Over the TEACUPS FROM THE ARCHIVES

ALAS, MY GOLDEN GLASS

I had lived in a small flat for nearly four years and had always felt that the glassfronted door was tinted a beautiful golden colour. That sort of thing, I thought, must have been common in this older-type of house converted into flats. I used to wash the outside of the door now and then, admiring it greatly and one day I decided to wash the inside, too. That was where I made my mistake. Instead of glass of a golden tint, I found it was colourless but deeply tinted by smoke. It took ages to clean off, almost as long (I started to think) as it must have taken to smoke it up!

Mrs M. Peacock, Motueka GUIDE TO PARENTS

Our Girl Guide captain was commenting on the difficulties obtaining parental help for various activities. “Most parents,” she said, “are prepared to supply children, but very little else.”

Pettipink, Lower Hutt ALL MINE!

We had just moved into a new house and were busy trying to make a garden. Our boy, not yet five, was given a small area for planting. Next day, he proudly showed this to his small friend, who was not a bit impressed, and said, “Oh, I have a much bigger garden than that.” Small son gave him one searching look and said, “When Dad dies, all this will be mine,” and waved his hand round our section. He is a lawyer’s son after all.

S.M.G., Wellington GEE! GEE!

I’m not a betting woman, and I have talked diet constantly in the past few weeks, so when I came from the bathroom announcing proudly that I had lost two pounds, why did my husband ask, “What on?”

Shenandoah’s Daughter, Auckland.