Perdy was covered in lumps last night!

Sometimes I Know I go overboard when it come to my Perdy. I make no apologies for that because you always have the option of deleting or not reading about my paranoia.

Last night I displayed all the tensions, fears and frustrations of a parent when they see their child in pain. When the object of concern is a baby or a dog that can’t tell you what is wrong--- then you get the picture. Read on if you must!

Perdy and I went for our usual ‘stuff the weather’ walk (OK I walk--- she runs like a manic, super-charged freak) down at the Lagoon. She played, stole balls and generally enjoyed herself; sniffing at every unimaginable smelly thing (then licks me later) and chasing other dogs that really do represent a threat, just through their sheer size----- not a problem for a Jack Russell, but a ‘big’ one for me sometimes.

After about an hour of exuberant running and interactions, I decided to call it quits and the usual avoiding getting in the car was on the cards. Each night I find a new technique to catch her--- I am running out of ideas. She must have sensed that I wasn’t going to piss around, so she leapt into the car without too much hassle and then shook herself to toss off the sand and mud. My car is relatively new but looks like a sand-pit inside. I have given up making excuses and if anyone is silly enough to ride in my car then they put up with the sand and often leave the car with the addition of white doggie hair on their clothing. Naturally I do not tell them that they are taking home the makings of a stuffed pillow on the backs and butts. I suppose my friendship circles are undergoing subtle changes of late. Oh well--- like the tide--- they come and go.

When we arrived at home Perdy went off and drank from the fish pond (quite usual) and then proceeded to bug me for her dinner. Whist preparing a stew in the pressure cooker, I happened to turn---- and horror of horrors; she was covered in these large lumps. They looked like mini golf balls. My partner grabbed her and said that they didn’t appear to be solid and they certainly were not stopping her from appealing for her dinner. She was also still very active.

It was us who were upset and powerless to understand what the hell the lumps meant. We uttered words like ‘allergy—she must have eaten something or come into contact with plant material that was not doggie friendly.’ Perdy has had reactions to other plants before, but not like this.

We rang the vet, who told us to watch her for the next ten minutes and then if she was worse, take her to the emergency vet. She also asked if Perdy was having trouble breathing. She wasn’t. In fact, you never have known that anything was wrong apart from the appearance of the lumps.

Ten minutes later, they were gone.

 Any ideas anyone?   God knows what parents go through--- I would be hopeless now.

I received a warm-fuzzy today.

As some of you know, I work as a counsellor in a large Auckland school. I am also a Tutor-teacher--- that’s just another name for a ‘Form teacher’ in NZ. I don’t actually teach as my main duty in the school is to counsel the students, families and staff.

You would have hardly missed my other interest; namely, I write books and two of them happen to be in the school library. Of course I didn’t make them pay! --- I gave them the books and as it turns out I may have to give them some more.

Today I received the usual list of things that Tutor-teachers receive—lateness notes for students and various other bits and pieces. Amongst them was a note from the library asking me to tell one of my students that she had a book overdue and could she please return it. I took a closer look.

I was pleased, flattered and couldn’t help giggle. How could I tell the young person off? ----IT WAS FOR MY BOOK---‘ROSKILL’

My solution--- a one-off one?  I shall give the young student a copy of Roskill---- but she still has to return the other one.

Is this a moment I should treasure? --- Hell yes.

We won't use chemical weapons on our own people!

Who would believe a regime who says that it won’t use chemical weapons on its own people; a regime that is murdering its own people on a daily basis; a regime that is clearly in its last days; a regime that is haemorrhaging some of its top military personal as they see the light?

A regime that bombs and burns civilians cannot lay claim to ‘caring’ about its people. This regime could have stopped the slaughter and the dislocation of the people by accepting the fact that it has become irrelevant to the future of Syria, but it won’t--- for one simple reason---it will do anything to retain power for as long as it can, by any method. It knows that the members of the Government will not survive in a new Syria, so we are seeing the death-throes of a clique that is determined to take down as many of those seeking a new beginning as it can.

How can we not be fearful for what lays ahead in the next few weeks?

Asset sales are 'dead in the water Johnny---just stop this stupid process.

When is this stupid charade going to stop? Now, even big investors are crying foul about the ‘loyalty scheme,’ by which the Government is trying to keep the assets in NZ hands. It is going to cost every NZer $112. Why should the rest of us pay for this unpopular scheme? Why should all of those who against selling our assets be forced through government policy to unwittingly support this crazy idea?

Mr Key says that he is mandated to go ahead and force through the partial sale of State Assets. One could argue that he makes this link by the fact that his party won the most votes, but it is clear that the majority on NZers are against the sales. He is certainly not mandated to introduce this latest piece of stupidity.

Surely it is time for a massive backlash. The only way we can show our displeasure is to get out in the streets. So far, the numbers have been less than impressive. I believe that even  Johnny will take note if enough of us get out there. What’s happened to that petition?

So you can get my blog in China----great!

For some silly reason I thought that you could not get my blog in China. Now that I see someone read one today, I am very pleased. I shall write some that may be of interest to you. Dont forget to check out my new website in a few weeks. It is  http://www.authorneilcoleman.com/   Just be a little patient while we get the final bits done re Paypal and the latest pictures for the covers of the books.
  Cheers
  Neil

'Not on my watch'--- here we go again.

Once again we hear our Prime Minister trying to limit discussion. Do you remember his statement that raising the retirement age would not occur on his watch? Well---- he’s doing it again. It seems that he is unwilling to press for more or tougher changes around the issue of tobacco.

Is this because he doesn’t want to upset his big business mates in the tobacco industry? --- the overseas ones of course or is it that he simply lacks the intestinal fortitude to make any real changes around this damaging issue.

Whiles thousands die and cost the taxpayer billions in ill-health and lost working hours, not to mention the economic costs, he prevaricates around an issue that will not go away. The Maori Party and others are right to push for more stringent laws.

Perhaps John Key sees the issue as too damaging politically. He wouldn’t be the only one to take that stance of course, but this is a time when we need to be courageous and even if we don’t get a complete ban on tobacco products--- well at least keep the debate going. That is what fuels the need to change; not ‘walking away’ and sticking one’s head in the sand.

Now's the time to back it up----'smoke-free New Zealand!

Now is the perfect time to build on the work that has been done--- making cigarettes invisible at the ‘point of sale.’ One now has to ask and will then be offered a ‘menu of prices.’ (Yeah right--- as if any smoker doesn’t know the prices and if they don’t then they will just assume that they are going up every year).

Over the last decade there has been quite an effort by successive governments to get the numbers of smokers on a downward track. We even see some politicians proposing a ‘smoke-free new Zealand. Whether we get to that point is doubtful in my lifetime, but it is a laudable goal.

Shopkeepers will no doubt be cursing the changes, because they will have to face the cynical and sometimes angry customers. I suspect some will try to circumvent the law but the hefty fines will keep that to a minimum. Like all changes, we eventually accept the inevitable.

Would this not be a good time to throw some more resources into smoking cessation programmes? From what I have seen it takes multiple efforts to wean someone off tobacco. If we take away the initial costs re the patches and other methods, then we eliminate another hurdle. Is it not better to spend the money now on those wishing to stop? (The evidence suggests that most smokers wish to cease their habit).

Combine publicity with support and be prepared to run cycles of these efforts (like every six months) and maybe we will see the results we desire. For those who say---‘what about the tourists? Will they not come if we ever go ‘smoke-free?’ I say---- too bad. I am sure that if we had a reputation as a smoke-free destination, then we may well see an increase in tourist numbers. Hey---why not advertise us as ‘clean and green and smoke-free?’ Perhaps we can even give them free patches, as long as they stay for a minimum period of time.

The ‘smoke-free sky’ is the limit.