‘Hi De Hi’ by Joyce Hayward

Many years ago, when the children were young, I took them all to the dentist for a check-up.
Patients had to ring a door bell and wait outside for the door to open electronically. After it had opened, we all went into the adjoining waiting room and were sitting amongst a few more elderly, grim-faced, magazine-reading individuals when the door bell rang to the tune of ‘Hi De Hi’. This was a TV favourite at the time.
The door opened slowly, a patient walked in and our eldest son greeted him in a loud voice like Ruth Madoc. ‘Hi De Hi,’ he said.
Whereupon, the chap wryly smiled and sat down.
Needless to say, I was gobsmacked because, of the four children, Michael was the quietest one. I just found it hilarious and hid my face behind the pages of a magazine, shaking quietly with laughter and tears running down my cheeks.
The younger ones kept asking, ‘What’s the matter, Mum?’; but I couldn’t answer. They were not old enough to understand why it was so funny or understand the joke.
Needless to say, even to this day, I smile when I recall it. Our son still has a dry sense of humour and loves shows featuring stand-up comedians.