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As usual some lovely words and photo by Louise Thomas.
"There have been some epic grey warbler/riroriro (Gerygone igata) battles in the back garden the past couple of weeks – well, as epic as it gets for something that weighs in at 6g. What I assume are three males have been wittering away … View moreAs usual some lovely words and photo by Louise Thomas.
"There have been some epic grey warbler/riroriro (Gerygone igata) battles in the back garden the past couple of weeks – well, as epic as it gets for something that weighs in at 6g. What I assume are three males have been wittering away and chasing each other around quite a small area when they disagree about who won the singing competition – little flashes of aerodynamic grey fluff battling for supremacy of the Acer palmatum conveniently sandwiched between a camellia, a kowhai, and a robust trellis covered in potato vine they seem to like climbing in. Having grey warblers in permanent residence here in Woburn, Lower Hutt is quite new (at least in my garden), with them only having turned up earlier this year. I hope they don’t exhaust themselves before they get to do any actual courting. This was taken last week, it is pouring with rain today so a temporary cease fire has been called. Fingers crossed they nest here."
Have you ever used the phrase “I must be getting old” to justify the fact that you feel stiff and slow, or that you “have a bad back”?
This is a phrase we hear often in practice, and is one that requires a little bit of exploration and explanation. In this blog series, we will cover the … View moreHave you ever used the phrase “I must be getting old” to justify the fact that you feel stiff and slow, or that you “have a bad back”?
This is a phrase we hear often in practice, and is one that requires a little bit of exploration and explanation. In this blog series, we will cover the processes of spinal aging, and what you can do to ensure your spinal health is as optimal as possible.
Click on the link below to learn more...
thechiro.co.nz...
Rebecca from Petone and Chewie.
"This is Chewie. She is shown here practising for her Catlympics debut.>
Remember if you want your pet featured on Neighbourly, email us on yourpet@dompost.co.nz with a recent photo. Please remember to say what suburb you live in.
It is normally one Pet of the Day a week but this picture of Samba is just so good it could not be left out. Samba belongs to Anne and Sean Mulcahy from Carterton.
Remember if you want your pet featured on Neighbourly, email us on yourpet@dompost.co.nz with a recent photo. Please remember to say … View moreIt is normally one Pet of the Day a week but this picture of Samba is just so good it could not be left out. Samba belongs to Anne and Sean Mulcahy from Carterton.
Remember if you want your pet featured on Neighbourly, email us on yourpet@dompost.co.nz with a recent photo. Please remember to say what suburb you live in.
Bought a packet of Pascall Explorers ( billed as "the coolest lollies around" ) from the supermarket as part of a mixture for a lolly cake.
The packet says e150g which I take to mean estimate of 150 gram inside packet.
Well the packet weighed in at 114 gram.
Pretty poor, eh?
… View moreBought a packet of Pascall Explorers ( billed as "the coolest lollies around" ) from the supermarket as part of a mixture for a lolly cake.
The packet says e150g which I take to mean estimate of 150 gram inside packet.
Well the packet weighed in at 114 gram.
Pretty poor, eh?
Pascall's changed the name of the product from Eskimos to Explorers a short time ago.
Maybe I should email the company in Australia.
I’ve realized that I have probably been lulled into a false sense of security in recent years over the way local government is administered in Kapiti. I assumed we had a steady hand on the tiller in our current Mayor. However, the opposition to our recycling centre closing has opened up a whole… View moreI’ve realized that I have probably been lulled into a false sense of security in recent years over the way local government is administered in Kapiti. I assumed we had a steady hand on the tiller in our current Mayor. However, the opposition to our recycling centre closing has opened up a whole other, bigger, can of worms. The Mayor does not have his hand on the tiller at all. The Chief Executive, a salaried, non-elected staff member with no electoral accountability, is running the show. As anyone who has done Political Science 101 knows, ”he who controls the agenda controls the process”. Nothing goes on the council agenda without the approval of the Chief Executive.
Community representation is no longer possible. A pre-prepared staff report must accompany any notice of motion put before the council. If the staff don’t like it, there is no motion on the agenda. It is all through the Long Term Plan if you care to have a look. Each activity has a staff recommendation attached to it and the action is decided on the basis of this report. What do the staff recommend? Basically they say that the action is recommended because they say so. Evidence based decision making has also gone out the door along with the democratic process.
Representation is denied. Community Boards who attempt to put a motion on the council agenda are told by the Chief Executive that it cannot go ahead because there is no pre-prepared staff report and/or the item is not relevant for the community board to discuss. Just what the process is for obtaining a pre-prepared report from the staff is unclear. There does not appear to be any framework for doing so.
One community board whose notice of motion was rejected sought redress from the Ombudsman only to have the request itself rejected. Why? Because the first thing the Ombudsman did was send the request to the Chief Executive. It’s created a barrage of mixed metaphors; the tail is wagging the dog, the fox is in charge of the henhouse and the ship is headed for the rocks. Democracy as we know it in Kapiti is dead. This is serious stuff. As one colleague, a former high ranking diplomat has commented “Its most disconcerting”
Disconcerting indeed. Question is, what can we do about it?
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This is a lovely hand knitted jersey (size 14)
It is in very good condition.
I don't know if it is pure wool or a wool blend.
We are a smoke and pet free home.
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