But  answer  came  there  none!

I hadn’t intended to return to this topic, but a response by Kevin Milne to my critique of Fair Go’s modus operandi leaves me little choice. Kevin was speaking to Herald media commentator John Drinnan. Drinnan reports him as having said:

“I don’t know if there is a word for people who attack their own babies. Brian’s comments are outrageous and criticism about the show from day one is just nuts. He started an amazing programme that has been hugely popular for 30 years and I think he knows that. My impression [of the people who commented on the Edwards blog] was that they are not the sort of people who watch Fair Go very often. It’s a major conversion on the Road to Damascus. You also need to put into focus that he makes his living – an extremely good living one would assume – advising big business how to deal with Fair Go.”

A deranged Waiheke neighbour of ours, whose ginger tom was terrorising every other cat in the district, and to whom I complained, put it about the island, when the cat mysteriously disappeared one Christmas, that I had killed it by throwing it over the cliff. I hadn’t. But for some time people would approach me and say, ‘Ah Brian, the Waiheke cat killer!’

This is, however, the first time I have been accused of attacking my own babies, whatever the word for that is – ‘child abuse’ I suppose, Kevin – but I’m going to treat the accusation  as an elderly moment and move on.  Read the rest of this entry »

Judy and I probably fit the common perception of the trendy Jafa. Our day isn’t complete until we’ve walked for an hour or more around Herne Bay, Grey Lynn, Ponsonby and back to Herne Bay. And the walk has to finish with coffee and occasionally a ginger biscotto (Thanks, Peter Calder, for the Italian lesson!)  at one of the many cafes on the strip.

Queen’s Birthday Weekend was no exception until…

Well, today (Monday) we had coffee an one of our usual Herne Bay haunts. Fine and dandy. Judy had been doing university work during the morning and it was almost lunchtime when we’d finished our coffee and were heading home. Faced with the prospect of making lunch – I’d already mowed the lawn and trimmed the hedge and was feeling self-righteous – I suggested we buy something from our favourite cafe-deli.    Read the rest of this entry »