Well worth reading!

An excellent article about children, risk, and the way adults are being vetted as possible abusers while ignoring the real risks.

A small excerpt:

Further, experts such as Professor Gary Melton are increasingly coming to the view that rather than treating all adults as potential abusers, the more adults that are involved in a child's life, the chances of the child being maltreated or abused are reduced. This makes sense. Think back to the cases of egregious child abuse in New Zealand. A common thread is isolation: not knowing the neighbours, moving address frequently, not being enrolled in childcare or school and so on.

Risk and Children: Time for a rational debate

Wellington

Camille and are in Wellington this weekend. For once it's a social instead of business trip. We came down last night after we finished work for the day. Around 5:30 or so we were feeling a bit peckish, not having had any lunch, so we decided to get fish and chips. As we were nearing Masterton and had no idea what was a good fish and chip shop we got one of the laptops out and did a Google search on "Best fish and chips" +masterton. The results pointed to the Four Seasons Takeaway so the next step was to look them up on Google Maps on one of our phones as they have built in GPS. That done we started following the directions.

Google Maps let us down and let us down badly. Instead of taking us to the Four Seasons, we ended up outside McDonalds which is not a place we ever wish to eat at. Not good.

However, we decided to drive around looking as we figured Four Seasons couldn't be far away. We found it on the main street, duly ordered a feed and continued on our way.

Were the fish and chips good? Yes, they were. The fish was very good. Pleasantly moist, lightly battered, lovely flavour, not greasy. All things I look for in a piece of fish from a fish and chip shop. The chips were good as well. I recommend the place.

We are staying in a small cottage in Belmont. The cottage is called "Gate Cottage" and is one of two cottages available at Belmont Cottages. It's a very nice place that gives a feeling of seclusion. I woke this morning to the sound of tuis which I really enjoyed. We don't often get tuis at home.

At present we are both lying in bed. Shortly I will make us breakfast which will be raclette cheese melted on garlic toast with poached eggs and bacon. Looking forward to that!

Live cross overs on the news

Something that has annoyed the hell out me for a while is the habit of television news crossing over to a reporter "Live On The Spot" even when there is clearly no reason for them to be on the spot at all as all the action happened there hours ago. TVNZ news is full of them and they are, for the most part, totally pointless.

Bill Ralston voices his opinion here.

Eggs II

or should that be Eggs V? Unbelievable. Earlier tonight I cracked an egg into a dish and got another double yolker. So that's five in one week.

1. two double yolked eggs in scrambled eggs with my sister
2. one double yolked egg in breakfast yesterday.
   
3. one double yolked egg in breakfast this morning.
4. one double yolked egg whilst preparing crumbed fish for dinner

All from two different six packs of eggs picked up at the local supermarket on Saturday morning.

Somehow I feel privileged.

Eggs

Some things in life are worth celebrating. This week it's the fact that I have had three double yolker eggs while preparing breakfast.

To the right: Blackball black pudding, vogel bread, a double yolker all quietly cooking in a litttle olive oil.

It must be breakfast!

Update: FOUR Double yolked eggs now as I had another this morning!

Roadworks

There is a long stretch of roadworks between home and work at the moment and the speed limit has been dropped to 30km/h. This limit is for both the protection of the workers and of travellers for there is a lot of heavy machinery on the site and it crosses the road frequently.

I have to admit that I get a perverse pleasure in ensuring that cars behind me are travelling at 30km/h as I have noted that very, very few people actually obey this limit. I'm quite happy to be leading a line of 15 or more cars through a couple of kilometres at 30km/h.

In fact, woe betide you if you come speeding up behind me when I am half way through the roadworks as if I am in a cheerful mood, and I often am when driving, I'll happily travel at 15km/h to ensure that you haven't saved any time.