A shakedown from the great beyond

“It’s not unusual to receive an email in one’s inbox, supposedly from a friend, with a subject line about a photo ‘you might find interesting’,” observes John Bailey of Canterbury. “I’ve been receiving these regularly from a friend who died several years ago. Last week I received another one from him, inviting me to a reunion. Finally, a chance to find out if there is life after death.”

Robert Hosking takes a waste-free approach when it comes to the tool pool (C8): “Here in Paddington I regularly use the Paddington Tool, Furniture and Toy Library. Whenever I need something for myself or the local church, I prowl the streets to find what I need, left out the front from renovations, Marie Kondo clean outs, etc. Electric drills, whipper snippers, fans and heaters that only need a clean, IKEA furniture, more Mattel then you can poke a stick at, and the occasional fully operational high-end appliance. Of course, I put out anything that does not make me happy, for others.”

“I recently saw an item advertising forged chef’s knives for $150,” says Evan Bailey of Glebe. “I wonder how much for an authentic one which is not a forgery?”

The recent chat on alternative grandparent names (C8) has produced a surfeit of Gagas (there were two just yesterday), and now it’s happening with the mums and dads. John Swanton of Coogee is the latest: “My son Ned’s first word was calling me Gaga and I ended up known to some of the extended family as Man Gaga. His mother, however, never took kindly to being called Lady Gaga.”

“As a retired GP, I am Doc and my wife is Gugga (a third generation name started when my eldest brother couldn’t say grandma),” writes John Brown of Kianga. “Collectively we are GuggaDoc.”

David Roberts’ Fossil appellation impressed Deni McKenzie of Armidale: “A Fossil in Dondingalong? That’s a double whammy!”

“Not so fast Granny. You disparaged a lot of staunch C8-ers in Friday’s interview (C8),” claims Peter Riley of Penrith. “You said ‘jealousy’s a curse’ about contributors who disputed the numbers. I came fifth one year but was not even counted another year. Of course I had a whinge, like many others, because the numbers were more than a bit bogus. We work our fingers to the bone to provide you with free content, so how about a little appreciation.” Appreciate, ya, Pete.

Column8@smh.com.au

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