26 April 2004

Walkies for Rob and Diana, school for the kids - 26/04/04

It was Anzac Day yesterday, when New Zealand and Australia remember their war veterans and those that didn't get to be veterans. They celebrate it by sending New Zealand league players to the slaughter, and kickboxing. Makes no sense to me, folks, I can't explain it.

LOCAL NEWS

A man was allegedly shot by alleged police three alleged times according to alleged witnesses on a day that was alleged to be Wednesday. What is with the "allegedly" business. If they haven't arrested someone for firearms charges or looking for someone then they sodding well know who discharged the firearm in the general direction of the guy wielding the alleged machete. He was allegedly recovering in hospital and another man was allegedly discharged on bail for related charges. The whole thing started with a noise control complaint. Would a sane person want to get shot by police rather than turn down their alleged stereo? It's a lot like wrapping yourself around a lamppost in your car, rather than get a speeding ticket. Darwinian evolution again, I suppose.

Three Africans were arrested with millions of fake US dollars (notice I didn't say millions of dollars worth of fake money, because counterfeit money isn't worth anything - except maybe an eight to ten stretch).

Fuss of dodgy Israelis with dodgy passports continued. I ignored it, mostly.

The media insisted in going on and on about a sheep called "shrek" that hadn't been shorn in about six years. They did every little ovine interest story you could think of (I had to look ovine up, I knew canine, feline, bovine, asinine, vulpine, leonine, ursine, but not the one for sheep). They had ovines lost in bush that hadn't been shorn since some really old sheep was a lamb. It was mentioned in two different places in the Herald on Saturday. All over sheep that hasn't had a hair cut. Pathetic.

We saw Helen Clark at the Anzac service at the Museum, how they can animate her is really quite clever. And in broad daylight and everything.

Royal Tongan Airline suspended international flights this week. They've been struggling financially for years (they have been a client of ours for probably ten years).

Don Brash is 1% behind Helen Clark in the preferred Prime Minister poll. This is the closest anyone has got for a very long time.

WORLD NEWS

Lots of noise this week about some US program showing pictures of Princess Diana after she was in the crash. The poms are upset. I don't really understand why they are making all this fuss, it's not like she was a sheep that had long hair.

The train accident in North Korea was bizarre. I am not sure what the death toll is now but it was said to be 3,000 at one point, but is more likely to be in the hundreds. How many people were on the train, and were they all suicide bombers or something?

A US man lost $300,000 in the Nigerian scam. Why do they publicise this? Now more people will try it. I think people who fall for it should be fined some horrendous amount of money for their crass stupidity and greed.

REAL SPORT

Hannah navigated for me on the way to her game. We want past the scene of the police shooting on Eskdale Road (I knew I recognised the street name, but not why). We knew Hannah's team were going to have it tough, the team they played won 6-2 last game. We had our moments, but just didn't defend well enough and isolated the goalie too often with goal kicks, we lost 7-0. Our goalies made some miracle saves but it just wasn't enough. Hannah did quite well, after a slow start.

Diana took Rory off to Papakura Army Camp, they had an easy game, winning 8-2. Two of the boys, including an Ethiopian playing his first ever proper soccer game, scored hat tricks. Amanuel is a very polite boy. I rang him to say congratulations later in the day, he was very happy to get player of the day. I am worried Rory's team will go up to Prem grade again.

SPORT

The Chiefs beat everyone's expectations after a return from South Africa to beat the Stormers (who thumped the Blues last weekend). The Blues beat the Cats away but they are going to struggle to make the semis, if nothing else they are running out of players. The Reds beat the Sharks 6-5 (tightest Super 12 match ever, in terms of low scoringness, I think). Surprisingly, the Waratahs beat the Brumbies 37-29. Highlanders beat Hurricanes, Crusaders beat the Bulls.

The Kiwis were thumped by Australia in the Anzac test. Typically, the captain was suspended by the NRL judiciary to stop him playing (it always happens). I don't know why we play League at all. At least the Warriors didn't lose (they didn't play).

Manu Utd lost 0-1 to Liverpool. I know a guy that was in a corporate box watching the game with his Dad, he won the tickets at a charity auction. He's a Liverpool supporter. Leeds lost 1-2 to Portsmouth, they are three points clear of the bottom two but three points behind Man City. Newcastle beat Chelsea 2-1 and Spurs had a 2-2 draw with the Arse.

Big news at the Warriors was the sacking of one player, whatever his name was, Ali Lauititi or something like that. They are a mess.

MY SAD LIFE

Pandora returned from the vet on Monday with stitches, but was chasing flies that day and pretty much back to normal within a couple of days. They were screaming around the house last night, up and over our bed so fast we could barely tell which kicked off from my head or Diana's book. Ollie was "death in a pink feather boa" this morning, flying through the air onto Pandora wrapped in pink feathers.

Well, Rory is certainly suffering on some sort of an intellectual level from the hormones and things raging around his body. After Pandora's Sunday night altercation with a car, Rory thought it was a good idea on Tuesday to take Ollie down the driveway to the road, to wave goodbye to visitors. Twice that evening, Ollie followed us down the driveway. Rory knows it was stupid, understands why he should know that was stupid more than anyone, and swore that it wasn't some sort of "my cat got hit by a car now yours has to" thing with Hannah. It was one of at least three idiot things he achieved on Tuesday. Whilst we know what is going on, and that it isn't deliberate, it is still very hard for us as parents to accept the idiot behaviour without getting a little grumpy. I don't think people should be allowed to drive until they are like thirty.

The kids did a few day trips to places like Devonport this week. I couldn't manage to take a single day off these holidays, which I was reminded about regularly. It's just been too busy.

The kids are back to school today. Naturally, this meant Rory was doing homework last night and this morning. It also means me and Diana could maybe sneak in a quick walk this morning.

I spoke with Paul twice this week. The second time on an internet phone that worked pretty nicely (it was a test for an article).

As mentioned before, we went to the service at the Museum. All sorts of dignitaries were there. John Banks was lousy at his reading, then he lost it and cried a bit. I don't know if it was about a relative or what. The political parties all got some airtime, which seemed inappropriate. Rory was bored out of his tree. The Pt Chevalier one is much shorter. I am not sure we'll get Rory back there for a while.

We got a new outdoor table and four chairs on Thursday, which the cats inspected immediately. We need rain for them to age a little.

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