Today, I am thankful for...

for warm sunny days, so that I can open up all the windows and let some fresh air in.

my sweet little kitty who gives me so much joy.

takeaways when I don't feel like cooking.

having such an awesome neighbour.

being alive.

Our most contentious poll ever  

This will be an interesting insight for everyone - the vaccine status of users of our messageboard.  Polling is anonymous so go for it...


it's not too late to vote for our new name either - last day today! Vote HERE .

On two recent occasions, men have been punished quite severely, for unacceptable  comments made to women years back. I do not dispute that people have no right to make such comments and that doing so should have consequences, but I do have questions about those consequences happening five or ten or even more years down the track.

People make insulting hurtful remarks to each other all the time. It is not acceptable, ever, no matter who they are. But justice delayed is justice denied and should also be unacceptable in our society. Restrospective punishment, whether it is a sportsman, or a politician, or some ordinary person, is simply an excuse to cover some agenda no one is talking about.

There should be a time limit on payback to prevent it being more a case of skeletons unearthed in order to pursue a vendetta than genuine restitution to an insulted victim. Fairness does not apply only to the one damaged by someone else's stupidity, but to the perpetrator as well.

Hi,
We need a new printer and I'd appreciate any advice as to what to buy for home use.
Thanks, 
Poppy.

I wonder if Judith Collins was feeling the heat about getting rolled? I think she certainly will be now.

Simon Bridge has been demoted and relieved of his portfolio responsibilities.
Leader Judith Collins says it follows an "allegation of serious misconduct" relating to his interaction with a caucus colleague.

"The case relates to comments made by Mr Bridges to a female caucus colleague at a function a number of years ago," Collins says in a statement released Wednesday night.

What are your thoughts

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/nation...s-under-9/

An increasing number of primary school-aged children and younger are contracting Covid, as the total number of active cases in this country's Delta outbreak approaches 5000. There are 4828 active cases of Covid in New Zealand - and 36 per cent of them are aged 19 or under. Close to one in five - 18.5 per cent - of cases are in children 9 years old or younger, up from 12.7 per cent at the start of September. On Monday alone 44 new cases were announced in under-9s. 

In the current outbreak, 27 children under nine have ended up in hospital. As the number of active cases grows, vaccination mandates are being brought in to cut the number of people who aren't protected against the virus. Staff in the education, Corrections and healthcare sectors are already subject to vaccine mandates and the Government is making it easier for businesses to mandate vaccines as well.

So much for "But children don't catch the virus!"

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/...hp&pc=U531

After all these years, wouldn't it be brilliant if the cold hearted bastard who did this, was found, (and alive), so that he can face his sentence, so that justice for Alicia and her family can be done. It is difficult to imagine what something like this, must be like to live through. The trauma would never leave you. 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3004606...ia-oreilly

850g English spinach (about 4 bunches), stems removed
4 cups (1kg) fresh ricotta
1 cup (80g) finely grated parmesan, plus extra
1 cup (56g) chopped mint leaves
1 cup (52g) chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
3 x 30cm (12 inch) or 6 x 15cm (6 inch) square fresh lasagne sheets, blanched
4 zucchini (courgette), thinly sliced using a mandoline
3 x 100g fresh mozzarella, drained and sliced
Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing


1. Preheat oven to 200┬░C (400┬░F).
2. Place the spinach into a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 10 seconds, then drain. Press the spinach between absorbent kitchen paper to remove any excess moisture.
3. Roughly chop the spinach and place into a bowl with the ricotta, parmesan, mint, parsley, salt and pepper, and mix to combine.
4. To assemble the lasagne, place 1 lasagne sheet into the base of a lightly greased 22cm (8› inch) ovenproof frying pan. Top with 1› cupfuls of the spinach and ricotta mixture, a layer of zucchini, and then a layer of mozzarella. Repeat layering with remaining lasagne sheets, spinach and ricotta mixture, zucchini, and mozzarella, finishing with zucchini.
5. Brush the zucchini with oil, sprinkle with extra Parmesan and bake for 1 hour or until golden-brown.

Surely SPCA shouldn't have to be telling people not to do this. How thick are people???? Obviously as thick as pig shit.

SPCA is pleading with pet owners not to leave their dogs unattended in their vehicles even for a few minutes after a puppy was recently left in a car that reached 50┬░C.
As the weather warms, we have already received a surge of calls this month about dogs being left unattended inside vehicles in heat. This includes a five-month-old puppy SPCA Inspectors rescued in Wellington from a car with windows up, and the puppy showing signs of heat distress.
This is one of the biggest preventable welfare issues animals face during summer months, and itÔÇÖs frustrating to see how many pet owners still routinely leave their dogs in hot cars.
It can take just a few minutes for the inside of a car to reach a temperature that's unsafe for your pet, so if you're leaving your vehicle, please take your dog with you. If youÔÇÖre going places where this will not be possible, itÔÇÖs important to leave them at home.

https://www.spca.nz/news-and-events/news...plqPtqrvp4