Search: All languages | Full text

Results tagged “new zealand”

Jack Yan

Fix my street again, please

I could have spent half an hour doing something more productive but them’s the breaks as a ratepayer. Attn.: Transport Group, Wellington City Council via email Ladies and Gentlemen: We’re very happy that WCC has contracted Fulton Hogan to reseal Mamari Street, Rongotai. The road was in need of...

rabbitmask

FINALLY…It’s Here…by Sebastian Peppermint

Earlier this month police officers in Mold, North Wales seized chemicals and lab equipment supposedly used to produce and manufacture the infamous, - Crystal Meth. A drug spoken about yet sparsely seen in this country, the Sasquatch of the British drug world if you like. Having long been endorsed by...

Jack Yan

Gene Hunt is a law unto himself—even in real life

The first time I read about Philip Glenister getting his driver off for speeding (35 mph in a 30 mph zone) I chuckled, as he adopted his Gene Hunt persona. The cop saw the actor and said, according to Glenister, ‘I’m terribly sorry about this sir, I’ll let you off this time if you don’t...

Jack Yan

US Kath & Kim: no Sharon!

I’m not even that huge a fan of Kath & Kim but I find the US remake news interesting. The two lead characters will still be Kath and Kim Day, but there will be no Sharon, Kel or Brett! Yes, they are being Americanized to Heather, Phil and Craig! I am keeping an open mind but just as I can’t...

Scotty

We are going to New Zealand!

We got the phone call this morning - the minister of home affairs has been offered the job in New Zealand! We now have just a few months before we have to pack up and move in November/December. We are going to New Zealand!

Jack Yan

Rebranding the Alliance

[Cross-posted] This has been official for a while (or so I think—not that I ever heard what the Electoral Commission thought, but I did see it on its website). However, I wanted the party to approve the news first before sharing it with you all. The following is the overseas release which was...

Scotty

The government gets more of your cash

This from this morning's Eastern Cape newspaper Daily Dispatch: A QUARTER of the petrol price will be taxes and levies when May’s 55c per litre increase takes effect from midnight tonight. Tomorrow’s increase includes a 20c per litre increase in the “slate levy”, a new 1.5c “incremental...

Scotty

News is not good

The minister of home affairs just phoned me to let me know that she did receive the phone call, but it was very disappointing. They told her that although they were very impressed with her, there has still been no firm decision. Of course, we don't know what this means, other than the fact that we...

CrowSeer

Once Were Hobbits

Last night I watched Once Were Warriors, a 1994 film which tells the story of an urban Maori family, and their problems with poverty, alcoholism, and domestic violence. The opening shot is especially striking, as we’re first presented with the sort of idyllic landscape we foreigners are used to...

Scotty

We hear tomorrow!

We will receive a phone call tomorrow morning at 06h00 CAT (23h00 CDT Monday; 04h00 UCT Tuesday) from New Zealand. This is what we have been waiting for - it is the call to let the minister of home affairs know whether she has the job over there. Please pray for us - above all that God's will...

Jack Yan

QotD: my first car

What was your first car? That was a 1977 Triumph Toledo 1500 (a 1500 was indeed offered in New Zealand). Meaty car: it had a lot of pulling power. But it was laboured with an unfortunate colour which British Leyland called Bitter Apricot. It was a shame to see it go because I worked on that car...

Jack Yan

At the barbecue: too cute

I know, cute, huh? My friend Bevan’s kids, Andrew and Jessica, at the barbecue yesterday, raiding Bevan’s cousin Sonia’s costumes (no, Chinese people do not regularly walk around like this). Remember when you went to family functions and there were strange “uncles” and “aunts” who...

Jack Yan

What do butterflies mean as a sign?

I have had a record number of monarchs in my garden this year. This one was on one of my paths, and let me come up real close. They were actually from April, not May as the captions state. Earlier today, when attending a photo shoot for Lucire, what did I spot among the props?

Jack Yan

A great Horowhenua spa: Horrobin & Hodge

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting the Horrobin & Hodge spa in Manakau, north of Levin, for a future issue of Lucire. These are just random shots; the real 35 mm and digital ones will appear online and in print in due course. You can get great spa treatments there with products...

Matthew

Wild Bog Sage

Bog sage grows profusely in late summer and autumn. Its untamed stalks twist through gardens and sway in the winds of early winter. They remind me of the wild origins of so many of the species we plant today. This photograph was taken with a terracotta bird feeder in the background. I love the rich...

Matthew

Last Rites of Summer

I am definitely in awe of the exuberant beauty of flowers. In fact, I have had to restrain myself from uploading more images from Shelley's garden. This was from my last visit in late summer.

Matthew

Akira

The other member of the dynamic duo of cats myself and Shelley own. Cats are so good at relaxing - just watching them chill out is peaceful. Perhaps that is the secret to serenity...

Matthew

Tapa Cloth

Matthew

Refreshments Pasifika Style!

Matthew

Pasifika

There's nothing quite like Pasifika to say welcome to Aotearoa. The festival which is held in the height of summer has been going from strength to strength, and is a fantastic showcase for the Pacific peoples which have given New Zealand, and especially Auckland, such a distinctive character and...