Weather has been really nasty the three nights, but pretty good during the day. Better to have the bad weather at night I suppose.
LOCAL NEWS
Name calling in Parliament was particularly sad. The deputy leader of National, Gerry Brownlee, was called a "big fella" and in response asked the Speaker if he could refer to John Tamahere as a "black fella". And yet, Gerry had to apologise and John did not, despite Mr Brownlee only asking if he could use the term, and did not actually use it.
Mark Lyon, a total loser that's been sunning himself in the Cooks and causing trouble managed to escape a jail term for four charges (for mixed minor-ish offences). It is hardly surprising.
Since the speech by Don Brasch, a new poll has National in the best shape it's been in years. It's the one of the biggest jumps in polling history in New Zealand.
The police thing continues with new allegations against some of the previously named policemen. I am not sure that I see whether any of it was consensual or not matters much. The things they were accused of doing, even if it was with the full permission of the women concerned, are dodgy. They are not things that people in positions of responsibility should do. A teacher cannot have a relationship with a pupil, a jailer with a prisoner, a doctor with a patient. And I am talking one on one, and with everyone at the age of consent and of sound mind. By the same token, a politician shouldn't have a free lunch with someone affected by a committee they are one. It's all about being seen to be squeaky clean. You cannot enforce the law if there is any doubt that you don't live by the law yourself.
A toddler got mauled by a dog yesterday, here we go again.
There's been flooding and power cuts and the Cook Strait Ferry stopped sailing yesterday. Hope our friend Marc is doing okay, he should be in Wellington by now.
WORLD NEWS
Bird flu seems to be affecting more than birds.
The weight of snow on a glass dome in Moscow collapsed it over a swimming pool, killing fifteen. The poor people inside had to escape wearing only their togs - the men were desperate to not be shown below the waist in the sub-zero temperatures (the Russians haven't developed a term for "shrinkage" yet).
SPORT
The Kingz got their third win of the season against a highly placed team, winning 2-0.
The Breakers needed to win but lost to the top of the league Kings (without a Z) in the basketball.
Four red cards in five FA Cup matches on Saturday night. I taped the game, first time they've broadcast anything other than the FA Cup final. Man Utd beat City with ten men for most of the game after moronic Gary Neville thought a little headbutt didn't count as a headbutt (proving he is a butthead). Man Utd were 1-0 up when he was sent off, got to 3-0 up, final score 4-2 but City were never closer than within two goals. Big name team Tranmere beat Swansea 2-1 in the clash of the giants. Arsenal were down 0-1 to Chelsea but won 2-1, Liverpool had a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth.
The Black Caps lost the first one dayer to South Africa in the last over on Friday night.
MY SAD LIFE
Diana "met the teacher" at Hannah's school on Tuesday, then we all did the same thing at Rory's on Wednesday. Diana found the session with the much-vaunted Ms Chambers a little overwhelming, but I thought it went okay. Some of the parents seemed to be brown-nosing Ms Chambers. I think the environment should do Rory a lot of good.
Diana survived her first week in the new job, the class seems okay but a little toey about how she does things. It's kind of funny, but she has now explained that when she says "do you have any questions" that's when they are supposed to ask questions (go figure, it's a cultural thing that they don't, but they need to learn it's okay to say they don't understand).
Gavin became an older person on Saturday, on Valentine's Day, which I think he finds eternally irritating (not the old thing, the Valentine's Day thing).
It was our friend Ross Cole's birthday on Thursday, and I forgot until Friday. I think I have just about got used to what happened, but despite that when I heard an adult's voice at the back door on Thursday I thought it was him (It was Allan). It takes a while to get used to the way things are now, as compared to the way things were.
I did another radio session on Sunday with Alice Worsely on Radio Pacific, my third with her. We are probably going to make it a regular thing. It goes really quickly, and is always popular.
The kids both had friends over yesterday and it was an absolute nightmare. They had fun but the house was chaotic. It was so bad that Diana came and hid in the garage with me for a while.
We told the kids yesterday that we are going to go to the SPCA next Saturday to see about getting a pair of kittens. They get to name one each. They are pretty excited, and this way they have something to look forward to for a week. It has been strange living in a house without pets. Hannah says that she has to have a girl and Rory a boy. I asked why not the other way round. She replied, quietly, "because we have to have matching "bits",don't we." (really? I am not sure that matters or would be of much importance). We'll see how we go.
I've been meeting on the shore three times a week so am taking the boys to school on the way. It's been interesting. The conversations aren't particularly deep. It's funny, they all click their stopwatches to time how long it takes to get down Meola Road, you get these synchronised beeps. By the time we get to the other end they have forgotten and moved on half the time.
Rory has made it into the Year 7 softball team at school. This is great, a big change after some bad experiences he had with team selection at primary school.
We went off to sell some of my spare star wars items at a swap meet on Saturday. The thing had been moved a week for some stupid reason. We got there and found out that the woman running the thing had forgotten to book the new day (unbelievable). Matt was really beyond words, was funny, he went very quiet. It was occupied by a "men's group" that seemed to do a lot of hugging and stuff. We got some tables off them and set up in the car park. Luckily, the weather behaved. The thing was a success but only just, sold quite a few things which makes room for me. Gavin came and helped to get that boost by seeing all the people sadder than him (I think he included me in that group, but some were really bad).
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