Sideswipe

Hard line: Warning outside Taupo gift shop.

A reader writes: "We've just moved and are waiting for our iHug internet to be reconnected. The kids usually monopolise it, chatting to their friends. Our youngest daughter, Chelsea, 12, wrote to a friend in the UK this week: 'I can't wait until we can get our bored brand in ... "'

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Following this week's proverbs from children, which admittedly were a bit contrived and from the US, Denise writes: "I'm a teacher of 7-to-9-year-old children and earlier this year I gave my class some proverbs to complete as well.

1. An apple a day keeps the ... flies away.

2. A rolling stone gathers ... heaps of dust.

3. Don't count your chickens ... count your sheep.

4. If you can't beat them ... try not to cheat.

5. It takes two to ... lift a table.

6. Once bitten, twice ... bye, bye dog.

7. Practice makes ... Mum happy.

8. When in Rome ... go shopping.

9. When in Rome ... don't get lost, it's a big city.

10. When in Rome ... they had battles.

11. It's only the tip of the ... Sky Tower.

12. All that glitters is not ... good for playing with.

13. Make hay while ... the grass is dead.

14. The pen is mightier than ... the pencil.

15. Where there's smoke there's ... a big crowd of people.

16. The best things in life are ... swimming and watching TV.

17. Better safe than ... getting run over.

18. Don't bite the hand that ... hits you.

19. It takes two to ... change a lightbulb.

20. The way to a man's heart is through his ... veins."

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A reader writes: "Foot-and-mouth scare brings New Zealand's vet experts to Waiheke Island and we show TV news film of vet checking individual animal temperatures with glass thermometer. Where is the latest technology, thermal cameras or digital temperature probes - beats sticking a glass thermometer up the backside of every animal on Waiheke. If this is the best method we can use to check thousands of animals, we must be considered technically backward and stupid. After all, half the world is watching."

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Hooded tops, baseball caps and swearing have been outlawed at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, England, as part of a crackdown on antisocial behaviour. This zero-tolerance approach to intimidating conduct is being backed by Kent police with a dedicated on-site team. (Source: BBC)