Friday Feathered Friend
This week we again feature Louise Thomas, who supplied the photos and the words.
"Molly didn’t know exactly when it all went wrong, but she was pretty sure Brad had been a massive misstep. He was a real fly boy, handsome, with a cute ruff of feathers giving him a jaunty look. He used to swagger onto her section of the beach with little fish gifts. Once, she had been on a fast-track career path at flight school, then six months later she was sitting on a guano-covered rock in a stinking estuary having to regurgitate mush for a screaming infant. It’s not that she didn’t love the little tyke, but he was never in the plans and some days she felt like her head was going to split open with his incessant asthmatic kvetching. And Brad? She hadn’t seen that no-good bounder in weeks. Red-billed gulls (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae scopulinus). Parent and juvenile, Hutt Estuary."
Poll: Do you think banning gang patches is reasonable?
With the government cracking down on gangs, it is now illegal for gang members to display their insignia in public places whether through clothing or their property.
This means arrests can be made if these patches are worn in places like restaurants, shops, on public transport or ferries, and on airplanes. Arrests were made recently at a funeral.
Do you think this ban is reasonable?
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77% Yes
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21.6% No
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.1% Yes
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15.2% No
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2.7% Other - I'll share below