been getting the Listener for about 40 years.

[Lesley Cox]

Well here's a totally non horticultural moan. NZ's test cricketers, the Black Caps, have completed a totally shameful two test performance against Australia who, admittedly were fired up after their losses to India. Our batsmen are lacking in that nice old-fashioned word, "guts," and crumble en masse at the first hint of a turning ball or an extra km of speed. They are playing like new-to-the-game club cricketers. For those of us who, in spite of every discouragement, still love the game in its longest form, their recent performances are bitterly disappointing.

They are to play the West Indies in Dunedin in a few days and I hope to attend on at least two days, but in truth, I'd be better to hope for rain throughout so at least my garden and the surrounding farm and market garden land could benefit.

Here endeth.....

[Carlo]

>...NZ's test cricketers, the Black Caps...<

Wow. Cricket playing chickadees!

[ranunculus]

They are playing like new-to-the-game club cricketers...

...or England!   

[Lesley Cox]

They may as well be Carlo!

We are rated 8th out of 10 of the test-playing nations now, only Zimbabwe and Bangaladesh below us. I think the West Indies are 7th.