LOCAL NEWS
Despite a bad start to the year, our number of murders is now behind average this year.
Some guy decided to cut a huge hole in a cliff so his kids could walk to the beach on the Manukau Harbour. It's costing him $80k to put it right. Funny as hell, quite bizarre that he thought he was allowed to these days.
There was a very big fire at a cooling warehouse near Hamilton on Saturday. There was a number of injuries among the fire fighters when something exploded, including three seriously. One was so serious he later died. We don't often lose fire fighters so it is a big thing. A fire truck was also taken out, they don't often lose them either. It is still going a little, today.
An Auckland University Professor reckons that we should be taxing butter, as he believes it is the moat poisonous commonly consumed food. His statements coincide with a national cholesterol testing campaign which is sponsored by a company that sells a type of margarine. Interestingly, he is a epidemiologist which study disease, and I am not sure that butter is a disease. We are #1 consumers of butter in the world, and eat three times as much as Australians.
Lotto jackpotted to $19m this week and was won in Taranaki. The hunt is on to find the winner.
Some knob-end hurt himself in a ram raid, poetic justice.
Yet another finance company, Lombard, hit the skids this week. We are very much used to the cycle of stories on it as I think it is the 19th to fail in the last year or so. One has to suspect that each time one keels over, people pull their money out of other dodgy ones putting more pressure on them. I also guarantee there is very little new money going in to them.
Today is the day they sign the big free trade deal with China. Apparently we are the first industrialised nation to do so. Not sure why New Zealand needs to be first.
WORLD NEWS
Robert Mugabe slowly slipped from the reins in Zimbabwe this week, not before time. He does look pretty good for 84. Hope he hides pretty good when the shooting starts. Actually, come to think of it, I am not much bothered if he does hide.
Some git from England, living in Australia, is selling his whole life on eBay. It's news but who would want everything from his house to his socks without it being an utter bargain.
Some F1 bigwig was forced to resign after news of him taking part in an nazi-style orgy with prostitutes. Nobody explained what nazi-style was. Did he have his way with them, salute, and then invade Poland? Or, did he just dress up in jackboots and things? The mind boggles.
Charlton Heston has died this week, he will always be Taylor as far as I am concerned.
REAL SPORT
Hannah played polo for the junior girls, who lost 2-7. Hannah was in goal for the first half and scored the two goals in the second,
We had Hannah's first soccer game of the season, against the much vaunted Eastern Suburbs. Hannah played centre back and did pretty well, although they lost 1-4.
Sunday morning, Rory and I did the trial for Ponsonby water polo. Rory is coaching the A team, but not sure how the B team will be managed.
Rory's senior boys played probably the weakest team in the league on Sunday night, they won 19-0, Rory scored eight goals. Before his game we saw a simply terrible game between two not-that-good teams which was almost slapstick in the way it went, possibly the worst game I have ever seen. One team was short a player and yet they managed a 4-4 draw.
SPORT
Man Utd won their first leg champs league match against Roma 2-0, away as well so things look good there. Fenerbahce scored three goals to beat Chelsea 2-1 in their match (the own goal was first, how's that for pressure). Arsenal and Liverpool drew 1-1.
On Saturday, Arsenal and Liverpool drew 1-1 again, twice in four days. Quite bizarre, really. Chelsea beat Man City 2-0, Sunderland beat Fulham 3-1, Man Utd drew 2-2 with Middlesbrough.
The netball version of the super 14 started this weekend. Too many teams to keep track of, and they have weird names. The Canterbury team is called "tactix" but someone on the radio calls them "tic-tacs" (a mint lolly).
The Blues lost to the Waratahs. Highlanders got their first win. Still haven't actually seen a game in Super 14 yet, don't really expect to.
The Olympic torch seemed to have a bit of a rough time of it in London.
MY SAD LIFE
1 April was the birthday of number portability, which occupies most of my working life. Everyone said it couldn't be done, but we did it anyway.
3 April was Peter Smith's birthday. In our circle of friends born in 1964, he is the first. We got together for it, don't see him often these days.
Today is Brett's birthday, his first as a doctor I think.
Hannah was asked out by another Hannah a while back, although I only just heard about it. It seems everyone at school knows (in lieu of a husband, the father is always the last to find out). Hannah says if she had said yes she would have been the hot one.
We had fun with Domino's Pizza this week. The local one in Pt Chev has been awarded a D hygiene rating (the lowest you can get, D for Dirty. The grades are A, B, and D. There is no C. Not sure why). They have it hidden so people can't readily spot it (it is meant to be prominently displayed). Rory took a bunch of mates in to supposedly order 20 pizzas, then asked to see the hygiene certificate and cancelled the order. Someone else has been standing outside the store with a sign about it. I can't believe Domino's isn't trying to do something about it.
I don't remember whether I have mentioned this before, but Rory is in a competion with some friends. It is the "who can go the longest without shaving" competition and failure costs $20. One lad has had his parents pay up to get him to shave. So far two or three are out. Rory continues to get furrier. Meanwhile the lads are wondering what else they could do that could extract $20 from each parent.
Both kids stayed elsewhere on Saturday night, but it wasn't planned so we couldn't really take advantage of it. Not entirely sure what taking advantage of it would entail, to be honest.
Been for a few walks this week. Hannah and I did Meola reef on Saturday morning, and scored free muesli down at the soccer field on the way back (as you do). Diana and I did Westhaven Marina last night, very noisy and smelly, not sure it was worth it. I got a blister, too.
We think this could be Hannah's first actual full week of school, the second to last week of the term. Sporting events and other things have impacted on every other week so far.
THE PRICE OF FISH
I have had some numbers from Germany and Australia to accompany the other ones but would be great to have prices for cheese, milk, butter, and petrol from some other places. Helen thinks we should do the price of a Mars Bar too, but that isn't a staple so I don't think we should.
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