Writers
Susan Grimsdell
After retiring from audiology some years ago, Susan’s finding life’s pretty good with lots of time to do what she likes. That includes walking, reading, having coffee with friends, and a bit of activism thrown in. Also, day by day doing her best not to worry too much over the many threats to our gorgeous planet.
Read Susan’s Blog
Trevor Plumbly
Meet Trevor. He’s had quite a colourful career, from his early days as a pub manager in Tunbridge Wells he went on to become Dunedin’s leading auctioneer. Trevor is a published author and was something of a TV personality in the 1980s as a regular panellist on a show about antiques.
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Emily Smart
Emily is very loud, and has really bad taste in cheesy pop music. When not at work flogging goods to the public via advertising and marketing campaigns, she can be found hiding from her partner and children at the local pub. If you’re easily offended or don’t appreciate the constant use of profanities, then you probably shouldn’t read Emily’s posts. You have been warned!
Read Emily’s Blog
Angela Caldin
Angela has had many roles in her life including: schoolgirl, student, daughter, friend, civil servant, wife, lover, mother, manager, magistrate, landlady, teacher, grandmother, blogger, editor and proofreader.
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The latest
Aggression as first response by Susan Grimsdell
When we all hear about Trump ranting and raving over North Korea, I’m sure there would hardly be anyone on the planet who wouldn’t think how stupid it is to poke and prod at a guy like Kim Jong-un; a bit like poking a cornered possum or an angry grizzly bear. My thought always, when I hear this kind of aggression is, why can’t they just discuss whatever it is in a calm, rational way, and come to some sort of sensible agreement using brains and words, not weapons of mass destruction. Why… Read More
Trevor’s latest brainwave: individual thoughts on ageing
From time to time, Trevor likes us to pool our thoughts on a topic of interest. This time, he has chosen the topic of ageing, relevant to all of us, but most particularly to those of us nearer the end than the beginning. Trevor Plumbly 75 Ageing is a polite way of describing the fact that you’ve reached a stage in life when very few people seem older than you. To counter this and avoid depression it’s best to reflect rather than anticipate. I find that if you avoid reality, it makes… Read More
Dear Mr Bell by Trevor Plumbly
I am assured by some fairly bright folk that an ‘up there’ exists; that being the case, you will probably receive this OK and perhaps ponder on the misfortune you inflicted on us. You are not entirely to blame for the current situation but you did kick things off. History recalls you as a decent bloke, but given to tinkering; unfortunately, like most inventors, in the euphoria of discovery you lost sight of the potential harm you would cause. The 19th Century heralded the birth of technology and no doubt your telephone… Read More
A smart gadget too far by Angela Caldin
The atmosphere in our house is electric. It’s full of accusations, recriminations and suspicion. And all because of the introduction into our ménage of an allegedly money saving gadget which is meant to make life run more smoothly and happily. A cuckoo in the nest This dangerous and sinister interloper is called a Smart Meter and it comes with a twinkling Wi-Fi sidekick called a Smart Energy Tracker. I am a thrifty person by nature, always ready to embark on an economy drive in order to save a penny or two, so… Read More
Balancing the books by Susan Grimsdell
Recently I’ve been thinking about Economics, a subject that I’ve never really understood. What got me thinking about it was an announcement from the NZ government in August that we now have a very healthy surplus of $3.7 billion. That sounds great. Let’s go shopping! Surplus and debt However, I had a feeling that at the same time we have a huge national debt, so I looked on the web to find out. Sure enough, I discovered that in 2008 New Zealand’s national debt was 16% of GDP. Now in 2017 it’s… Read More
The Writers
We’re four Brits who made the big move from the UK to the other side of the world. We love New Zealand, the English language having a good laugh and the occasional moan. Ah, just read our posts and you’ll get the gist.
