Sideswipe: June 11: Signs of the times

Near enough.

Newly installed road signs in Mt Roskill (or as some like to call it Mt Eden South!). But as Jonathan explains, there has been a major stuff-up. "What was originally Whitworth Rd has become Whiteworth Rd and Bremner Ave is now Bremmer Ave. How many people had to screw up here? From the person who ordered the sign, to the person who printed the sign, to the person who shipped the sign, to the person who sent instructions to the installer, to the person who uplifted the new signs, to the person who removed the old signs and installed the new ones. And how much did (and will) this cost ratepayers?"

Learner drivers down on the farm

"I have a 15-year-old daughter very anxious about learning to drive," writes Deano. "So, she asked her dad what was it like when he, a Waikato farm boy, learned to drive. Here's what I told her: As soon as I could reach pedals of whatever vehicle (tractor, car, farm truck) I was driving on the farm. This was around 8 years old. At 12, with the assistance of my Dad, we bought an almost road-worthy Bedford truck. Mum dropped us off and me and Dad shared the two-hour drive home. For the next three summers, until I was 14, I ran a hay bale pick-up service, employing my mates. I drove the truck (owner's privilege) slowly around the paddock with boys on the ground lifting bales up on to the deck (careful driving to avoid running over anyone) and boys on the back stacking (careful driving to avoid anyone falling off). I would then drive the fully loaded truck (with boys resting on top) across farm tracks and into the shed for unloading. We didn't service farms more than 15 minutes from home, keeping street driving by a 12-year-old to a "responsible minimum". The day after my 15th birthday - they only did driver's licence tests on Thursday so I had to wait a day - I got my driver's licence."

No luncheon munchkins here

Near enough.

The end of a New Zealand tradition ... and what could a luncheon-related accident possibly be? I can only imagine that careless children dropping half-masticated bits of processed meat could be problematic, in the same way as a banana skin, for other shoppers. (Hat tip: David Cormack)

Slugging it out in the '60s

As a teenager in Greymouth in the 1960s, one game Denis Hobbs played involved an air rifle on the street. "A runner would be on one end of the fence and the person with the air rifle at the other end. The runner would run as fast as possible and the one with the air rifle would see how many times they could hit him in the back. There was one rule - don't look back. Don't want a slug in the face, the back didn't hurt as air rifles those days were pretty tame. I can imagine what would happen these days. Full turn out of the Armed Offenders Squad, streets blocked off."

Quick links

1. Childhood photos of Anthony Bourdain.

2.Incredible tornado video was captured on Wednesday in Laramie, Wyoming.

Video Pick

A very young Neil Young singing 'Old Man'…

Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz