Safety Concern
You may, or may not, have noticed, I worry about safety. As a parent, my biggest concern is kids safety.
Yesterday (Monday), I saw something that scared the heck out of me.
A kid in a HNI uniform riding an electric scooter along Campbell St, around 4.15pm. The scooter handles were up to his chin, standing straight upright, and he was flying. Literally flying. Every time he hit a bump his feet came up off the deck.
He was travelling too fast to avoid disaster, if someone came out of a driveway or stepped on front of him, as he was neither tall enough, nor heavy enough to control the scooter properly.
Please parents, rethink letting your small children ride electric scooters. E-scooters too big and too powerful for them. Not to mention the kids don’t have the sense of self preservation they need, to ride them safely.
ACC has up to date statistics for the past three years showing a jump in claims for e-scooter accidents. Especially in the 10-19 and 20-29 year old range.
Please, please, before your child becomes a statistic, consider, do they really need to travelling at up to 45kph, outside of a car, just to get to school, or hang with their mates.
If you wouldn’t put them on a 50cc motorbike without a licence, is an e-scooter safer, when it can travel just as fast. And kids make sure they do.
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.2% Yes
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46.8% No
Stay sun safe
The temperature is rising, rapidly. My house is making those “I’m about to go nuclear” noises and the forecast is for 35°C on Monday.
Stay in the shade, but put sunscreen on 20 minutes (ears, noses, hands, feet, back, front, top, bottom, and everything in between) before you go into the sun or the water. It doesn’t work otherwise. And reapply no more than 2 hourly, staying out of the water and sun for 20 minutes afterwards.
Wear teeshirts and hats. Keep hydrated. Milk keeps you hydrated longer than water. You won’t pee as much. Alcohol dehydrates you. Save that till after the sun goes down.
Reflective sunburn is a thing, too. The sun reflecting off of other surfaces, including water, will burn you as quickly, if not quicker, than direct sunlight. Some reflective surfaces can magnify the suns effect.
If you are taking little ones out in strollers cover them with a light cloth, if you don’t have a stroller cover. A thin sheet will do, but leave the side open for fresh air. And you can get kids sunnies from most emporiums, like 1,2,3 plus or “Everything is $2” or the like.
And if you are going out, secure your windows and doors. Shut the curtains on the sun side to keep it cooler. Opportunists will opportune. And insurance doesn’t like it if you leave the house unsecured.
If you are staying in, open the windows and close the curtains. Make sure you use door jams, or you’ll find doors slamming with the lightest breeze.
Cover pets paws if you are walking them on concrete or bitumen. They will burn badly as the dark ground heats up. You can also get sunscreen for large animals.
Make sure there is plenty of water out for your pets. Cats need at least a cup a day, dogs up to 4 litres.
If you are on a walking route, put out buckets of water for dogs and cats, just to be neighbourly.
This photo was a school afternoon at the village pools.
He ended up with second degree sunburn. The white spots were the blisters forming. The scabs on his back were popped blisters, not just peeling, and he was sick for three days.
It’s no joke. And NZ has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. And skin cancer is a killer.
Check on your friends and family, especially the vulnerable ones.
You all matter. Take care of yourselves and each other.
POTTING MIX QUALITY
If, like me, you are an experienced and avid gardener you know how frustrating it is when those beautiful seedlings recently purchased fail to thrive. Have you ever considered it may not be your fault, you've done all the right things but it may be the new bag of potting mix you bought to plant them in . Have you ever complained to the garden centre? My recent experience showed the blatantly obvious difference between brands. The recently purchased product was nothing more than raw compost, whereas the previous product was a good mix and made the plants thrive. I was the only one to complain, there could not possibly be a problem with the product as they sell pallet loads of it........ Your comments would be appreciated.
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