Oh My Lord !

L is off to the front row tomorrow. She refuses to take any photos for me so I'll have to make do with the Little Black Dress . Forget garnishing it with fur...

Inspirational.

And while we're on insurance ...

...figures released ..... yesterday by the Ministry of Health showing Maori women have the highest smoking prevalence (49.3 per cent) followed by Maori men (41.5 per cent).

Hone Harawira thinks "This is a war against people who kill New Zealanders ......"
Eighty per cent of smokers wanted to quit, Mr Harawira said "And 80 per cent of the other 20 per cent want to quit too ... they just don't want to admit it."

Reducing the stats is as simple as making sure the health related costs of this shocking statistic are paid by those who choose to smoke not the rest of us.

How to reduce ACC costs, road deaths, tax and my insurance premiums

I'm damn sure its been said before by Cactus Kate - that insurance companies have the risk expertise, so let them manage the financial costs of road accidents via insurance premiums.

Why not take it a step further and let them also cover the costs of vehicular injury and death. Split this component off from ACC cover and put it into the hands of private insurance companies. Obviously third party would need to be compulsory.
To be affordable for a 20 year old driver with a lowered Silvia, the policy would end up with conditions like ....

May only drive vehicle:

• from 1 hour after sunrise to 1 hour before sunset
• with nil blood alcohol
• with passengers who have their own 'passenger in a car driven by and under 25' insurance
• governed to less than 55 kmph
• like their Nana !

And my tax and insurance bill could drop to where it ought to be.

Scary

You have to wonder how they can make this stuff, package it and send it all the way to NZ and still sell it for less than the 'Made in New Zealand' varieties.

Imagine the cost of the raw materials for in the country of origin.

Imagine the buyer spending days sourcing and negotiating with the growers and farmers.

Guess where Countdown gets these from.....

Peaches from .......South Africa !

Had some tonight. Bloody great. Even tasted like peaches.

Strawberry Jam from.....Poland.

Not sure how much strawberry but tastes OK

The Saturday Herald had a choc caramel desert that called for....

Now I'm a bigger trade fan than Mike Moore but I draw the line at milk products from.....

Singapore.

WTF ?

Mate, they have bloody great flocks of Jerseys and Friesians running around. They graze on the traffic islands and the paddocks - like at Cornwall Park.

Yeah, right ! Not many if any.

Sports Days

Friday: 9 - 0 I think in the hockey. My 9 yo shreds 5 of them.


Saturday, both at 9 am, unusually at the same ground, my 9 y old's 9th grade team won the Waikato knock out competition, and the 12 y old's Open Grade team lost 1 - 0 to their Nemisis Ham North after failing to beat them all year. Our best player out with 4 stitches the night before - wah wah wah - but they know it !

Then it was off to watch the ABs.


Yet another boorish Waikato and AB fan says "Well done John Smit"

Today. Sunday.Luckily the Waikato U13's beat EBOP 3-0 then WBOP A 3 - 2 in the Regional Final in Taupo to make me feel better. Well done guys.
Look at the height compared with coach Webby on the right !

Another Day At Snapper Rock

Old Friends has it's uses.

A girl I haven't seen since primary school emailed me to say that a mutual friend Andrew Lowe had 'passed away' .

After confirming with the Herald website deaths. Yes, it was the guy I grew up with in Tirau, less than a month younger than me, he taught me to fish for Rainbows with spinners in the Waihau and Oraka streams. He and his Dad taught me to shoot rabbits with 22 and shotgun - he could spot rabbits a mile off.
Every Guy Fawkes was like Apocalypse Now on our street. Forget Roman Candles at Mission Bay, this was the days of cracker fights with thunder bangers and rockets fired from lamp stands. Acorn fights had 1 tennis racquet per side.
He loved rugby, later playing London Kiwis as a winger, back at primary we played in All Black, thought we were bloody cool. We won the inter-school soccer against the Putaruru schools in our last year at Tirau before High School. And generally had great fun growing up in the country.
How's this for an obit:

Andrew Kevin. Daddy, I still can't believe that you are gone. I'll miss you watching me play netball. I'll play my hardest for you. I will always love you with all my heart. I love you daddy. Monica xoxo

Eagle flew overhead and hundreds were in tears.

No cause of death mentioned at the service, closed casket, Pink's "Please Don't Leave Me" lead to an obvious conclusion.

I wish we shared a few more beers together mate.

Progress

My 9 yo on the Rockgarden the day after saying "I hate skiing I can't do it."

The 12 yo was able to drag me off on skis while I snowboarded. Racing him from the top of Knoll Ridge - priceless.

Tip - at least wear a long sleeved shirt when you're a bunny snowboarder.

Bad News

I was half way up the chairlift when I got the news.

Dad went to hospital for tests while on holiday in Perth, has the big C and likely has months to live.