I'm Sick of The Olympics Already

The Olympics. We all know they start in August. Why does TVNZ 1 feel the need to have a big Olympic sign in the corner of the screen at all times? I've had enough of them already!

The Power of Wee

There's a lemon tree in our garden, which I planted a year or so ago. A couple of months ago, it was looking a bit pale and sad. But Lily's potty training has turned it around. We sometimes pour the wee on its roots and it has now sprung back to life. The grass around it is twice as long as the rest of the grass. It's a miracle!

Kiddies Party

Last week Lily was two. We had a birthday party for her in the sleepout. We invited ten of Lily's friends and they all turned up. We have only just recovered.

Our Sensitive Daughter

Lily is a sensitive soul. She doesn't like it when frightening things happen. She gets upset.

She doesn't like reading Hairy McClary because of Scarface claw, the toughest tom in town. "No. Close it" she says, halfway through. She doesn't like the Winnie the Pooh video because that's too frightening. And she doesn't like the book I have just bought her because a goat dresses up as a ghost and frightens the farm animals. "Don't like goat book" she has been saying sporadically throughout today. And then sometimes bursting into tears.

That girl needs to toughen up.

The Dream that Died

I once had a dream that we would live in rural Australia, in a dusty town miles from anywhere. We would have six kangeroos in the garden. They would be called Hoppy, Skippy, Jumpy, Bouncy, Springy and Boingy.

Not long ago I saw a job advertised in such a place. It had its own general store and the nearest town (Mount Isa) was only 400km away down a (sealed) road. The place was 400km from nowhere. Funnily enough I wasn't tempted.

That dream's dead then.

Cheese Prices Trending Upwards in March

The price of 1kg of mild, colby or edam is now edging $10 in the Paraparaumu Pak N Save. The long dry summer may be putting pressure on milk supplies as dairy farmers dry off their herds early.

The Year of the Potato

I was out with Lily on the Palmerston North esplanade the other day. The sun was shining and we were enjoying the fantastic facilities provided for everyone to use free of charge. There's a great big paddling pool and a bush walk. There's a big aviary with a variety of fancy birds like peacocks and parakeets, as well as a duck pond. There's a playground and a miniature railway. It's great for kids.

Opposite the pool, there's a manicured garden, with flowers, shrubs and the like. The unusual centre-piece was a potato patch. It had a selection of different potato varieties, including an experimental blue type. What fun. But why is agriculture intruding into the cities parks?

Apparently its international year of the potato. This is a celebration of the potato, the most nutritious food per hectare of land. Hooray for the potato!