Can we (or should we) canola?
A friend of ours came over a year or so ago and, without being asked, decided to go through our pantry and circle the Evil Ingredients in any canned or […]
Putting the mental in sentimental value
On 18 February 2010, in Whangarei, my little brother Dave decided that life wasn’t worth living. In fact, he’d most likely made that call in the days or weeks prior, […]
The Beforemath, Duringmath and Aftermath of an accident
Prior to being part of an accident, all I knew about car crashes was learned from the television commercials advising us not to have one. And I’m exactly the kind […]
Pretty in pink
Two little girls, both with pretty curls Twins almost always in sync But one is a lover of any old colour While the other will only have pink. I have identical twin […]
5 seconds
The five-second rule is a universally recognised principle of common sense, which states that if food falls on the floor and is retrieved within five seconds, it can still be […]
Stop the whining
And so into the box we dive. The box of wine that is. Is the bladder, as purists would have us believe, filled with cheap swill, unfit for consumption […]
Whether the weather
As I get older I feel more of a need to understand the workings of the world around me. Not that it’s a burning yearning, more like a passing interest. […]
Interview with a (vampire) Referee
The purpose of this column is to answer questions. Not the ‘plaguing mankind since the dawn of time’ questions, but those that occasionally raise their hands from wooden bench seats […]
Does anyone actually fall for these things?
Great news! I have recently found out that someone in Canada died (that’s not great news, obviously, but stay with me), and that they have no next of kin (that’s […]
Old men on motorcycles
Why the hell would a man in his mid-40s suddenly up and buy a Ducati? This is what a lot of people asked me when I up and did it. […]
