Sideswipe: August 10: Lifejacket made by...

Reliable lifejacket branding

Brian Daniels of Whangamata recently returned from an island hopping trip to the Philippines. "The general mode of transport was by ferry," he says. "So you can imagine my concern whilst travelling on one of the ferries,when I saw the brand name on the lifejackets."

Speeding ticket sours taste for Aussie wine tour

Gary of Greenlane writes: "A warning to those contemplating a driving holiday in South Australia. Months after a drive through the Barossa Valley, I received a speeding ticket for 71km/h in a 50km/h zone. The fine was an eye-watering A$769 (the equivalent in NZ is $170). Google Maps showed the offence occurred on a sparsely populated country road outside of any built-up areas. I appealed but, of course, it was denied with a stern reply and lecture on driver responsibility. The country regions around Adelaide have multiple and often poorly signposted speed zones which are heavily infested with speed cameras. Locals tell me it is because SA is broke and needs the money. Perhaps a tour of NZ's fabulous wine regions would be a much cheaper and better bet."

On Northcote's flooded footpath ...

1. "I remember walking that same path to high school when I was in my teens (I'm now 39) and, yep, it was a muddy bog back then too. At some stage or another my friends and I would slip over and end up head-to-toe in mud. If the council can't see fit to fix it after 20-odd years I wouldn't be holding out much hope for a solution any time soon. I agree with the other guy - get gumboots."

2. "I walk this very path every morning to school with my three children. With heavy rain one day last week our walk to school the next morning was really exciting! We were pretending it was a river with crocodiles and snakes we had to jump over. On the new plywood (a welcome change from the boggy mud puddles) we pretended it was a raft going down the rapids."

Danger signs needed

Regarding the St Heliers sign warning of a submerged reef: "While I agree that our environment is being ruined more and more every day by signage that seems to discourage people from taking care of themselves, I think this sign is well placed," writes a reader. "A few years ago I went to Kohimarama beach for a swim. I walked into the water and dived in. Fortunately I had my hands outstretched in front of me because there was a man-made concrete 'reef' just under the water. I've since found at low tide that this is a pipe outlet. I was lucky to get away with a small graze on my face but I remember thinking that a sign warning of this unexpected and concealed object would have been a good idea. I have a mate in a wheelchair. He didn't need a sign saying water was wet but one saying how shallow the water was would have saved a lot of suffering."

Signage stating the bleeding obvious. Spotted in Perth by Pamela.?

Picture this: Wonder what this present is?

Picture this: If the Titanic sunk today...

Video: This footage of England in the Edwardian era, (1900s) of people going about their everyday lives, is mesmerising...

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