Mrs Brown says''' You feckin well did it New Zealand!

Yes, yes and yes. New Zealand is the world champion softball nation after beating Venezuela, 4 to 1. What a magnificent effort. It's party time in North Harbour and elsewhere in NZ tonight. Our boys did us proud didn't they Mrs Brown! Damn, so they play softball in England?

Victory Haka for Blacksocks with cute little kid joining in. Well done Kiwis!

New Zealand through to the finals of the the World Softball Champs

Yes, New Zealand will most likely be playing Venezuela this afternoon for the World Softball Championships in Auckland. Unless Australia pulls something incredible out of the bag that is, and we all know they are capable of that. I am writing this blog at the bottom of the 6th innings and Venezuela is winning two nil.
Auckland is a buzzy place this weekend with the huge Pacifica festival (the largest in the world), the massive 'Round the Bays run,' the Kumea Festival and to top it all off there will be a huge crowd at Eden Park (the Home of the the finals for the last Rugby World Cup in 2011).
Underlying all this is the beautiful weather that most of NZ has enjoyed (but not the farmers) for the past three months; day after day of sunny weather; beach going weather (excpet for those at the beach on that terrible day last week when a man was killed by a shark----so rare in NZ) and just 'get out and enjoy the day' kind of weather.
As I write this blog, Venezuela is putting the final touches ot their victory. The final between  NZ and Venezuela will be on at 1.00pm NZ time. Check it out---just Google it and I am sure it will be online.
Perdy, you are just going to have to wait for your afternoon walk!
PS  Venezuela just own 2 nill against the World Champion Australians. Now it's down to NZ to bring home the bacon!

Fiji--you can't have it both ways!

Fiji prides itself in the work it does for the UN as a ‘peace keeper.’ Fiji earns a good deal of money from this ‘service.’ The money repatriated to Fiji is a significant earner and many families benefit form Fiji’s excellent work in many countries.

That Fijis leader ‘supports’ the actions of his security force as exhibited in the video that has done the rounds recently says much about him as a leader and for the future of this beautiful nation. He claims that the so-called escaped prisoners terrorized the people of Fiji after they had robbed a bank,’ is enough reason for the barbaric treatment of these ‘prisoners.’

The very least he could have done would have been to distance himself and order an inquiry. He says he doesn’t care about the attitudes of NGOs who have criticized Fiji. Fiji’s neighbours must speak out and not be cowered by his actions and New Zealand should reconsider any aid heading Fiji’s way in times of trouble.

However, NZ does not take a hard line with Fiji; not one that matches the actions of this Government. That is because we have a strong relationship with the people of Fiji and we are reluctant to hurt the ordinary people. It is the power hungry leaders that we should (and do) target. One is left with the feeling that a great deal more of barbarism exists in Fiji, but it is well hidden.

The images we have seen in recent days should act as a timely reminder that we have a sister nation in the Pacific that is reluctant to adhere to decent and fair standards. Then again, they join a list of nations who go a great deal further down that line. One day Fiji will arrive at a point where once again, tourists will be able to travel to the Isle of Fiji and enjoy the wondrous hospitality of the people, knowing that they are led by a ‘kinder hand.’

So, Fiji, join the family of Pacific nations with pride, not with the behaviours that are the opposite of the image you ,like to portray.

Just wondering---let me know

Hey, who's reading m blogs in the UK? I know my dear niece is but the UK is catching other countries up real fast and I am absolutely wrapped. Keep it up and better still, make some comments. Come on, where's that wonderful UK humour. I just watched three in a row on TV again---Miranda, Mrs Brown's Son and Citizen Khan. Bloody fantastic.

Day 3 Optifast---too much information!

Don’t read on if you are one of those people who throw up your hands and say, ‘too much information!’ I’ve had a shit of a day so far and form what I have read, that is par for the course when you start Optifast.

I began with a chocolate shake and that was nice. Somehow when I get to the end of this month, I shall be singing a different story about the shakes that come with Optifast. I drove out to East Auckland for a course on TIT (Traumatic Incident Team). My Associate Principal and my DP came too. The traffic was terrible and I listened with interest to the radio and a report that our esteemed Mayor, Len Brown was caught up in a traffic gridlock that was purportedly the worst in memory. He apparently got out of his car and walked to an appointment. That move is one that he used to highlight his ‘plans’ for public transport in Auckland and his pet railway tunnel scheme.

The course was great but I felt like crap (sorry, that is the theme from now on!) as all the water I am meant to drink had the effect of me visiting the nearby toilet. It wasn’t long before the breakfast shake began to percolate in my tummy with the inevitable result about an hour into the course. I tried to delay my ‘visit’ but in the end I reached point where I would cause an embarrassing moment and possibly the shutting down of the room for the day.

I made it to the toilet and after xxxxxxnnnnnnnrrrr I returned to the seminar room. Man, did I feel sorry for anyone ‘going’ after me. I felt a lot better, for a while, but that was when the bloody cramps hit me, in the back of my left thigh. Every time I moved, they hit, for about four minutes. I tried not to wiggle but my demeanour by that time was reaching new lows. Then, low and behold, they stopped and I was able to relax again.

Lunch was served, but not for me. Out came by mixed berry Optifast bar. I noticed a few strange looks as I slowly munched through the bar. It was almost as if some wanted to say, ‘what the hell are you doing, not eating the nice sandwiches, cake and sausage rolls? Are you some strange religion that doesn’t partake in this food?’ I then ate my apricot and began to feel good again. My spirits were up and I contributed to the course content in the hour after lunch. I only needed to visit Mr ‘T’ once in the short time before we were released.

When I arrived home, naughty Perdy decided that she wasn’t ready for her walk. Normally she is manic and jumps around imploring me to get her into the car and down to the Onehunga Lagoon. (Maybe she has read ‘Talk To Me’ where she goes under the name, ‘Spot’ in the story). Not this time. Somehow she was entranced by some sort of critters on the bank and all of my pleas to get in the car were ignored. Stuff it I thought. You can bloody well go later, after I have replaced the lost ‘fluids’ and had a rest.

Sure enough, she tired of her shenanigans on the bank and demanded to be taken for her ‘never-to-be-missed’ walkies. ‘You’re shit out of luck girl. I’m gonna have a sleep.’

She left me alone, thank God. I lay on my bed and the aroma of a chicken casserole, made by Rio, permeated the bedroom. Damn,’ why does he have to cook something so wonderful when he knows what I will be having later? Oh well, that is what I need to adjust to, a very different life. One good thing is that I shall be able to eat a tiny portion in about two months. Bring it on; anything is better than the veggie soups. I think that I shall make them disappear and substitute them with chicken soup sachets!

 

Drug King believes he can buy his way out of a prison sentence

Hell no! Why should this Hamilton 'business man' be able to lesson his custodial sentence simply because he is in a position to pay to the Sate some of the proceedes from his crime. How mnay lives has he been instrumental in destroying? How many young people has he lured kinto his dark world and then hid behind a mantle of respectability? The law is lax and an ass if it allows him to escpae the consequences of his actions. He made the choice to build up his empire in the drug world and he knew that lives would be damaged. He didn't care about the victims of his crimes so why should we now be forgiving and allow him an easy road. If we were tougher on the 'people' at the top of this criminal chain, then ,aybe we could make even bigger inroads inot world of crime generally. Partofhis punishemnet should be an enforced 'observation' he has done to countless lives. If he wants to counter my argument by saying that they hade a choice, then I say---so too did he!

Should Mr Key go to President Chavez's funeral?

There has been some discussion about the possibility of Prime Minister Key attending the funeral of President Chavez in Venezuela. After all he is in the region at the time. To be fair, there is no pressure on him to do so and if we are brutally honest, New Zealand and Venezuela do not have strong ties. I would go as far as saying that if he did go it would represent an example of political hypocrisy.

John Key and President Chavez are about as close politically as The President of Iran and Obama. They espouse totally oppositional views on almost every subject. One represents the policies of a reborn Socialism while the other is the darling of Free Trade and Capitalism, albeit in a fairly mild form. The diplomatic ties between New Zealand Venezuela are miniscule. That this should be so is a little sad. Perhaps under a Government that is slightly left-of-centre, things may change on the future.

If for some reason Mr Key had decided to attend the funeral, I doubt that our ‘good friend,’ the USA would look kindly upon us. This too is sad as it is just one more example of the fact that we are inextricably tied to our huge ‘friend.’ It feels like we are in a sense, back in the bad old days of the ‘Cold War,’ in that we have less than a totally independent foreign policy.

In the end, it the practical world of ‘trade and alliances’ that dictates that My Key has shied away from attending the funeral of a great man, but one who proved just way too strident in his criticisms of the ‘Old Guard’ and forces within his own country, to allow a little country like New Zealand to show the ‘guts’ we did in the good old days when we stood against anyone who dared to think that they could bring their nuclear ships into our nuclear-free harbours!