I'm back.............
O:-) Censor On Board - Granny Smith
Kia Ora Everyone,
Where ever in the world you are when you read this, send me an email or leave a comment, as I am thinking of you all - family & friends, those I have and those to come !!! "There are no strangers in the world, just friends you have not meet". Our blogs are 4 months & 4 days old today, with support growing day by day. I can't thank all of you enough.
Take care & all the best - keeping coming back !!! Don't forget that if you have a blog, email me your blog address to kjmkama@yahoo.com
Krazy Kelvin
# 860. Coming up.......... ???
Its difficult to know what to put into the "post of 10" each week, because as time goes by I "collect' more & more items of interest that I could put in this blog - "Kelvin A Memory Always". I welcome more feed back though as to what or where your interests are. Going by emails received, kiwis that have flown the nest, seem to be interested in anything & everything as there is at least 2 or 3 items, in each post of 10 that ring a bell with them. People from other countries seem to be more interested in websites of tourist attractions, to help them plan their trip down-under. Have you got any ideas or suggestions ??? Lets hear from you. Do you want more website adresses or are you happy to take what ever is offered on the menu ???
# 861. A Grand Old Lady Will Get A $1.3M Make-Over
Those of you who have ventured in to the Auckland Domain over the past few days would of noticed " plants on the move", from the Wintergardens Tropical House. Approx. 2000 plants have been transfered to other sites, while the "house" gets a make-over costing $1.3 million. Some of the rarest plants, include a Brazilian rubber tree and a West-indian all spice tree.The amke-over will restore the heritage site to its former glory and allow the public to view the plants in ideal conditions, but... they could of waited until after Heritage Week !!! It will re-open to the public in May ' 06. The Wintergardens Courtyard, Fernery & Temperate House are still open to the public.
# 862 Eos - The Greek Goddess of The Dawn
Romans called her Aurora - "her tears are the morning dew". Eos rose with her horse drawn chariot from the depths of the sea, to bring daylight to the world. That was after she had got the "morning star" out of bed and told "the wind" to get a move on. The Greek Gods had her down as mother of the star & the wind too. For a husband, she was struck with a mere mortal man, Tithonus (it was Aphrodite's fault) At dusk, she would crank up another light in the sky, for she was also mother of the evening star too. She would watch it soar, into the night sky. Then it was time for the man in her life, then next morning she would start over. What has all this got to do with the price of fish ??? It was just interesting to note that "Volkswagon" has called their latest model - "Eos", which will be available in NZ around the middle of next year, powered not by horses but by either a four cylinder or six cylinder petrol motor. The Eos cabriolet, evokes associations with an idealised cabriolet driving situation in the early hours of a summer day.
# 863. A Marathon Of A Competition
You would never see me put on running shoes - walking shoes maybe. I don't play any sports, yet I am skinny as a rake. In fact, if I took all my clothes off and stood next to a rake, you wouldn't see me. In fact you wouldn't see any friends around me either - all you would see would be their dust !!!
Hopefully, it would get them in training for the "Adidas Auckland Marathon" which has been Aucklands premier road race for the past two decades. You have less than 8 weeks , to get your running shoes on and start training.
# 864. The Old Vinegar Factory
Those that live or have lived in & around the Western Park / Ponsonby area are please that the vinegar factory is closing soon. But, it may be a case of "out of the frying pan into the fire", if the plans developer has for the site are anything to go by. Locals are up in arms, because the 1.3ha site will become home to 30 shops, cafes & bars, as well as a 717 seat cinema, 45 apartments, office blocks and a 5 level underground carpark for 1241 cars. The site will also have its own pedestrian street and outdoor courtyard. Critics say that the proposed buildings are too big and will cast shadows over Western park and cause traffic congestion in the area.
Local residents in the Royal Oak / Cornwall park area are also fighting plans by the same developer, to redevelop the former Logan Campbell Motor Lodge, into 141 apartments and a 100 bed boutique hotel.
Footnote: When we lived in the Ponsonby area, we used to take 'country cousins" for a walk through the Western Park. When we came out on to Ponsonby Rd, they always used to ask what the dreadful smell was. We knew of course, that it was the vinegar factory which was in behind a row of shops, including an "undertakers". We used to point to the "undertakers" and say to them, that it was "dead bodies". We would grab their hand and offer to show them, but......!!! The "walk" down hill through the park was a lot quicker than the walk up - believe me.
# 865. Driving Blind !!!
I bet it is the same in your country, no matter where in the world you live - vehicles that could all do with a new improved nut behind the wheel. Or at least one that has been to a driving school, to get their license instead out of a packet of breakfast cereal. I watched a programme, about the "worst" drivers. They are put through all sorts of tests as to waht they can expect on the roads. You wonder how they get their license in the first place. Maybe they need a navigator sitting in the passenger seat each & every time they venture out on to the roads or the airstrip, like the man in South Africa. He was "blind" though, as he drove at 269km per hour, to become the fastest "blind" driver in the world, in a borrowed Maserati V8 Gransport car. The navigator sitting beside him would of no doubt felt a lot safer with him than with some of the "sighted" people on our roads today. Some have no regards at all for other road users.
# 866. Pod Casting ???
It seems that a well known company is trying to keep the word "ipodcasting" to themselves. What next ??? Check out this website "On Podcasting And Me" from Rhode Island, USA for the full story as well as a lot of other interesting info. There is a lot more to it, than you think. I will also list his blog on 21 21 21 Blogs along with a number of other blogs. Keep checking back on the first blogs that have been listed as, they get updated all the time.
# 867.Toyota Prius - The Way The World Is Moving !!!
Avis, a vehicle rental company not only here in NZ but across the world has added "Toyota Prius" cars to their rental fleet. For those who have never heard of such a vehicle, it is a car that is both petrol & electric driven. The Mayor of Auckland has such a car as well. One weekend, a friend is going to hire one of the cars from Avis, so we can put it through its paces. It has been said, that you can not hear the motor, which it makes for easier for people to talk when they are out & about in the car. Whether that is a good thing or not largely depends on who is in the car with you. If it is a "back seat driver", you may be better off sticking to a normal car.
# 868. Where Does This Leave Other Sports ???
A former basketballer & coach was found guilty of injuring a member of the oposing team, under circumstances that if death had occured, he would of been guilty of manslaughter !!! The player injured was elbowed in the right temple and fell heavily during a game. The case has sporting bodies, looking at the implications, but a law firm says that it does not believe that it will pave the way for similar prosecutions. Why not ??? In contact sports, like rugby, the rules of the game actually contemplate a bit of the rough stuff, but it still leaves the reasoning "hanging". You are never going to see in this country, people suing each other for getting injured in a game, because we have accident compensation, but whats to stop someone who is injured taking the person to court - NOTHING !!!
# 869. A Multi-Millionaire !!!
In the last post of 10, I mentioned "Lotto" - a game played by many NZ'ers, each week. Last Saturday, someone in the Auckland area, won for themselves the biggest Lotto prize ever in NZ - they won $733,068 in the first division, plus the Powerball prize of $14.5 million. Of course, the winner/s remain a mystery ??? It took them 3 days to put in a claim for the winning prize and in those 3 days, they lost a total of $8000 in interest they would of got if they had claimed their prize earlier. Our lotto prizes are just chicken feed compared to prizes in other countries. Just as a matter of interest, please leave a comment and let all of us know, what the "biggest" winning prize has been in your country.
