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.
Read Trevor’s Blog
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.
Read Angela’s Blog
The latest
Paved with good intentions by Trevor Plumbly
Crime and nourishment Administering justice has been a disaster since the days of Cain and Abel. After God failed to sort it, we’ve been struggling with it ever since. These days, the threat of the fiery furnace or more earthly punishment doesn’t seem to work that well; every time someone rattles out the latest crime statistics, an army of apologists strike up a salvo of mitigation ranging from poverty to post colonisation trauma. Quite frankly I’m getting a bit sick of it: poverty of some sort or other, has always been… Read More
Words sometimes confused: peak, peek and pique by Angela Caldin
Peak Peak can be a verb or a noun. The verb refers to reaching a maximum, or coming to a highest point, literally or figuratively: The noun refers to the highest point of something, like the peak of a mountain: Peek Peek can also be a verb or a noun and is related to sight; it often refers to looking, especially furtively or quickly or through a small space: It’s the word in peekaboo, a traditional game for amusing babies. Peek is also the word in the phrase sneak peek. It might… Read More
John Key and Xi by Susan Grimsdell
Xi Jinping is the paramount leader of China and has been since 2012. That means he is the power behind whatever actions China takes on the world scene and no doubt at home. Over that time period China has crushed democracy in Hong Kong, and now threatens Taiwan with extreme violence. China has also imprisoned about a million Uyghurs. Prisons in China are unlikely to be pleasant places to serve out sentences, if indeed the victims have had the formality of a trial and a finite sentence. It’s hard to imagine so… Read More
Caring by Angela Caldin
I’m pleased to announce that it’s official and I’ve got it in black and white. I’ve been assessed as a full-time carer for my husband who has Alzheimer’s and I’ve got my carer support claim form to prove it. It’s not a particularly user-friendly form, but I daresay I’ll come to grips with it in the fullness of time. The word carer doesn’t begin to cover the complexities of looking after someone who is slowly declining. Some people prefer the word caregiver and that is probably a more accurate description of what… 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.
verbalberbal 