David P.'s Blog
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Yesterday and today I've been thinking of the hikoi (protest walks) that my mate, Colin, will be doing this year. He has already done his first one, from the Katikati police station to the Tauranga courthouse on the shortest day of the year and arriving on Matariki (the new year) - some 35 kilometres in total. If you'd like to read a local newspaper article about this hikoi, with a photo of Colin and a couple of his closest supporters and several comments about the article and the subject matter, see http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/27192-katikati-man-fights-fathers-rights.html
Colin's upcoming walks include one on Saturday this week - Saturday 11 August 2012. He'll walk from Waihi Court House to Katikati, some 25 kms., starting off at 9:30am. Supporting walkers and any other supporters at the start, or along the way, or at the finish, will be a huge encouragement to Colin. From the responses I'm getting here in Kawerau as I collect signature on the petition forms, I'm sure that there are heaps of people who care enough to want to give Colin a lot of visible support for his endeavour.
Colin's third hikoi will be on Saturday 18 August, Katikati across the Kaimai Ranges to Te Aroha.
After that, Colin is planning to walk from Tauranga family courthouse to Rotorua family courthouse with the date to be confirmed, and then following that a walk from the Rotorua court house and past the Police station to Wellington starting 1st October 2012.
Thursday, 9 August 2012
I am making this entry at 7 am because I've had it in hand for a couple of days! Easy work, this, when your friends provide the meat of the content for you. After I used one of his stories here on Monday 6 August, Ian in Edinburgh sent me the following in an email -
"Reading the story of my taxi experience on your blog brings another story to mind.
One Saturday I had been chatting to a new part time barmaid called Gillian at my golf club who told me she had just started two summer jobs during mid term break from her university studies.
Her other job was as a tour guide on the tourist buses.
David, as you know before my retirement I had a TV Rental and Repair business so I got to know a fair number of people.
Well the following day I took my nephew Nicol Kay to wander around Edinburgh during the famous Edinburgh Festival and to watch some of the fringe shows performed on the streets of the capital. As we walked along through the crowds at The Mound and along the High Street I met a fair number of my former customers who stopped to say hello and to chew the fat.
We then carried along the famous Princess Street until I saw a tour bus coming along with a tour guide doing her tourist information bit and pointing out the passing landmarks, Scott Monument, Edinburgh Castle etc as the bus crawled along the street. I looked up and there was Gillian the only tour guide I knew standing upstairs on the open bus giving her spiel. We saw each other at the same time so I looked up and gave her a friendly wave which not only she returned but the dozens of tourists on the top and bottom decks of the bus. My nephew looked at me in amazement and said "Uncle Ian, do you know EVERYBODY in Edinburgh" Priceless.
Young Nicol is now about 22 so that must have happened 10 years ago but I still laugh when I think about it."
Yesterday, I read in the online version of "The Scotsman" about tornadoes and dreadful weather hitting the Dumfries area of Scotland. So, I've sent an email to my uncle Jim and aunt Pat hoping that they've not been hit too badly by all of that. And, of course, I'm wishing the best for all the other people in Britain who are being beset by such weather.
Friday, 10 August 2012
Recently, on Facebook, I asked for some feedback from any friends who might be reading this blog. Trust a Scotswoman to give it to you straight! They say that only true friends will tell it to you as it is, when it's not the best.
Louise Robertson Williamson of Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, said "I'm with you pal...but needs more colour and a big photie of yersel..lol". For all of you who don't speak the Grand language, photie means photograph. So, for the colour she wants, I'm mixing colours in my text. OK, I know that's not what she meant, but what do you expect me to do? I tried to get a sort of tartan mix for the word Scotswoman, not too successfuly.
However, for photies see next page - I'll try to put some interesting ones there.