A Time (and Day) for a Laugh
Apr 2nd, 2007 by Eats Wombats
British Telecom’s speaking clock has a new voice, according to this story (and film clip) on the BBC website. Reportedly, the busiest moment of the day for the speaking clock is a few minutes before 5PM when office workers call it to ensure that they cannot take a call that would delay them leaving the office at 5 o’clock sharp.
I admit I laughed. But then I wondered, what’s wrong with just leaving the phone off the hook or calling an office mate–if one really does have to leave at 5PM sharp?
Calls to the speaking clock are not free. I can recall ancient newspaper stories and urban folklore of calls to the Australian speaking clock by wronged women, who then left the phone off the hook.
Yesterday, while buying the Sunday Times I browsed the The Sunday Indpendent, which seems to be the last quality paper that doesn’t come in a plastic bag. “Natural alternative to viagra discovered” it proclaimed, discreetly. I turned, discreetly, to page 20.
There followed an amusing story of how a man given given to gardening as a hobby, and also to making infusions of herbs and other plants, had discovered that winter flowering heather had an immediate effect comparable to that of viagra. “It was an hour before I could decently leave my potting shed” he said. Gardening centres were said to be running out of this heather as the word went around. One wife was reportedly not happy with her husband being “frisky” and taking up gardening. I chuckled and later quoted parts of it verbatim, saying “I’m sure it was completely made up.”
“You do realize it’s April the first?” said my winter flower. I hadn’t!
So, here are the supposed Ten best April Fool’s jokes.
