A Little Application

Avez vous un cuppa? I'd drink Britain's favourite brew til it was coming out of my nostrils if I could. Whatever the hour of day or night, you can't beat a good hot, strong cup of tea and the nation's most popular brand is Brooke Bond PG Tips, or "the tea you can really taste", the one-time strapline accompanied by images of cheeky chimpanzees up to all sorts of antics. Follow my link (click on the post title) for more info on them and some fascinating facts about the makers and packers of Britain's best beverage. I never knew til tonight, for instance, that PG Tips comes from a place better known for Footie than tea, Trafford in Manchester.

The PG Tips chimps were the longest running advertising campaign on British TV, but sadly somebody in the advertising agency managed to convince Unilever, the parent company of Brooke Bond, they were no longer cool enough to advertise hot tea and they've now been replaced by a peculiar plasticine species known as the T-Birds. But in the wake of Avian flu, now apparently claiming young victims in the ironically-named country of Turkey, could the days of these clawed clay interlopers be numbered already? And could chimpanzees be in the ascendant once again?

You might well think so, judging by the attention paid to this species of ape on prime time BBC ONE television these last few days. It's Chimp Week, and the ever-intrusive lens of the wildlife cameramen has sought to venture further into the daily doings of this fascinating primate than has ever happened previously. However, I've not had much time to watch myself, since I have been either too shattered to stay awake to view after work, or too busy dealing with other practical things. Yet chimps themselves are remarkably intelligent and capable animals, perhaps one of the reasons their commercial cavortings entertained the nation for so long. "Mr Shifter" is surely the best remembered of the many films made over fifty years, and who can forget Michael Robbins' immortal voice-overed line in response to the question "Dad, do you know the piano's on my foot?": "You 'um it son, I'll play it" - and tinkle the old joanna the chimpy thespian did, but not apparently without a little bit of cheating, such as removing the innards of the piano!

Sometimes, achieving the desired result in any endeavour-be it shooting a TV commercial with wild animals or seeking to best sell yourself for a new job, takes a lot of effort. It's something I in particular find very difficult. But there's no gain without pain and often the best results are only achieved through a lot of work-or a little application if you like, to quote one of Mr Shifter's other catchphrases.

Certainly the Christian life's like that: it can be an uphill struggle, like pushing the pedals on a racing bike ("Can you ride tandem"?) with all your might as you press on to claim the winner's yellow jersey. But there's no room to turn a cowardly yellow, nor reason to become sickened and jaundice when things don't happen quite as quick as you hoped. The taste of victory awaits those who press on to the end, pausing as often as necessary along the way to consult the personal trainer par excellence. With God, we're more than just imitative, dumb animals; instead, we're the crowning glory of his creation and there's no apeing that.