Post by Sid NunciusPost by Sid NunciusPost by kosmoTry buying water at Wembley.
That has such a lovely cadence and rhythm to it, with the initial
rhyming syllables and then the alliteration, it ought to be the
opening line of a poem or song.
Try buying water at Wembley;
Try flying airships in Ayr;
Try lying low in Llanelli;
These things are impossible there.
Try crying "All's well" in Alresford;
Try tying slip-knots in Slough;
Try spying slyly in Salford;
Such things are impossible now.
Try drying laundry in Launceston;
Try sighing wildly in Ware;
Try frying lardons in London;
It's all quite impossible there.
<loud applause> Better than Bilston, Sid!
The first line has reminded me of a problem experienced when I lived in
Wembley in the late 1960s. One summer Billy Graham and his followers
gathered at the stadium and spent several days there. First thing in the
morning he would give them an inspiring address and then send them out
to convert the masses. This led to very long queues at the tube station
and my daily commute to the City became very difficult.
Another odd effect occurred in local supermarkets and grocery shops.
Yogurt - which was not as generally popular as it is now (remember
Alpine, the brand that first included pieces of fruit?) - disappeared.
Graham's followers bought it all. I have a vivid memory of arriving at
work and having to explain to my boss why I was late. "I couldn't get on
a train even though I left really early and I've haven't even had
breakfast because there's no yogurt in Wembley."
--
Laura (emulate St George for email)