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Last week my friend had to go to the doctors to have some injections. She is going to the Far East for a holiday and she needs to have an injection against cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, polio and tetanus. I think she will feel quite ill after all those. She is going to get them all done at once, at one session. I shan't feel sorry for her though!
I have a problem with my water softener. The water-level is too high and the overflow keeps dripping. Could you arrange to send an engineer on Tuesday morning please? It's the only day I can manage this week. I'd be grateful if you could confirm the arrangement in writing.
Please put me through to the complaints department. The repair to the water main outside my house was unsuccessful, and my cellar's flooded. Your Water Services Department was singularly unsympathetic. All their repair teams are apparently booked out for the next two weeks. Am I supposed to use the cellar as a swimming pool till then?
Municipal Fire Service speaking. We're trying to locate an emergency caller who rang off without giving any personal details. He appeared to be on the local network. He connected on our line number 762 584. We'd appreciate immediate attempts to trace him because he sounded desperate.
Please take a request for an early-morning taxi. Mr Spencer of Chestnut Drive wishes to be at Heathrow terminal 4 by 6.15 a.m. His flight's not leaving till 7.50 but he has to arrange for excess baggage. Mark it as top priority and ensure punctuality. He expects you at 6.15 sharp.
The New Zealand rugby team is called the All Blacks. They all seem to be very tall and wide. They played against Ireland on Saturday, and although the Irish played very well, they lost 23-6. There was no fighting, and although the All Blacks kept dropping the ball, and missing their goal kicks, and had two tries disallowed, I think it was a very good game goal.
I'm trying to contact Mr and Mrs W. George of Swindon. They've moved from 63 Spruce Close to another part of Swindon. Can you give me their new number please? They moved approximately 3 months ago. As far as I know they're not ex-directory.
Could you please tell me the best connections to Sheffield from East Grinstead? I need to arrive by 10.30 a.m. on Saturday. If I have to leave before 7 o'clock I shall need a train with a buffet car. I understand that British Rail provides a secretarial service on some main lines. Do you take reservations by telephone?
Please connect me to the service department. My television has been out of action for almost three weeks now, and I need to know when it will be repaired. You collected it on the 13th and promised to return within a week. I realise you're having supply problems, but this is rather excessive. Can you give me a firm date now?
Can you give me a list of the restaurants in the neighbourhood? I live in Clancy Street, NW1. I'm interested in something a little more exotic than usual. Perhaps a Polynesian place, for example. I'd prefer it not to be vegetarian.
My wife has a complicated flight schedule next month. Would you please advise me on the most economical arrangements. She has a series of meetings, 9am to 5pm, in Paris, Bruges, Frankfurt, Rome, and Hamburg on consecutive days. Can you suggest convenient evening flights and suitable accomodation? She doesn't like large, anonymous hotels.
We are enquiring into possible catering arrangements for a large meeting. We would need to have the food delivered to the premises in a manner that would allow immediate consumption. There are no facilities for setting out the food in a separate room. We were thinking of a selection of sandwiches, meats, cheeses, and fruit. Do you have special corporatacademic institutions?
Send an ambulance to sixteen Chadwick Close as soon as possible. An old man has slipped on the ice and broken his leg, and can't be moved. Access to the Close is via Church Street only. The Park Avenue approach has been closed for road repairs. Chester Grange Hospital has been informed, and awaits arrival.
Christmas order department please. I wish to place an order for ten boxes of Christmas crackers, five boxes of mixed biscuits, and three large Christmas cakes. The address for delivery is Dr Barnado's Home, 16 Treasure Island Road. Can you guarantee delivery by 23rd December? I should be grateful if you would not disclose who placed the order.
My route to Birmingham will be as follows: M25 to the juncture with the M40, then M40 and A40 until the turn-off to Islip. Country roads round the East and North of Oxford, crossing the Banbury road and joining the A34 North of Woodstock. A34 through Shipston and Stratford-on-Avon to Birmingham. Estimated driving time will be 2 hours 20 minutes.
Night report from constable SF 3-6-5-2. Six calls were received during the shift. Two breaking-and-entering, three drunk-and-disorderly, and one GBH. One D-and-D was apprehended, the other two cautioned and sent home. The GBH was arrested and charged.
Men's and boys' department inventory on March 6, 1989, sub-section shirts and knitwear. Long-sleeved shirts, tailored, collar size 14 to 17: three of each size in white, light blue, and cream. Shetland sweaters, chest size 36 to 46: no 38s and 40s left in dark grey or beige; four of each colour for all other sizes.
Traffic summary for the Midlands Region on Saturday 12 August. Dense and slow-moving holiday traffic on all three southbound lanes of the M6 from Tewkesbury to the M5 intersection. Accident blocking northbound carriageway of the M1 south of Leicester. Heavy traffic on all roads out of Edgebaston. Drivers are advised to avoid the area until after 8 pm.
Last night I opened the front door to let the cat out. It was such a beautiful evening that I wandered down the garden for a breath of fresh air. Then I heard a click as the door closed behind me. I realised I'd locked myself out. To cap it all, I was arrested while I was trying to force the door open!
I've always found it difficult to sleep on long train journeys in Britain. For one thing, I can never make myself comfortable in the seat. Then the other passengers usually talk so loudly, or worse still they snore. In addition, there's the constant clickety-click of the wheels on the track. If I do manage to doze off the ticket inspector comes along and wakes me.
Sorry I didn't come to dinner at the weekend. I was really looking forward to seeing you again. Unfortunately I had a small accident just as I was getting ready to leave. It was when I went down to fetch a bottle of wine from the cellar. I didn't bother to switch the light on, tripped on a loose step in the dark, and broke my ankle.
There's a short cut over that hill to my house. Some local people say the hill is haunted. No-one likes to pass through those fields after dark. Of course, I don't believe in any of that superstitious nonsense. I just like the picturesque route through the estate.
Mother, I'm having a wonderful time here at Weymouth. The weather's hot and sunny, and the sea is just out of this world. Yesterday I went for a stroll along the cliffs. It was rather windy, and I almost got blown off. I've got a fantastic sun-tan, but my figure's suffering from the effects of too much ice-cream.
I sat on the garden wall and stared gloomily at the vegetable patch. The cabbages had been completely devoured by the slugs. The kitchen garden was nothing but a barren wasteground. Why oh why hadn't I put poison down earlier? I felt like turning the whole lot into a concrete patio.
On warm nights I lie in bed and look though the open window. The moon gazes down on me, seeming to smile with amusement. Sometimes it seems large and avuncular, sometimes small and more distant. What does it do on the nights it stays away? And why does it never turn round?
The boy stands in the courtyard chopping up a tree for firewood. As his axe hits the trunk, splinters of wood fly off. Small animals and insects scurry for safety. Once again, man has unthinkingly destroyed other animals' refuge. When will he realise that he is more dependent on them than they are on him?
I have arrived in London but my suitcase has gone to Rome. It's essential for me to have it by tomorrow because I'm diabetic. Please ask the supervisor to trace it immediately. In the meantime, I need a source of medical supplies. Would you please put me through to the management?
Tomorrow my daughter is planning to bake a cake. She insists on mixing everything by hand. She's convinced it tastes better that way. The test will come when it has had time to cool down. Mind you, it may never get that far the way her children behave.
Singing is an expression of deepfelt emotion. It can indicate extreme happiness and deep sorrow. Strangely, though, different nations tend to one or the other end of the spectrum. Portuguese and Irish songs are often slow laments. French and German songs are more frequently lilting and joyful.
My sister is terrified of the dark. She absolutely refuses to go out alone at night. She wants someone to go with her all the time. My father advises her to take the dog with her. At least it would protect her by barking if anything threatened.
The old fisherman was a big man with black curly hair and bushy eyebrows. His place on the quayside was taboo to anyone else. On leisure days he would sit and entertain the crowds with tales of adventure and danger on the high seas. But, when boats arrived back from the fishing grounds, he was transformed. His gruff voice and wild gesticulations kept the small team of barrow boys in constant motion.
What can I have for dinner tonight? I do have some fresh pasta in the fridge. The trouble is, I eat that two or three times a week. Maybe a salad would be more suitable. I know, I'll pick something up from the Chinese take-away on my way home.
Hello, is that the telephone-order service? There seems to have been some mistake. I ordered a teddy bear from the catalogue and was billed for an electric lawnmower. And I don't even have a garden. Would you put me through to the complaints department please.
It's my turn to feed the baby again tonight. I hope she's not off her food. Then there's the bath and getting her ready for bed. That always gets her excited again. Perhaps she'll calm down if I sing to her.
Can you tell me what's on television tonight? I'm in a mood for something light and entertaining. There's sure to be some old American musical or other. They certainly don't make them like that any more nowadays. I wonder what they would think of our modern shows if they could come back and see them?
Yesterday I went to an assertiveness training course. I'm not so sure I enjoyed it really. When it came to the role-playing session, I fell to bits. They gave me the part of an aggressive young company director. It just didn't feel right somehow.
What will 1992 really mean to the person in the street? It will be easier to cross borders in search of work, of course. We'll be able to do our training in one country and work in another. It may even be possible to do part of a course of study in one country and finish in another. I wonder what effect it will have on the prices in the shops?
We have an excellent secretary working for us. Unfortunately she is going to leave us soon. She is going home to New Zealand via Malaysia and Thailand. We will all miss her very much and wish she would stay here. She is very cheerful and makes us all laugh.
I hate Monday morning when it rains. The streets are slippery and I have to be very careful when I walk from the station. I would like to take a taxi, but I can't afford it. I am paid so little I can hardly afford shoes! I hope I meet a millionaire who will buy me a car of my own.
On Saturdays I like to watch football on television. My boyfriend supports Millwall, but I support Liverpool. When they have a match together, we have to go and watch in separate rooms. Otherwise we might have a fight. We always go out afterwards and talk about the match to our friends.