We must stop kidding ourselves!

Life in New Zealand is getting harder for more and more people. Even those in the so-called middle classes are struggling. I bet if you asked them if their newish car is owned by them or the bank (or finance company) you would overwhelmingly hear the latter.

I am so sick of hearing, ‘but we make up for all that with our lifestyle.’ Come-on---heaps of NZ families do not get that yearly trip to the beach or bach that we took for granted a few decades ago. It all started with Rogernomics and the sad thing is that if that did not happen we could be in an even worse state re our economy and for exporting our produce.

It is time we acknowledged that life is NZ is becoming harder for many people. Apart from those n the top 30%, life is one where we live from wage packet to wage packet. There is very little discretionary spending. There is little or no money left over after the basics are paid for. A huge amount of the spending that we see at the malls, travel agents and car yards is based on borrowing, be it credit card or financed.

For those nearer the bottom, on minimum wages or benefits, the picture has been dire for many years. They must all but throw up when they hear politicians claiming that life for most in NZ is hunky dory. Just look at those moving to Australia and places further afield and you start to get the picture, Of course things don’t always work out for these people either, so they continue to chase their tails.

How did it all go so horribly wrong? I am sure politicians and economists will argue about that until the cows come home, but we cannot claim that everything is fine and dandy any longer. We have to face facts. If you live in Auckland you need to travel because many of the jobs are not near where most people live. Transport costs, for workers and for producers are high, which erodes our spending and saving power.

Housing is expensive, be it for renting or owing your own home. The dream for young people now to own their own home in Auckland or some other cities is fast receding to the impossible. Don’t say they should move to cheaper suburbs, because the housing stock isn’t there either.

I feel for those who grapple with the emerging crisis we have in NZ. They don’t seem to have the answers. It is going to take a brave Government to come up with what could be unpalatable solutions. Will the electorate let them then put plans into action and expect to win the following election? I doubt it. Maybe we are too selfish and have become—‘me too---I want it now’ and anyone proposing a ‘well we have to settle for less,’ is going to be ‘screamed out of power.’

What say you?

Nearly 33,000 hits on blog---I want one million

I know it's not importnant to you as readers, but it seems to be a little game I play. I love to see new countries joinging and l aways wonder at how they flick on to my blog. The website is going well and if you check on that you can see when books are out and uipcoming events, plus links to other websites..
Thanks for your suppport.
www.authorneilcoleman.com

Feed a familly for less

Grab a slow cooker---if you don't want to buy a new one, get one on Trade Me or an OP shop.
Buy some bacon bones, really cheap at butcher, chuck in some split peas (yellow or green from bulk bins at supermarket---Throw in any left over veggeis and fill up the slow cooker with the above ingredients. Cook for ages (10 hours with old style crock-pot, less for slow cookers) and take out the bones as the meat falls off the bones.
Now go and make some old fashioned scones or buy left over french sticks from bakery.

Cheap as.

I turned Perdy into a book--'Talk To Me.' It could also be Danny Watson.

I must be getting old, because I am addicted to listening to talk back radio. Along with another little bundle of hair in my life, Perdy, I decided to turn them into a book. Well, not really them, but Perdy’s influence is huge.

The book is called ‘Talk To Me,’ and it is my third book. (Coastal Yarns and Roskill are the first two) The book is a tongue-in-cheek, take the piss swipe at my addiction. Things go terrible wrong for Gary, the talk back host of a struggling radio station.

When a caller claims he is the killer of a body found in a Bay, things hot up and it’s not long before the airwaves are hot with threats and absolute bullshit.

If you want to know more, then go to www.authorneilcoleman.com and buy my book, once it is released any day now.

Happy reading. Don't worry Danny---it's not really you or Kerry---it's just a bit of fun. I'll send you both a copy, via Mike.  LOL---When's he getting his own show?

I heard a song on ZB talk back today that made me cringe

Yes, it’s true. The words were primarily: ‘McDonalds, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut,’ over and over. At first I thought it was an advert, but it went on and on---far longer than an advert. I was forced to accept that what I was hearing was in fact a song.

Hell, hell and bloody hell. What is music coming to? Can’t you hear kids singing this song, further propelling them into the fast food world, putting more pressure on their parents, making these three products even more acceptable as a majority part of our diets?

I could go on for ages and tell you what you already know. I shall finish with the obvious---Why did McDonalds get two mentions to every one for the other two? ---most unfair if you ask me.

What a load of twaddle. What’s next? ------Try and make some up.

When's Daddy coming home?

WHERE FOR ART THOU, DADDY?

Come on Daddy---where are you? It’s way past walkies time. You are supposed to be here by now and take me down to the bay. What’s keeping you? I bet you are at one of those staff meetings you go to. Well, that’s not good enough. I’ve been looking after the house all day. Hell, I bark at anything that moves, even the lady who doesn’t like me barking---I do it extra loud and crazy for her. Her face goes red when she tells me to shut the f------I’m not saying that word, because it’s for low-dogs, not pedigrees like me.

I’ve been checking out the neighbours’ visitors and welcoming the metre reader. Heheheheheh--- He is so scared of me. What’s he think I’m gonna do--- lick him to death? I have to keep busy; otherwise all I can do is sleep.

That’s why I love my time at the bay. I meet with Finn and Patch. Patch is a crazy bitch. She sees me and goes wacko---she sometimes runs from way around the bay, just to say hi to me. Then she tries to beat me up. She is way huger than me, but I’m not scared of her. Some of the other dog walkers think that we are having a war, but really--- we are just two crazy sods dogs having fun. I jump at her and grab her ears and then run under her and trip her up.

It’s all on if Finn is there too. We run, jump, scare the pants off some of the walkers by just missing them (sometimes we even hit them) as we run like the lightening. Once I ran under Daddy’s legs but that silly Patch tried that too and wouldn’t you know it--- she couldn’t fit and Daddy went head over arse. He was very sore for weeks and had to have physio.

So get home soon Daddy, or I shall do that----‘I’m not getting in the car thing,’ you hate so much. It’s so funny watching you trying not to let me know you are pissed at me. Even those little biscuits don’t work. Bottom line Daddy--- You may think you are the boss, but that’s purely an illusion! I come when I’m ready. Mmmm--- I hope you have chicken carcasses for dinner for me.

And now, Poland

Who's next? I still have no idea how someone in Poland finds my blog. Is it from my website or just a random thing? I think maybe now that nearly 40 countries have hit. Thats nice, as Mrs Roberts says.
www.authorneilcoleman.com
Can't wait for 'Talk To Me' to go live. Perdy, alias 'Spot' wants her time in the limelight.