“My wife and I have just moved house after 22½ years and four children, who started life in previous houses,” writes Chris Wilkinson of Turramurra. “My cassette collection had disappeared into my younger daughter’s cupboard behind a phalanx of her younger age clothes and have just re-emerged. To reward myself, the first cassette that I re-listened to was Jeannie Lewis’ Free Fall Through Featherless Flight. My suggestion to our C8 Boomers and Silent Generations is that, in a similar situation, what would be the first LP, reel-to-reel tape, cassette, 8-track tape or, gasp, CD that you listen to in this situation? Apologies to the Gens - just stick to Spotify.”
While we’re talking about unpacking, “Josephine Hill’s report of the help (C8) she received from her three-year-old daughter reminded me of the help my wife received, also from a three-year-old daughter,” says Don Firth of Wooli. “Unpacking as we moved into a new home, my wife gave her an armload of toilet rolls and asked her to put them in the toilet. She did exactly that.”
Friends of Peter Pocock (C8) have been socking it to them for years: “Yes, Peter, you are darn right – some of us still do sock repair,” declares Kerrie Wehbe of Blacktown. “I haven’t bought new socks in years.”
“My eldest (who is 26 years old) not only darns socks, but T-shirts and jumpers too,” says Ann Madsen of Mount Annan. “Jeans and shirts are also mended often using the ‘visible mending’ methods. The desire for less waste is the motivation and the internet teaches the skills. It is a small but growing antidote to the fast fashion industry.” Kath Hollins of Northmead is on the same page: “My wooden mushroom still gets the occasional workout. Better than adding to landfill.”
Looks like Geoff Carey (C8) will have to remain riding with the common herd, as the esteemed Richard Godfrey Smith of Pymble explains: “Sorry, but rich kids preferred gears to a backpedal brake. Can’t have both. Prefer gears with a hand brake, attached to the rear wheel for safety.”
Warren Menteith of Bali reckons Peter Miniutti must have done well in the pocket money stakes if he had the luxury of pegging trading cards to his spokes: “We used a piece of stiff cardboard. Our footy and other cards were too valuable to shred on the bike wheels.”
Column8@smh.com.au
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