Road rules, Pianos, Tea and Marmite

Changes to the road traffic rules came in to effect on Sunday - after months of preparing the public and specially designed slogans being broadcast on radio and TV - "top of the T goes before me" being one of them. Monday morning saw television crews posted at busy intersections throughout New Zealand capturing the first working day morning of the new rules in action. The up with the lark set were outstanding - plenty of straightforward and confident driving. A little later, with bumper to bumper traffic - not so much! There were near-misses, screeching brakes and random fingers waving while some folks just ignored the new rules and 'did like they always done'! causing general mayhem and little groups of cars all in the intersection, with nobody quite sure about whose turn it was to go!! The rest of the world has been driving to these rules forever, so I guess the kiwis will eventuallly get the hang of it!

The State Highway between Wanganui and Palmerston North has recently been sporting this new addition to the scenery - since our pianos spent 13,000km on the high seas and then were in 'quarantine' on the wharf in Auckland for a couple of months, while we tried to sort out the whole ivory importation saga, they could both really benefit from a tune-up. I do have the number now, which means the ad worked! Incidentally, we are not absolutely sure about the rules here - in South Africa, a grand piano (even without it's innards like this one) on a pole beside the highway is illegal - we are assuming that permission has been granted by the relevant State Highway authority and that the farmer whose paddock this piano is floating over, is quite happy to have it there! If nothing else it is certainly quirky!

The two Johns (I shouldn't laugh) had a cuppa together in a cafe, just before the elections. It transpired that the conversation - to which the media had been invited, but behind the glass windows - were not to be privvy to what was being said, they were merely supposed to be observers - like the picture with the sound turned off!. HOWEVER - one enterprising cameraman/journalist saw an opportunity and popped a discreet recording device into the little black bag pictured here at Prime Minister John Key's left elbow and got every possibly incriminating word on tape! Now we still don't know what actually was said - smutty? -possibly; libellous? -probably, but in any event when the news broke, New Zealand went into 'oh dear' mode and referred the whole tatty little incident to the police and to some judge who perports to know about such things. It has now been revealed that the contents of the tape will not be released, the cameraman/journalist concerned, however enterprising, has had his 'letter of regret' published and the whole sorry saga has been closed. Wonder what they said?? Everyone putting out fires and blaming other folks - lots of talking about privacy and transparency and such! Something of a storm in the proverbial teacup if you ask me!!

Marmite (as we know it,) does not exist as a rule in New Zealand. (Available at a price in speciality Imported shops if you are lucky)

 The marmite which is available in the supermarkets looks quite different,

 tastes quite different and indeed is quite different.

 Although we haven't managed to acquire a taste for the 'new' marmite, (we have half a jar in the pantry) we are still baffled as to why the whole country is in a state of mourning over the lack of the spread in the shops at present.

They are even bidding on the last of the supply on Trade Me (the online auctions similar to E-Bay) - frankly we don't understand why, since the locally made Marmite (in Christchurch and the building so earthquake-damaged that they have to relocate, hence the lack of the stuff) we could cheerfully never look for it again. But if the price is right, perhaps we could auction off our half eaten jar!!

And a smile - for our English speaking blog followers - the caption reads;"Grandad, my mum wants to dress me in that BLUE BULL shirt. PLEEEEEEASE can I come and live with you? "

Dis al!