Posted by: rivettingkatetaylor | October 5, 2009

And so it goes on….

They must be getting closer. The Iroquois has been going again for about half an hour now.

A friend, Wade, just phoned me to say he saw the alleged gunman pulled over by the police in Dannevirke, was then passed by him north of the town and then came across his abandoned car which had been in a crash with a car and trailer on the northern side of the Butcher’s Creek gully between Norsewood and Takapau.

Of course he had no idea at the time of the nature of the man’s state of mind.

Our gunman has now been on the run for almost 24 hours.

Media calls have lessened to me as the reporters do their own detective work and get better people to quote! There wasn’t really any stick for not passing on the names and numbers of locals, especially once we found out whose place the shooting happened on and wouldn’t tell them. They had to do their own detective work! And they did. It didn’t take long before a couple of them were phoning me for their numbers and I told them if they had the name they had a phone book!

I did text two friends to ask if I could pass on their details – one said yes and one said no.

One was the owner of the farm next door to the shooting, whose workers were approached first by the gunman but left alone. The next ones weren’t so lucky.

According to one of the reporters at the cordon, the shooting victim is undergoing surgery in HB Hospital. I understood the person was okay, so not sure of the validity of that report.

It is still raining – perhaps hypothermia is causing problems for the heat detection equipment being used by the police?!

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Posted by: rivettingkatetaylor | October 5, 2009

Gunman still on the loose

Takapau and Norsewood are waking up this morning to the news that a gunman is still on the loose on Whenuahou Rd/Otawhao, a rural area between the two settlements… that is, if they got to sleep at all!

It has been a nervous night really. We are just outside the police cordon but that doesn’t mean we’re not on the lookout for a grumpy man with a gun.

The relief was great last night though when we realised the shooting victim was not serious and that the offender was not a local gone mad. No local tragedy.

The journalist in me has been privately worked up with the turn of events. While I would never wish this situation on anyone – the victims, the farmers, the gunman or the police – I have realised how much I miss the thrill of daily news gathering. It’s just a little nervewracking having it happen so close to home.

Radio and the internet are awesome (and now television with the advent of  breakfast telly, which wasn’t around when I was working fulltime for a news org) as they are able to feed information and news to people as it happens, as opposed to newspaper, which will be out of date as soon as the print button is pushed (but gathers background information and many comments/viewpoints into one article – or should).

But that is completely beside the point today. It’s time to feed the lambs so I will be taking police advice and keeping a good eye out. 

It’s also time to meet my mother in law in Wairoa to pick up the kids, who have been in Gisborne for a week. But the journalist in me just doesn’t want to go! Murphy will rear his head the moment I drive in the other direction.

And wow!!! There’s a chopper hovering over Whenuahou Rd as we speak. Radio NZ was on the phone and she could hear it in the background so they put me through live!!!!

I was going to make pikelets for the AOS guys on the corner 🙂 but I think they might be a little busy now….

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Posted by: rivettingkatetaylor | October 4, 2009

gunman on the loose

Waiting for news about a gunman on the loose down the road is not the way I envisaged my weekend ending.

AOS officers all over the place – apparently moving on foot through paddocks in a bid to shut down a roaming gunman who has allegedly already shot a farm worker and is waving a shotgun around.

This is all taking place on Whenuahou Rd between Norsewood and Takapau.

So far, thanks to text, we know some of our friends and neighbours are ok. We still don’t know who’s involved though and it is extremely nervewracking waiting.

This www.stuff.co.nz photo (by JOHN COWPLAND/NZPA) was taken just down from our place at the end of Otawhao Rd.

AOS cordon on Takapau Ormondville Rd

AOS cordon on Takapau Ormondville Rd

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Posted by: rivettingkatetaylor | October 4, 2009

Remembering Dad

 Today marks seven years since my Dad passed away. And I miss him.

He used to have this funny whistle, which Mum is still known for today, that he would use on our infrequent visits to “town”. Dunedin was the destination every time we needed to do a big shop but Dad wasn’t interested in following Ruthie and four girls around the cash registers. We’d be walking down the street and hear that whistle and stop and look for him. There he would be, leaning against the old Holden Kingswood or a doorway, smoke in hand.

My kids have become attuned to the whistle too now – I can walk into a room unseen and give a little whistle and both kids will look up, looking for me. It’s seriously cute.

He also smiles at me in my office every day – one of my favourite photos from his 60th at Edievale, cigar in hand.  Our photo gallery in the hall sees him on the motorbike looking down at The Glen – one with green grass and one with snow. There’s one of him with a stock agent in a paddock that was used in a Wrighties calendar and a very stern one with the whole family in costume during a trip to Shantytown or something similar.

Rest in peace Pop. You’re not forgotten.

 

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Posted by: rivettingkatetaylor | October 4, 2009

Keeping mum…

What a hoot. Nightmare on Elm St was on TV last night, but I could only stomach about half an hour of it! I can’t believe it used to scare the hell out of me!

In fact, I remember one night at a friend’s house much earlier on in my adult life. She had too much Bernadino/Chardon/Miami wine cooler (or whatever classy drink we were on at the time) while watching videos so we put her to bed. I walked our friends out to the cars but after they were gone, I had to walk inside alone, just moments after watching Nightmare on Elm St videos… whatever you do, dont fall asleep!

From now on, these stories from my youth will have to be severely curtailed, or at least censored somewhat. I’ve had the hard word from one of my sisters that I’m giving Mum too much insight into what we got up to as teenagers 🙂 (nothing, honest Mum).

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Posted by: rivettingkatetaylor | October 1, 2009

tsunami and manicures

Manicures, pedicures, spray tans and hand massages…. this week marked my first trip to a nail boutique (actually, The Nail Boutique in Ahuriri).

Not one to worry about my nails, which I now realise is obvious, I took the chance on Tuesday while in Napier with a spare hour and no school bus to rush home for, to catch up with an old friend.

A member of my antenatal group a massive nine years ago, Alina had a change of career after having baby #3 and moved into nail care. And treated me to my first manicure, hand massage and pretty pink polish. It was lovely and will be repeated for sure!

However, my little journey into the world of beauty pampering has been seriously overshadowed by the earthquake and following tsunami that has devastated half of Samoa. Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones and homes.

A deserved slap is given to all the New Zealanders who took their children to the coastline yesterday to see if a tsunami arrived. Some of them were at high vantage points (understandable, if they got hit up there then the rest of NZ was history). But for those who sat in carparks a metre or so above the sea line, unbelievable. Stupid. Unbelievably stupid.

And a quick phone call was made to my mother-in-law in Gisborne just to make sure she didn’t decide to take my holidaying children to Kaiti at low tide yesterday morning (as they often do) without knowing a tsunami warning was in place (although someone would have told her). But they were off to Eastwoodhill, the amazing aboretum in the hills west of Gisborne.

While you’re here then, visit this link to have a glimpse into one of NZ’s hidden gems.

http://www.eastwoodhill.org.nz/

This blog should have been called miscellaneous! I haven’t been talking to you for a while so I thought it was time to touch base.

Golf day yesterday (second best round of 108, net 71, with my handicap index now down to 36.9)  then a PTA fundraiser at a farmer meeting at the golf club last night (supper raising $145) and today I’m getting some work done before heading to the opening of tennis season tonight. Hopefully our six grass courts have drained away all of yesterday’s rain or there’ll be 60 of us sharing the three astros!

Happy first day of October. Pinch and a punch.

Does your family do the first of the month ritual of pinching and punching (followed by a slap and a kick for being so quick)? What about rabbits being your first word of the month? Or white rabbits for New Year’s Day?  That one always gets me – as opposed to my children always getting me at some ungodly hour on the first of the month.

But they’re not here – so I got you instead.

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Posted by: rivettingkatetaylor | September 25, 2009

RIP Sir Howard

A great totara of the forest has fallen.

Sir Howard Morrison is one of those names, one of those faces and indeed, one of those instantly-recognisable voices that has just always been there.

No-one does How Great Thou Art like Sir Howard and I love the funny quartets he did that have been dotted throughout TVNZ’s Breakfast show this morning (with Billy T James and two others).

He was the opening act for one of the Mission Concerts a few years ago, Dionne Warwick I think, and he was by far the most impressive act of the night! I had never seen him perform live before and he was awesome, absolutely awesome.

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Posted by: rivettingkatetaylor | September 23, 2009

Go Casey #2

In reference to yesterday’s blog about Casey William’s interesting press conferences after Silver Fern games, I wanted to show you this stuff.co.nz article on what the coach had to say about it. I’m in good company!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/netball/2891902/Ruth-Aitken-backs-outspoken-Silver-Ferns-skipper

Off to golf today, have a big fun netball tournament hosted by my club on Saturday (14 teams of up to 12!!!) and a tennis working bee on Sunday. Talk about mixing my sports – at least squash has almost finished for the season!

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Posted by: rivettingkatetaylor | September 21, 2009

Go Casey

Who wouldn’t be pissed off losing to the Aussies by one goal?

I have absolutely no issue with Silver Ferns captain Casey Williams saying she was just that in a post-match interview on TVNZ on Sunday. Like Sir Edmund Hillary when he “knocked the bastard off” and like No.8 Peter Jones when he said he was buggered after the All Blacks won their first series against the Spring Boks in 1956, Casey Williams was pissed off they let a series win slip out of their fingers. Fair enough.

My mother will hate this post, she used to rank the p word alongside the f word when I was a teenager.

You can watch movies with shocking language at any time of day or night. You can walk down the street and hear it. You can come to my house and hear it any time you like (especially if I’m trying to cook).

Casey’s style of captaincy and her aftermatch interview skills are not a bad reflection on her, the Silver Ferns or NZ. She is still a good role model and a damn good netballer!

She’s tough and she hates losing. Trying is for losers. That’s what she said after one game and it’s so true. At that level it is SO true. Now my Takapau D grade netball team, they are very trying.  Win or lose, it’s all about participation (I don’t really believe that, but I’m singing the tune).

But at Silver Fern level? Trying is for losers. And I’m pissed off we lost to the Aussies by one goal.

To the media and those knocking Casey for saying she is too – get a life.

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Posted by: rivettingkatetaylor | September 11, 2009

It’s the little things that count…

Yellow was the order of the day today as my children’s school celebrates the birthday of Roald Dahl, whose favourite colour was yellow.

Sarah was resplendent in her yellow sunflower hat and a frilly yellow shirt (with black skivvy and black trousers because that is “so effective”) and highlighted finger nails with clear polish over the top.

Imagine Lachlan’s disappointment when he realises he doesn’t own anything yellow.

Having dished out the pennies for the mufti day yellows ($1), face painting ($1), homemade  lemonade (50c ) and Roald Dahl quiz (10c) , Lachlan solemnly handed me back the $1 coin that would enable him to wear yellow.  He looked so disappointed that I whispered to him that he could put the $1 in his pocket money wallet as it wasn’t his fault he didn’t have any yellow clothes. The pure joy on his face as he whispered “thank you Mum” with wide-open eyes of delight was absolutely priceless.

Priceless too was the discovery about two minutes before the school bus was due of a yellow Pak-n Save bag. Lachlan pounced on the suggestion of a makeshift top. Even more priceless was the mischievous and delightful look of glee on his face when he realised the front of his new costume were the words “absolutely unbeatable”.

I tell you, he walked onto that bus with the best costume ever.

And I returned to the house with a very contented smile.

It’s the little things that count – who said plastic bags were a scourge of modern-day society.  Not Lachlan.

 

Sarah and Lachlan after Roald Dahl "yellow" day at school

Sarah and Lachlan after Roald Dahl "yellow" day at school

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