Friday 23 May 2008

Kiwi Top Gun

Tim Costley, a Kiwi Air force pilot, has created a smash on YouTube, but as a fellow Kiwi, I cringed when I watched it.

Tim is based at the central North Island Ohakea Air Force base. He ad-libbed a song in a Townsville mess hall, and now has his own following on the net. He even released the song on iTunes.

It started when some Aussie pilots asked him to sing a song about them.

"I consider it more of a documentary than a song,'' he said. ``They're an easy target. But, yeah, I just made it up as I went. It's all satirical. There's always been plenty of banter between Huey and jet pilots. Unfortunately for them we're better looking and much smarter.''

Tim says he hopes to recoup the $35 it cost to make the video.

Thursday 22 May 2008

$2.40 a litre

Today the cost of unleaded petrol in New Zealand went over (NZD) $2 / litre. That's $1.62 in AUD. Premium is selling for $2.20 / lt.

BP appear to be leading the change in the market, with standard unleaded around $2.05. It's expected that other suppliers will follow suit by the weekend.

There have been strong market forecasts that it will be up to $2.50 in a few months.

Time to think eclectic or get your hands on one of those cute wee scooters to get into town. Better still, that cycle of yours that hasn't been used for awhile, might deserve an oil and the tires pumped.

Time for a radical rethink on when and how you use your car or that 4WD.

Also, bear a thought, every time you buy something from the supermarket with loads of excess packaging, and double-sealed tops, it's all derived from oil.

What a wasteful consumer-driven society we've become.

Tuesday 20 May 2008

Land of the long white crowd

Hi all faithful and fellow blog buddies.

I'm presently in the land of the long white cloud, Aotearoa. I headed back across the ditch at midnight last night - the second time in as many months, to help bury a special friend. Not in the middle of the night under torchlight you understand. He was an important colleague from my days in the Capital, and it was an emotional day of reconnecting with hundreds of fellow mourners at St Peter's on Willis Street, Wellington.

This is a reflective and a rather difficult time. I don't do funerals that often. Truth be known, I don't do funerals full stop. I was chatting to mother today on the phone, and seems to attend one every other week. She turned 87 yesterday.

I should also offer all my readers a heartfelt apology for the absence over the last few weeks, post Council election. I needed time to re-group, take stick, and take time out from the madness post election. I also wanted to allow time for the new Council to settle in.

Needless to say there were and are many things I wanted to burst into print and share my opinion about. I have been shocked at a number of things that this new Council have done already, least of all to follow the mandate that the community gave them for a new direction and a way of doing business.

Secondly, I'm shocked at the way the silly ol ComPost has continued to attack Schier in her new role as Mayor. In eight years or more, I don't recall one article about Kevin Byrne's hair do.

There's a number of things I wish to share about my experiences surrounding the election. Some stories shouldn't be told, but I will all the same. Some skeletons really need to be aired for everyone to hear behind the scenes tales. I'll get around to that over the next week or two.

Anyway, I need to deal with the 12 degree winds in Wellington where I am presently. I fly into the winter that is Christchurch on the 9pm flight this evening. 30 bucks on Virgin. Not bad really. I'll be back to sunny North Queensland at the end of the week.

It's also nice to be back on line. You can be assured, that CairnsBlog and I will, do the best to keep the bastards honest. Or at least accountable.

Kia Ora.