Thrilled, and just a little surprised to have an email today telling me that I was getting a payment for my Bonus Bonds, and once I figured out what bank a/c I'd given them I found the money too. I had a few hundred so it's a nice amount.

Cast your collective minds back and see if you can fill in many blanks please.  I lived in Sainsbury Rd, near St Lukes from 1976-1977.  My aunt and uncle visited our family, and one afternoon they took us kids to what I remember (and I may be completely wrong), was a school or boarding school or camp for deaf children during Christmas holidays.  There were no kids there.  I feel the site had a view of Rangitoto, but I don't recall if it was from the North Shore or south of the harbour bridge.  The buildings sat up the hill, with a lawn/field in front, and a budget playground to the left as you looked at the island view.  

Aunt and Uncle went on to work for the Salvation Army for a couple of years, so maybe it was a SA camp or something similar.  I've asked them but they can't remember where they took us to for the afternoon.  

Any ideas on where it could have been?

Are you feeling the joys of having complete freedom?

I live on a main road, and the road is very busy this morning, and it occurred to me that all you Aucklanders are going out for a very long drive, to feel the breeze in your face, and to get some new scenery.

Must be awesome to finally get your "get out of jail free" card.

Former M─üori Party MP Hone Harawira is upset at the police, claiming they vetted members of his iwi-led checkpoint group Tai Tokerau Border Control ahead of the Northland boundary coming into effect.

"Our people, over the last 18-20 months, have included bus drivers, gang members, doctors, lawyers, mothers, teachers - all sorts of people. Now, all of a sudden at the last minute, it got dropped on us that everyone had to be vetted."


Absolutely vett them, who knows who will be remembering your name, if your at the border you sure as hell aint at home, so easy to find where you live.
And as stated the last 10-20 months have included gang members, so let him be upset we want our homes safe while we are away.

to have a phone which LOOKS like an ordinary 'home portable' phone but is actually a cellphone.........Ideas please.

I've been discussing this on the Trade Me messageboard (which is dead as a Dodo) with a member who is upset to find she has been blacklisted by a seller who previously gave her positive feedback.  She doesn't know why she's been blacklisted and can't find the contact details to ask the seller. Plus she really wants to buy one of the seller's items.

The potential buyer believes that Trade Me should police blacklists so that members cannot add others to their blacklists without a good reason. She says the current system permits blacklists to be used for spiteful and prejudiced reasons.  

Comments?

Oh dear oh dear, they're not happy campers over at BFD - apparently the infamous & vile Cameron Slater has been (& perhaps still is with any sort of luck) under surveillance for some of their activities.

And he had trouble getting information from OIA in order to confirm that, poor dear. He might want to think back to when he & his little friends decided to attempt to ruin Matt Blomfield, & almost succeeded. The book, Whale Oil by Margie Thomson is very informative for anyone who hasn't come across it.


https://thebfd.co.nz/2021/12/11/police-a...g-the-bfd/

Installed Telegram on Windows 10 PC. I don't have a smartphone, just a simple burner phone, so have no prior installation of Telegram. When I go to set it up it says I can do it by phone number, so enter this, and ask for a code by SMS. Nothing happens. Tried several times with same result. What's going on? To be clear, I want to use Telegram on PC only, not synced with any other devices.

now that everyones masked can we go back to smoking inside?
looking for a upside.

Came across a bargain listing in my browsing on Sunday, and hit Buy Now. Paid immediately, address went out, courier notice arrived. Then, today I get an email from the seller saying she sold it to someone else and wanted my account details to refund me. And when I reply expressing my disappointment I get a reply telling me to be kind and spread the love...