tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post5466883251877161771..comments2023-10-30T09:26:32.732+00:00Comments on Now's the time: magnolia, 80, EyjafjallajokullAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972049290586377462noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post-56504061934324920652010-04-25T16:50:23.019+01:002010-04-25T16:50:23.019+01:00Those heroic journeys were only spoilt by the peop...Those heroic journeys were only spoilt by the people who could only resort to whinging.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06972049290586377462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13609842.post-79849603216461963622010-04-25T13:11:41.478+01:002010-04-25T13:11:41.478+01:00"Eighty-two" said in a fruity, mock old ..."Eighty-two" said in a fruity, mock old voice was a catchline used by one of the music hall comics who appeared on radio programmes called Variety Bandbox or some such. It was supposed to trigger laughter in a Pavlovian way and seemed to work with an audience less critical in those dim distant days. Someone asked me how old I was a couple of days ago and when I admitted to 74 he said he was surprised. But did not elaborate. My next birthday will have numerical significance: three-quarters of a century or, if the point is shifted, of one. It isn't a symmetrical number but it feels so. <br /><br />The best bit about the ash cloud were the heroic journeys people made to get home. A taxi ride from Madrid to Paris; sequences of buses, ferries and trains. I hope they all took notes. Admirable fodder for blogs.Roderick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16828395545197001637noreply@blogger.com