Mexican in talks to direct new Hobbit films

I have no problem with this - but two films? I can't see why the source material requires two films, beyond making punters pay twice to see the whole story. Particularly if they're both 3+ hours long.

Mexican in talks to direct new Hobbit films - Stuff.co.nz

Natural selection

I was walking along the beach the other day, as you do, when ahead I noticed 5 adults, one with a toddler on his shoulders, watching a young boy performing donuts on a small quad bike.

"Retards", was my first uncharitable thought, only that morning I'd been reading an article in the DomPost about quad & motor bike accidents on the beach.

Next time I looked over at them, the adults were all running over the sand towards the toppled quad bike which was now on top of the young boy.

He was alright though, they picked him up, and the bike, stuck him back on & urged him, with some taunting because he wasn't keen anymore, to get back out there making donuts!

Beach speed limit 'ridiculous' - New Zealand, world, sport, business & entertainment news on Stuff.co.nz

SunnyO: Spread the word, we've found Olive

RESULT!

Last October I reported that a neighbour's 7 year old black labrador was apparently stolen from outside his house.

Well early this week I saw him out walking her in the morning. Seems a few days before Christmas he got a phone call from the Lower Hutt dog control people to say they'd found a black lab matching Olive's description wandering the streets of Taita (Olive hails from Central Wellington).

It was her, about 10 kg heavier, but unmistakably her.

SunnyO: Spread the word, we're looking for Olive

Unfortunately, I'm told that there are notices up in shops for another black lab missing from the area.

Maybe they should take a drive around Taita this weekend.

Apostrophe catastrophy site of the day

The KIWI Party New Zealanders voting for themselves.

Have at it, pendants.

Oops

I resisted the urge to send this little story to Sideswipe, complete with names... and I describe the sorry tale with names & places changed to protect the innocent & the stupid. And me, since I might get sprung on this.

Friends up North, are about to head to Europe for a few years' secondment. One of them is already there, his family are still in NZ making last minute preparations to join him soon.

The one in Europe, he has a company car here, which he was due to pass on to his successor at the beginning of this week.

In the weekend, his father offered to take the children, including a 15 year old with a learner's license to the beach.

After they'd left, the wife had a thought, and rang the father in law:

"Whatever you do, don't let the fifteen year old persuade you that she can drive tha car home. It will have been a long day & she'll be tired."

A short while later, she called him again, realising that her daughter was argumentative & persuasive, to reiterate the point.

Later, she did so again.

Late in the afternoon, she got a call from a relative to tell her that she had the kids, and the grandfather at her place & they had been in some sort of accident.

Yes.

15 year old learner driver, had persuaded her grandfather that she was competent to drive her dad's company car home.

Somewhere on the Auckland motorway, she changed lanes, without looking.

You can fill in the rest. No one hurt fortunately, aside from a few bruised egos & two mangled cars. At least one outraged mother's temper lost in the aftermath.

I confess I have been told off for finding this hugely amusing.

I am scared

Not as scared as she is. Nor her sons & husband. Nor our mum. This is not the first time we've had to face the thought of losing her.

And it twists my gut that I cannot tell her it will be alright. Because I don't know. And I am scared,

Crohns is a vile disease, which will cause you to starve to death unless treated. Sadly, the treatments are barely less life threatening than the disease itself.

I am scared.