wh5 = who, what, where, when and why. The five basic questions that are the structure of any story. Explored in "Who says what, where, when and and Why: Context in Conversation." An introduction to Sociolinguistics through Conversation Analysis. wh5 is the blogsite of the book published 2008 by Nanundo-Phoenix, Tokyo.
WHITE RABBIT, WHITE RABBIT, WHITE RABBIT. October’s elderly rabbits live on an estuary. Volunteer Birdwatchers for the Department of Conservation. Counting migratory species, travelling in threes to give luck to the birds on their journeys. They said nice place you have and I said, well the view is good, the birds sing, the house is JUST robust enough to see us out. Not everyone appreciates it, maybe a bit too nostalgic for many urban folks.
A once a week ritual…
Leonard: Welcome aboard Wagtail, mind your footing.
Daniel: Bigger than I expected.
Leonard: Not quite the Sydney to Hobart, mate. Just the Thursday-night club — six of us amateur sailors who reckon we’re elite for about an hour.
Daniel: Six boats? All setting off at the same time?
Leonard: Yep. Seahorse, Pelican, Wind Lass... we’ve been racing each other for nearly thirty years.
Daniel: What happens if you win?
Leonard: Remind the others all week who the real captain is. Then buy the first round at the pub as penance. Oi, Pete — untie, would you? Righto, fellas, push off! Meet the dream team: Pete’s a dentist; Rob’s an accountant who pretends to be navigator; and over there’s Mick — retired engineer, self-declared “beverage control officer.”
Mick: Too right, mate. First rule aboard Wagtail: skipper sails; I handle the beer.
Leonard: That’s why he keeps getting invited back. Righto, raise the sails. Wind’s sou’east, nice and steady. Daniel, you can give the halyard a good pull — that’s it, up she goes!
Daniel: She catches fast! Wow, that push... feels alive.
Leonard: Mind your head! Boom’’s about to swing — tacking starboard!
Daniel: Whoa — close one! I nearly got the full baptism.
Leonard: Ha! Happens once to everyone, mate. After that, you duck automatically. All right, beers up, eyes on Pelican — first of the estuary markers coming up. Let’s show these blokes the lawyers still mean business on the water!
___________
Voice-over
As Leonard puts it: Thirty years and it never gets old. You watch the sun drop behind the mangroves, the tide runs out — same rhythm, same laughs. Keeps you sane after a week of contracts and clients.
