Kevin Milne: Why "doing the edges" doesn't make sense

What does the phrase “doing the edges” mean to you? 

Most people would think either of assembling the outside of a jigsaw puzzle, or cleaning up and trimming around the edge of your lawn. 

And while Kevin Milne understands the purpose of one of those, he doesn’t quite get why people bother with the other. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
At b giveml's with us this morning killed her Toyota.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
Well, there's a moment this morning, isn't it. We have
your lovely son on on the media. Yes, for the first.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Time, making his debut on the airwaves.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Money teams at the airwaves.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Yeah, yeah, he's I mean, you know, we often lament
and in the in the broadcasting business that given the
state of the finances, we're hiring people younger and younger,
i e. Cheaper and cheaper than ever. But I think
this is probably going to see a bit of a record.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
I think it's fantastic. I wasn't sure for a second
whether it was you doing an imitation. Yeah, which was
pretty good thing. And I'm delighted to hear that it
was a real thing.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
It was a real thing. Just before I left this morning,
I thought, oh, you know what, I said, Hey, many
can you say?

Speaker 3 (01:03):
Dad?

Speaker 2 (01:03):
He said, Dad?

Speaker 3 (01:06):
I think that that that lives on the rot And
it's a bit of a party, Paoper, Really, who knows
what kids are going to say first? And I would
if I'd take it all the pleasure you can. Yeah,
out of the fact that he's he's gone to the
D word exactly. It happened with my grandchildren. My name
to my grandchildren is stumpy. Stumpy, Yeah, but it's turned

(01:29):
in because they can't say yes, it's it's now turned
into dumpy.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
I'm not sure honestly, what is What is less flattering
of the two options? Maybe dump dumpy by a nose,
But yeah, both options are better. Isn't that? It's funny?
So you didn't you didn't want to be called granddad
or pop or grandpa or anything the dad.

Speaker 3 (01:50):
The dad my son used to call me stumps when
he was growing up, and we thought we'd just keep
that thing going.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Isn't that interesting? I think there's a real trend actually
with grandparents who are choosing different names, aren't they Because
my my dad he is called Skip, So the anchor,
do you call him Skip?

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Which is which is the funny thing?

Speaker 3 (02:10):
He wouldn't?

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yeah, he doesn't. He doesn't have a grandad or a
par or anything. So yeah, I think it's a bit
of a tweender.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Kevin, Yeah, oh no, definitely, the great kid Quinn, he
he's grumps, I think one or the other.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, they're all quite still quite endearing, aren't they. But anyway, Ken,
you have been observing people in their gardens this week.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah, so here's a question for you, Jack. What does
the expression doing the edges mean to you?

Speaker 2 (02:39):
I know exactly what it means when it comes to
the garden, because I've got a couple of fanatics either
side of me, and I think they always look at
my edges with disdain.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah. Well, there are two common meanings. One makes a
lot of sense, the other, in my opinion, very little.
This being a New Zealand Saturday morning, I imagine some
people will be getting out their garden from us and
doing the edges, wondering around the edges of their lawns,
trimming any grass that's sticking out. The idea, I believe

(03:12):
is to create a clean, crisp lawn perimeter. When I'm
out walking the dog, I see these people and I
think themselves, have they nothing better to do? Who cares
that the perimeter of your lawn looks clean and crisp.
Doesn't the lawn mower itself tidy up anything offensive? They

(03:33):
of course maybe wondering if I've got nothing better to
do than walk the dog. Fair point, But it's necessary
for both of us, and it's fun. Does anyone get
any fun out of doing the edges? I may be
biased because when I was a kid, I not only
had to mow the lawns, but do the edges with
a pair of hedge trimmers on the knees. We couldn't

(03:55):
afford the trimmers with long handles. I right just string
out a length of garden line to make sure I
got the edges straight and on the knees. I'd be wondering,
who cares about the edges of our lawn? Now. On
the other hand, Jack the other doing the edges makes
a lot of sense. We're talking jigsaw puzzles now, and

(04:17):
the technique of always starting by completing the edge of
the puzzle first, giving yourself a framework to work inwards.
You'd be a puzzle with your Jack.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
I'm not a puzzler. And do you know when you
said doing the edges, I thought there was only one
word for it. I immediately went to lawn care.

Speaker 3 (04:36):
Yes, so did I see. But I checked it up
online and most people use the expression to do with
jigsaw puzzles. Doing the edges technique, of course, So my
advice to anyone proposing to do the edges of their
lawns today, forget it, waste of time. Go buy a

(04:58):
jigsaw puzzle and master of the technique of doing the
edges on that instead. Live a little so good? What
I have to say on that?

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Jack? Yeah, Well, do you know. The funny thing is,
I can be you know, particular, and I I do.
I don't have the time to do it, but I
do look at my neighbors with their like with their
precise edges on the berm, and I think it's I
do look at it with it with a degree of envy.

(05:29):
I think, well, that does that does look good? You know,
it does look it looks sharp, It looks like it's
like a short back and sides for your for your burm.

Speaker 3 (05:37):
You know.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
Part of me, I must admit, is a little bit
seduced by the idea of having really precise edges like that.
But it's I think I almost think that the people
who do it, they do it for the same reason.
It's like the Japanese zen gardens. We're just raking sand.
You know. It's not such a mindless activity and so
so relatively meaningless in the grand context of life. But

(05:58):
there's something that's actually and for disconnecting and you know,
you know, being can you get to the outdoors and things.
There's something that's actually really relaxing in and I wonder
if there's something something in there.

Speaker 3 (06:11):
Yeah, there may be something measative maybe process.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, in the same way that there is with jigsaws,
you know.

Speaker 3 (06:17):
Yeah, and frankly walking your dog similar yeah yeah, yeah,
so I brother walked the dog. But yes, you will
never see me out doing the edges.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
No fair enough to all right, Kevin.

Speaker 1 (06:31):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
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