New Zealand - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

[intern]

So David Clark resigns, what a mess.

Will probably be used a the scapegoat for all the quarantine blunders now.

 

Then they replace him with the education minister, even less medical credentials.

WOW!!!

 

He should have been fired when he flouted the very regulations he signed off on right at the start of lockdown. That was a precursor of the incompetence to come. But Jacinda doesn't know how to fire...and the appointment of Chippie just shows how shallow the Labour talent pool is. Chippie has WAY too much on his plate as it is; in addition to Education, he's Leader of the House, and Minister of State Services. That's 3 BEEG portfolios...and Health, in the present climate, has never been BEEEGER.

[davetapson]

So David Clark resigns, what a mess.

Will probably be used a the scapegoat for all the quarantine blunders now.

 

Then they replace him with the education minister, even less medical credentials.

WOW!!!

 

JA "No, no pressure was put on him to resign..."

 

A: That's in all likelihood an untruth...

B: In any case, why not...?! Damn...

Edited July 2, 2020 by davetapson

[intern]

JA "No, no pressure was put on him to resign..."

 

A: That's in all likelihood an untruth...

B: In any case, why not...?! Damn...

Didn't you see the pre-election debates between Bill English and Jacinda Ardern? Jacinda claimed she never lies and it's possible to be in politics without telling lies.

That's such an obvious lie it's almost comical in its naivete. All of us lie, one way or another, and politicians by the very nature of their 'business' are compelled to lie here, there and everywhere. We've seen plenty of evidence of Cindy telling porkies...this one is likely another example...

[davetapson]

Didn't you see the pre-election debates between Bill English and Jacinda Ardern? Jacinda claimed she never lies and it's possible to be in politics without telling lies.

That's such an obvious lie it's almost comical in its naivete. All of us lie, one way or another, and politicians by the very nature of their 'business' are compelled to lie here, there and everywhere. We've seen plenty of evidence of Cindy telling porkies...this one is likely another example...

Discussions, a few years ago...

 

Hey, do you reckon Lance dopes?

Well, there are a number of folk desperate to win at all costs.  If they are not currently winning, they will dope to win.  If there is a current non-doping winner, the likelihood is dopers will start to beat him.  If he wants to win, he needs to dope.

 

Ergo, if you are winning, you are likely doping.

 

(For all sports.)

 

Now, politicians.  How do you win as a politician - the ability to lie with a straight face and do smelly deals.  Proof: best politicians of the last couple decades?  Bill Clinton and Tony Blair.  Both of whom would struggle to not tell an untruth even if they tried.

 

Same story - how do you become a winning politician? You lie with a straighter face and greater fluency than your rivals... (and likely do smellier deals with greater ease...)

 

Question: does that PM/President lie and do smelly deals (that allow them to get to where they are)? The answer is staring you in the face. And lying to you.

 

(Half the problem of course is that the electorate like being lied to, but that's another discussion...) 

Edited July 5, 2020 by davetapson

[Slowbee]

https://www.petcentral.co.nz/catalog/Dog-and-Cat-Food-66/Acana-Cat-and-Dog-Food-413/Acana-Prairie-Poultry-Dog-Food-10922.html

 

Calling you NZ folk ... would you guys say this brand of pet food is expensive or mid range for your furry kids ?

[patches]

https://www.petcentral.co.nz/catalog/Dog-and-Cat-Food-66/Acana-Cat-and-Dog-Food-413/Acana-Prairie-Poultry-Dog-Food-10922.html

 

Calling you NZ folk ... would you guys say this brand of pet food is expensive or mid range for your furry kids ?

 

Not having furry kids myself, but having had when I was in SA (a great dane) and knowing what her food bill was, I initially thought "$100, that's crazy!"...

 

but then I looked up some others (on Animates.co.nz) and $100 is pretty reasonable after all.

 

Royal Canin 12kg - $150

Hills 12kg - $150

Eukanuba 14kg - $150

 

Yes, there will be supermarket type foods (Pedigree etc) that will be significantly cheaper (about $85 for 20kg for Pedigree), but then there are also options like this:

 

Ziwipeak Cuisine 1kg - $73... seriously crazy , that's like the price/kg for a really nice steak from a butcher.

 

So to answer your question, Acana would probably fall into mid-range.

Edited July 5, 2020 by patches

[davetapson]

Hey Patches - how long did it take to receive a 'come for your induction' email from the Men's Shed?  Is that how it works..?

[patches]

Hey Patches - how long did it take to receive a 'come for your induction' email from the Men's Shed?  Is that how it works..?

 

Probably about 2 weeks (from Ross Miller).

Although I did receive an email within 1 day (from pam.dave.whiting) saying my name tag had been created and I could find it on the board at reception.

 

Also, at the induction, about 3 of the 7-odd new members had already been to the shed and used the workshops.

 

So if you've signed up, paid the subs, and have been notified about your name tag, you should be good to go. The induction is more about the history of the organisation and a bit of an orientation around the shed.

 

Let me know when you're keen to go and perhaps I can meet you there?!

 

Side note: I recently discovered the Mafell track saw. That is a thing of beauty. But I don't even have Makita track-saw money, nevermind Festool, and not to mention Mafell being a notch above that. Yikes!

Edited July 5, 2020 by patches

[davetapson]

Probably about 2 weeks (from Ross Miller).

Although I did receive an email within 1 day (from pam.dave.whiting) saying my name tag had been created and I could find it on the board at reception.

 

Also, at the induction, about 3 of the 7-odd new members had already been to the shed and used the workshops.

 

So if you've signed up, paid the subs, and have been notified about your name tag, you should be good to go. The induction is more about the history of the organisation and a bit of an orientation around the shed.

 

Let me know when you're keen to go and perhaps I can meet you there?!

 

Side note: I recently discovered the Mafell track saw. That is a thing of beauty. But I don't even have Makita track-saw money, nevermind Festool, and not to mention Mafell being a notch above that. Yikes!

I might take you up on that.

 

I need to laminate a bunch of timber together to make a centre-board and rudder for my dinghy, and I need a thicknesser to plane that down from 30odd mm to 22, so that would make a great start!

 

Going on leave for a week next weekend (skiing/Ruapahu) so likely won't be done for couple weeks.

 

They don't have a cnc machine to cut the foil profile onto it do they...? 

 

Edit: Dang, that saw is everything my 15 y.o. bottom-of-the-range Ryobi circular saw is not...

Edited July 5, 2020 by davetapson

[patches]

I might take you up on that.

 

I need to laminate a bunch of timber together to make a centre-board and rudder for my dinghy, and I need a thicknesser to plane that down from 30odd mm to 22, so that would make a great start!

 

Going on leave for a week next weekend (skiing/Ruapahu) so likely won't be done for couple weeks.

 

They don't have a cnc machine to cut the foil profile onto it do they...? 

 

As far as I recall the thicknesser didn't require any special induction (like the table saw does). 2 weeks time should be perfect. This coming weekend I'll be sanding drywall and installing cornices. Fun! 

 

As for the CNC, sadly not. But I did come across a company in Christchurch (Vertigo) that make something very much like the X-Carve. Plus it uses the Makita RT0700 Router (which I already have, so spares etc is a plus). The X-carve uses a Dewalt.

 

Currently the vertigo routers are sold out, but Phoenix technology has ads on TradeMe for rental of the machines, starting at about $150pm. Once I'm done with builder's work, I may look into renting one for a month or 2 and play around.

[davetapson]

What I'm working on.

Photos all mixed up, not going to try fix order on my phone...

Edited July 5, 2020 by davetapson

[patches]

What I'm working on.

 

Photos all mixed up, not going to try fix order on my phone...

 

 

Looking good! A seriously impressive undertaking. And there's your fancy sander! Nice!

[CAAD4]

Will you trust that duct tape in the water???

[Shebeen]

What I'm working on.

Photos all mixed up, not going to try fix order on my phone...

Have you sailed one?no chine, goes against a lot of normal stability fundamentals i have known. Assume you're not sailing on open water with it?

[Wayne Potgieter]

I am back from my look see decide on CHC.

 

Here are my thoughts...

 

Cons:

 

1. Schools

2. It looks basic and not very visually appealing (I mean the central city)

3. A lot of construction going on and a lot of stuff not operational

 

Pros:

1. Its cheap to buy houses. Like really cheap

2. It has access to amazing places for touring/adventure

3. Traffic is a lot more palatable than AKL

 

In summary, I don't think we will move. The biggest issue for us is the kids schooling. It seems pretty difficult to find a clear and good decile 9 or 10 path for both primary and high school in the neighbourhoods that we like. I feel that moving there would be more trouble than its worth. If the kids where out the house then totally different story.

 

Neighbourhoods I really liked were, Redcliffs, Wigram and some parts of Hellswell. 

 

I even found a gorgeous house for $60 more a week than my AKL house in Patches old neighbourhood of Bengal Drive, but again the schools are an issue.

 

I don't want my kids going to a single sex or religious based school and that limits my choices somewhat.

 

Also, given the uncertainty in the property market (there is going to be a fallout soon post covid) I question whether buying is a good move right now. 

 

AKOROA is stunning and well worth the trip.

 

 

[patches]

I am back from my look see decide on CHC.

 

Here are my thoughts...

 

Cons:

 

1. Schools

2. It looks basic and not very visually appealing (I mean the central city)

3. A lot of construction going on and a lot of stuff not operational

 

Pros:

1. Its cheap to buy houses. Like really cheap

2. It has access to amazing places for touring/adventure

3. Traffic is a lot more palatable than AKL

 

In summary, I don't think we will move. The biggest issue for us is the kids schooling. It seems pretty difficult to find a clear and good decile 9 or 10 path for both primary and high school in the neighbourhoods that we like. I feel that moving there would be more trouble than its worth. If the kids where out the house then totally different story.

 

Neighbourhoods I really liked were, Redcliffs, Wigram and some parts of Hellswell. 

 

I even found a gorgeous house for $60 more a week than my AKL house in Patches old neighbourhood of Bengal Drive, but again the schools are an issue.

 

I don't want my kids going to a single sex or religious based school and that limits my choices somewhat.

 

Also, given the uncertainty in the property market (there is going to be a fallout soon post covid) I question whether buying is a good move right now. 

 

AKOROA is stunning and well worth the trip.

 

Some good points.

 

The Schools that are considered up there are the segregated type (Chc Boys & Chc Girls). I think my old landlord's kids went to Cashmere Primary (Decile 10). They seemed pretty happy. Not sure what the plan for high-school was. Perhaps Cashmere High (Decile 9)?!

 

As for the city, yeah it's a lot quieter than Auckland. Although there has been some serious revamp and upgrade around Oxford Terrace and the Hoyt's EntX complex.

 

Did you go to the botanical gardens in Hagley Park? It's really beautiful around there.

 

As for Akaroa, good call! The whole of the Banks peninsula is awesome, and if I moved back to Chc I'd seriously consider somewhere like Governor's Bay. The colour of the water in Akaroa harbour is something else. If you get the chance to return in the summer months, I can recommend the kayak tours to go see the Hector's dolphins.