Talk of the Town: Hazel’s drain pain lost in translation

THE Scottish accent is loved around the world, but it seems it can get us into a little bit of bother from time to time.

Take Hazel Stewart, a girl from Edinburgh who relocated to the sunnier climes of New South Wales to work as a vet. Having accidentally dropped her car key down a drain she called the local council for some help – only to find half the local fire service rushing to her aid.

As she explained on her Facebook page, the two fire trucks and 12 firemen had rushed to the scene after being told that she was stuck down the drain.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Chick misheard me and said I had a dodgy accent,” she said.

At least the local firefighters were still happy to help when they got there.

You’ve got to laugh

AS the saying goes: laughter is the best medicine. But rather than a being a baseless old wives’ tale, research conducted at the Fringe revealed that a hearty guffaw can be an fairly effective prescription.

Oxford University boffins discovered that people’s tolerance to pain increases due to laughter. People who laughed more felt less pain later. Anyone who has attended a less-than-spectacular comedy show at the Fringe would agree that those who laugh less feel a great deal more pain.

Tory makes his own hit list

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

SCOTTISH Tory leadership hopeful Jackson Carlaw has gone one better than rival Murdo Fraser who stole the headlines with his proposal to abolish the party if he wins – now Mr Carlaw is proposing to abolish himself.

He says he wants the party to consider introducing a new rule limiting Tory list MSPs to three or four terms so they would eventually have to give up if they couldn’t win a first-past-the-post seat. Mr Carlaw – currently in his second term as a list MSP – explained his thinking in a press release headed: “Introduce term limits for list MSPs – including me.”

Pets go back to school

FINALLY, if you’re wondering why your pet pooch, cuddly kitty or happy hamster has been looking a little down in the dumps recently, it’s just that time of year again.

Experts from Pets at Home have deduced that September is the most depressing month of the year for our fluffy friends, and have put the blame at the feet of schoolchildren. Yes, it seems the animals don’t like adapting to a different regime once the kids are packed off to school, and also miss being the centre of attention.

While that may be true in some households, there are surely a few pets who, like their owners, are just glad of a bit of peace and quiet.