I listened to Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 today. Isn’t that an anachronism; not listening but the fact of the programme? Come on Man, stand up and demand our equal rights. I say “Man” because the programme title is “Woman’s Hour”. Who is the woman? Was it originally devised for Lady McMillan, or The First Lady; The Queen perhaps? Maybe it’s the Common Woman, rather like the Unknown Soldier. A mythical creature to represent everyone of the feminine gender. But then why wouldn’t it be “Women’s Hour”? I only pose the questions, with no pretence of providing answers. But I do wonder when someone in the BBC hierarchy will question why it still exists. That said, I think it’s an excellent programme which will be the worse for the imminent retirement of it’s very longstanding host Jenni Murray. She is an outstanding broadcaster who combines gravitas with a lightness of touch that not many achieve.
On a totally unrelated subject, I was staggered and disappointed to discover that Royal Eastbourne Golf Club still clings on to the old dress code that typified stuffy middle class clubs of thirty and forty years ago and more. It’s crucial that standards are maintained to a certain degree but when it comes to turning Juniors away because they’re wearing sports rather than tailored shorts, there would seem to be a danger of strangling the future life blood of the Club. I remember being treated like a complete urchin (I probably was) as a Junior at my Tennis Club in Hertfordshire, where under 18’s were the bottom of the food chain and could only play when everyone else had either expired or retired to the bar. I really thought we were a bit more enlightened now but it seems there is still room for progress. Alison (my wife, a former County player and one handicapper) and I played at Royal on Sunday, going out behind the Ladies Club Championship cohort. Alison has horror stories about how the women were treated at her old club in Bath, but it was disappointing to see that the Ladies Tees hadn’t even been mown; for the Club Championship. On one occasion at Bath Golf Club, Alison was about to drive off on the 1st tee when a ball went whistling past her from the Men’s tee. When questioned, the offending male merely said “We have priority” and marched off to find his errant ball that had disappeared into the wayward rough. Unbelievable, but true.
Perhaps there is still a need for Woman’s Hour.
My offering is shorter than usual today because I have started my pre-med programme for a colonoscopy tomorrow, which requires that nothing untoward is loitering in the colons or bowel. This means considerably more time than usual is spent admiring the back of the loo door.
ADayInTheStrifeOf 