Armless man caught driving car

Now here's an interesting story from New Zealand....the other day a man was stopped on State Highway 2 at Papamoa ( Bay of Plenty) cos he was 21km/hr over the 100km/hr speed limit. The officer approaches the car and sees that the drivers seat is reclined and the guy has his foot up on the dashboard. He's thinking,this guy is acting like a smart alec. Then he notices the guy has no arms!

This fella has been driving for years with no drivers license, using one foot to steer and the other to operate the pedals. Apart from the fact he was speeding, I reckon he deserves a medal for guts, having the Kiwi can-do attitude, and simply having the dexterity to drive a car with no hands!

Newsletter ready, ISP isn't

Having finally put together the March newsletter ( better late than never, eh?!) my ISP is having problems receiving and storing emails, and just cannot cope with taking my newsletter. Darn it! Hopefully the problem will be fixed quickly, so I can get this newsletter out. So much work goes into that newsletter, that it's this huge anticlimax when I can't actually send it!

There's lots of local interest in the Merino Possum yarn, so I'm enjoying the thought of seeing lots of Tutukaka Coast people sporting warm woolies this winter. We're experiencing the tail end of the cyclone that hit Australia earlier in the week, and there is a bit of a chill in the air. I spoke with one delightful local lady and mooted the idea of a Stitch 'n Bitch group being formed. We'd all get together with our handcraft projects and have a fun night....might even get some knitting done....

Due to the problem of not being able to get the newsletter out today, I've had to turn to my stock of Cadbury Creme Eggs for solace. They are such a comfort on a cold Friday afternoon when the day has gone to poop....but it's alright Maureen, your order is safe. :-)

I knitted the Merino Possum Yarn

Well I got out the knitting needles that had been laying dormant for oh, about 20 years, and knitted up a piece of the Merino Possum yarn. I was rather proud of myself that I still knew how to cast on stitches, although I must admit I had to consult the internet to find out how to cast off!

Where would we be without the internet these days? I don't think I have a How To Knit book, so without the internet that piece would still be sitting on the needles until I got to the library to find a book.

Anyway, for the technically minded, I used size 4.5mm needles ( about a US size 7?) and ended up with about 20 stitches, 26 rows in 10cm/4 ", which is what is recommended. Although the band around the wool says it is 8 ply, it is actually 10ply and you should buy patterns accordingly.

I love the feel of the work - it is soft, warm, non-prickly, and lightly fluffy. I've taken a close-up shot of my work and I've lightened up the picture ( I WOULD use the black yarn) so you can see the stitches. In real life, the piece is jet black. What might look like spots of dust in the photo is actually light reflecting off the possum fur - it is smooth and hollow so it shines a little.

I may just graduate on to making a hat or a scarf....probably have it finished by the start of next winter!

Little Blue Penguin in Ngunguru Bay

Oh I'm a lucky girl....although it's autumn now, the weather and sea is still warm, so we went over to the beach to have a swim. The tide was going out and there were many shoals of sprats swimming around in the shallows. Then lo and behold, along comes a Little Blue Penguin chasing the sprats like crazy, right into the shallows, gobbling them up! It was so exciting! We knew these penguins live around here somewhere, as we've seen a couple of dead ones on the Ngunguru Sandspit. But never a live one, and not one swimmming in close proximity. This cute little penguin wasn't terribly concerned that we were in the water, and actually swam right up to me.

This is another reminder of how cool it is to live at Ngunguru. Just last year a group of dolphins came into the river and the whole school, plus a dog, got into the water to play with them. My daughter , Sophie, got to touch one of them. The young ones came right in amongst the kids, while the older ones stayed out in deeper water, doing great leaps. A pic is below. Maybe I'll get a photo of the little blue penguin one day too. :-)

The census

I can't believe the last census was 5 years ago. I can't even remember filling the damn thing out! What the heck was I doing???? Oh yeah, I had three preschoolers, and I was setting up a new business. I guess that's what it was. But still, you'd think I'd remember filling out the forms for me and the kids..... oh well, I guess it wasn't memorable eh?

It's been great having the option of doing it online for the first time, but even I didn't bother, opting to fill out the forms instead.

Several well-known people got all uppity about the options in categorising race. We had options like Maori.....or New Zealand European, I think it was called. No option for calling oneself a New Zealander, or a Pakeha, although you could use the vague "other". Personally, I don't see why anyone would want to get their knickers in a twist about it. To me, the census is about science, about statistics, about useful data for mapping out the future and for learning about the past. Old census returns provide fascinating info about our ancestors, and I'm all for filling mine in if it helps someone with an interest in their ancestry find out more about me and my family in the future.

Which brings me on to a wonderful telly programme a week or so ago about a couple of our TV presenters sending DNA samples off to Oxford University ( I think that's the one) to find out where they came from, and then taking a journey to those countries. It was Oscar Keightley and his sidekick, Whatisname, can't think of it....

So interesting with Oscar, going back to Samoa and seeing his parents, and then back to Vanuatu, and then further back to Taiwan. Now I wouldn't ordinarily have been able to see any resemblance between the Taiwanese and Samoans, but when you go see tribal Taiwanese living on the coastline, hear their native tongue, watch their dance......there are so many similarities! Fascinating stuff. Made me want to go thru the exercise myself. My Dad's ancestors, the Armstrongs, go back to Wales, and then eventually they should go back to Scotland, from whence the Armstrongs were unceremoniously kicked out. They were BAD!!! But I just can't find that link from the late 1700s Welsh family back to Scotland.

Has anyone had their DNA checked for their ancestry???

TradeMe - Sam Morgan

Everyone is STILL talking about the Fairfax buyout of TradeMe, the main New Zealand internet auction site, for a cool $700 million. I reckon Sam Morgan, the youthful owner, will be a name no-one will ever be able to forget! Everyone loves him....he created something the Aussies wanted, they paid him megabucks for it, and he remained cool, calm and modest about the whole thing. Just how we want all Kiwis to act, I guess.

Pasifika Festival

I'm excited, so is Monty, we're going on our annual pilgrimage to the Pasifika Festival today. The Festival starts at 10 am tomorrow, at Western Springs in Auckland. We love it! For those of you who don't know about Pasifika, it is a wonderful festival of Pacific Island Art, Craft, Music and Food held once a year in Auckland, around the shores of Western Springs Lake.

Each Pacific Island nation ( Niue, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, etc) has an area where they can show off their wares and their culture, and there are several stages set up where all sorts of acts are showcased. And it is FREE!

Although I'm Pakeha, I'm a Pacific Islander at heart, and I'm at my happiest on a nice, hot, tropical Pacific Island. I love the people, I love the heat, I love the drums, I love the dancing, I love the food.

So I'm gonna have a good time, and maybe I'll find some goodies to put in www.shopenzed.com

All the best
Lesley

Merino Possum Wool Knitting Yarn coming!

For all of you who have asked for Merino Possum Fur Wool Knitting Yarn, the wait is almost over. Next week, all going well, I will have this yarn that you have been wanting. Soon you will be able to knit your own beautiful scarves, socks, sweaters, etc from a range of 7 lovely colours.

The mix in the yarn is 50% merino, 40% possum, and 10% nylon. Recommended tnesion is 18 stitches, 26 rows per 4 square inches. Size US 6-8 ( NZ 4-5mm) needles. Each ball of wall is 50 grams ( 100 metres).

Do email me if you would like to be sent a personal email when the yarn arrives.

Cheers
Lesley
lesley@shopenzed.com

Anniversary of the passing of Opo

Fifty years ago tomorrow marks the passing of New Zealand's most loved wild dolphin, Opo of Opononi. Opo was a bottleneck nosed dolphin who appeared in the harbour around the Far North town of Opononi in 1955, and who decided humans could be interacted with without fear.

During the summers of 1955 and 1956, Opo would play amongst swimmers at Opononi beach, letting kids play with her and even ride on her back. Apparently she would leap into rings formed by children holding hands, and would flip balls and catch them again, to the great delight of onlookers.

Opo was always special to my family because my mother got to swim with her too.

Opo died tragically in 1956 but is remembered with a memorial at Opononi. There will be a memorial gala on April 1st at Opononi.

On driving in New Zealand

Having driven back from Auckland yesterday and experienced two near misses with manic Kiwi drivers intent on passing every car in sight, it's high time to warn foreigners of what we are like.

Kiwis are normally fairly placid people, but get us behind the wheel and our personalities make a drastic u-turn. On the open road the speed limit is 100 k/hr ( 60 m/h I think) and there is a police tolerance of a further 1o k/hr. And we like to travel at that speed ( 110). We don't like slow drivers and will do just about anything to get past them.

Several Kiwis believe they can see around corners, so will overtake at or just either side of a corner. It's heady stuff! I once was hitch-hiking home from Otago Uni with a friend, and we were picked up by a middle-aged woman who decided to pass another car, on a corner, just after a vehicle had come the other way with a Wide Load warning sign on it! A guy from Social Welfare who picked us up took exception to being passed by another motorist and drove at speed for several kilometres, tail-gating the other driver.

That was a while ago, and some of us have mellowed. But if you are holidaying here and are intent on driving yourself around New Zealand, take heed. If you are driving a campervan, remember to pull over on a regular basis to let we speed-mad Kiwis get past you. You might even be given a friendly wave. And remember to stay to the left.

Back from the New Zealand Gift Fair

Had a good trip to Auckland to the Autumn Gift Fair. After the first 5 halls I despaired that I'd find anything of value to add to www.shopenzed.com but the last 4 halls turned up some gems. In particular, gorgeously soft merino throws and scarves. Will have them on the website soon.

Oh yes, and huge possum fur throws, how I'd love to have one of those on my bed to snuggle up in.

Summer changed to Autumn with a wallop this past week, cold southerlies coming up from Antarctica. I can't bear the thought of putting another layer on, dragging out the shoes and socks, but I must! Even had the leccy blanket on some nights. Meanwhile Whangarei is having an Endless Summer Festival right now ( haha) and the kids at Ngunguru School are supposed to be having their Water Sports Day on Friday. The way things are going, that is going to be a chilling experience!

Will aim to get the March newsletter out this week guys.

Cheers
Lesley