Sideswipe: November 21: US President a laughing stock in Finland

The President of the United States suggests raking more might have prevented the deadliest fire in California history because that's what they do in Finland. It comes after a visit to the fire-ravaged Paradise (which he referred to as Pleasure during his visit) in California where Trump suggested people could be cleaning up leaves to prevent blazes. "You look at other countries where they do it differently and it's a whole different story. I was with the President of Finland and he said we are a forest nation. He called it a forest nation," Trump told reporters. "And they spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things, and they don't have any problem." The climate disparities are the real reason Finland doesn't have a forest fire problem and people in Finland are having a lot of fun raking leaves on social media.

Unforgettable offences

While insuring a new vehicle through State, Paul Cornish of Devonport was asked whether he had any driving offences against my name. "I hesitated and during the interval was told I had a speeding infringement from about 18 months back. Although she couldn't readily advise how they accessed the information, it must have come from police records. Knowing that insurance cover and/or claims can be refused through failure to provide information I'd advise Sideswipe readers keep a mental note of all traffic offences."

What simple thing did you learn at an embarrassingly late age?

1. After telling a colleague he looked dis-shelved I was finally corrected as dishevelled. I had always visualised a tipped over bookcase.

2. I was 43 when I realised that the "wet week" in the expression "as slow as a wet week" (which I'd never seen written) was not a drab little creature snuffling its way laboriously along the bush floor.

3. My husband and I both learned things in the past couple of weeks - I learned that the game I knew at intermediate school as "padda-tennis" is actually a lazy pronunciation of "paddle tennis", and my husband was astounded to learn that gherkins are a type of cucumber. He loves one and hates the other.

4. I explained to my grandma (83) that when "this little piggy went to the market" that the little piggy had not in fact gone shopping. I regret telling her.