Woman: Well, what did you think of the film, Margaret?
Margaret: Oh, I enjoyed it actually. But I do like musicals and I think Julie Andrews is wonderful.
Woman: Lovely voice.
Margaret: Oh, beautiful.
Woman: And a lovely face.
Margaret: Oh, she's very very attractive.
Woman: I can't think why so many people criticize her.
Margaret: Oh well, a lot of people do, but I think it's a snob thing with a lot of people.
Woman: I've always enjoyed her films. Very well produced, too.
Margaret: Oh, excellent, yes.
Woman: Those lovely scenes in the Alps.
Margaret: Yes, where she was doing that number where she was dancing on the hills.
Woman: Mm, and that scene in the school. It brought tears to my eyes. What about next week then?
Margaret: Yes, what are we going to see next week? Do you know what's on? I haven't looked at the local paper to see what's on next week.
Woman: Well, I'd better give you a ring about it.
Margaret: All right. I hope there's another musical on.
Woman: Well, I believe there's Guys and Dolls on, if I remember well.
Margaret: Really? Are they bringing that back again?
Woman: I believe so. But it's on at the Odeon, on the other side of town, so it would involve quite a bit of travelling.
Margaret: Oh, yes, but I'd go anywhere to see Frank Sinatra.
Woman: I'd forgotten he was in it, so he is. Well, let's try and see that if we can.
Margaret: I have seen it before, of course, but they're always bringing it back.
Woman: What do you say, shall we meet for tea and then take in a matinee?
Margaret: Yes, that's a good idea. Where shall I meet you?
Woman: Now what about the Odeon cafe. Four o'clock?
Margaret; Fine. Which day?
Woman: Tuesday?
Margaret: No, I can't make it Tuesday. How about Thursday?
Woman: Yes, Thursday is all right. My husband likes to go off to his club on Thursday.
Margaret: So Thursday, four o'clock, have tea and then go and see Guys and Dolls. Well, that'll be nice because I do like Frank Sinatra. So I'll see you on Thursday. I have to be off now. Goodbye.
Woman: Bye.

Angela Rogers is describing a boat trip which she took with her husband down the Nile.
It was the summer of last year when we went. It was a special package holiday which included three days in Cairo, and a week cruising down the Nile. It sounded lovely in the brochure. Relaxing, luxurious, delicious food—all the usual things. And the boat looked nice in the picture. In fact when we got there, and on the boat, it was exactly the opposite of luxurious. It was positively uncomfortable. It was too small to be comfortable. And too hot. The only air-conditioning was from the wind, and inside, in the cabins, it was too hot to sleep, and the dining room was stifling.
My husband and I paid the special rate for the best cabin. I'm glad we didn't have to stay in the worst one. The cabins were very poorly equipped; there wasn't even a mirror, or a socket for a hair drier, or even a point for the electric razor. There was a shower, but the water pressure wasn't high enough to use it. The cabin was badly designed as well. There wasn't enough room to move. The beds took up three quarters of the space.
The brochure also talked about the mouth-watering French cuisine available on board, but you could hardly call it food. It was boring, and practically inedible. There was nothing to do, really. There was a table-tennis table, but one bat was broken. In the daytime the decks were so crowded, there wasn't even enough room to sit. We did stop now and then for a swim, but who wants to swim in that filthy river? I certainly didn't.

Professor Ernest Taylor is a sociologist and the author of a number of books. He was interviewed recently on CBC radio by Norman Blunt.
Blunt: Now Professor, in your latest book Granny Doesn't Live Here Any More, you suggest that Granny is a problem, and she is going to become even more of a problem in the future. Am I correct?
Taylor: Yes, in fact it's not only Granny who is a problem, it's Grandfather, too, and old people in general.
Blunt: Now, is this a peculiarly British phenomenon? It seems very sad that parents should give so much of their lives to bringing up their children and then, when they become old, be regarded as a problem.
Taylor: Our research was mainly carried out in Britain. In many countries it is still regarded as quite natural that a widowed mother should go to live with one of her married children, but in Britain, certainly during the last thirty or forty years, there has been considerable resistance to this idea.
Blunt: Now why do you think this is? Surely having a Granny about the place to take care of the younger children, and give a hand with the housework, can take a lot of pressure off a young wife, can't it?
Taylor: Yes, I think this is true. But remember the old people themselves are of ten totally opposed to the idea of going to live with the young family. And modern houses and flats are very small, much smaller than the sort of homes people used to live in.
Blunt: And when Granny gets very old, then the situation becomes even worse, doesn't it?
Taylor: Yes, as long as old people are able to look after themselves, the system works quite well. But as soon as they need anything in the way of care and attention, the situation becomes very difficult indeed.
Blunt: Well, presumably a point comes when old people have to go into a nursing home or something similar.
Taylor: Yes, but it's not as simple as that. Because of improvements in medical science, life expectancy is increasing all the time. The birth rate has fallen. This means that an ever smaller working population is having to provide for an ever larger number of old people, in need of care and attention. The number of places in old people's homes provided by the State is strictly limited. There are private nursing homes, but the cost is way out of reach of the average family.
Blunt: And how do you see the situation developing in the future?
Taylor: Well, obviously a lot of money is going to have to be spent. But it's difficult persuading people to do this. There aren't many votes for politicians in providing nursing homes for elderly.
Blunt: You don't see a reversal of this trend, with Granny going back to live with the family.
Taylor: I think this is most unlikely.