"LAUGHTER IS A SUNBEAM OF THE SOUL"*

 * Thomas Mann from The Magic Mountain (obviously he never experienced 'Nui wit).

I had planned to visit Petone again today to go to see Fatherland at the Lighthouse cinema.

This is a new biographical film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski which follows Nobel laureate Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika on a road trip across ruined, post-war Germany in 1949.

The film won Best Director at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and serves as Poland's official submission for the 99th Academy Awards. 

I'm interested in seeing this on several levels: From a historical perspective as the post war period is of great interest to me; from a political standpoint as the current geopolitical situation has similarities with what is being faced in Europe today; and because I have read a couple of Thomas Mann's books (Death in Venice and The Magic Mountain).

As I said, I was going to go to the opening screening today but The Old Girl has said she would like to see it with me so we will go to a screening next weekend if it is still showing.

She is off to Russell tomorrow and back Monday so I'll have to find someone else to play with over the weekend. By chance I've renewed the Sky Sports monthly pass so will be able to watch the Rugby League World cup men's and women's finals, the All Blacks vs Wales test and some India vs New Zealand cricket. Hey! I might even open a bottle of wine or two while I'm at it.

Just so you don't think I'm a real old moaning codger I won't (hopefully) be complaining about scooter riders and cyclists for a while. I'll laugh about them instead.

DOING A RICHARD*

 * Not that!

Readers the reader of the previous post might begin to think that I have problems with scooter riders.

Well, to be honest I do when they show themselves as dangerously annoying ignorant bastards but in my defence I have to say that I also have problems with cyclists who show themselves as dangerously annoying ignorant bastards. 

I learned this form of intolerance from Richard of RBB who has written squillions of posts about cyclists and how they annoy him. Here's just one of them: HERE'S JUST ONE OF THEM

This morning when driving The Old Girl to work (I'm doing this and picking her up daily until she gets her painful hip joint sorted) I turned right onto Moturoa street after allowing a female cyclist to turn left and followed her up the slight incline. While she was riding fast - fast enough for me to comment to the Old Girl that "she's a fit little rooster" the speed was still under the 50KM limit.

An 'over-eager' male cyclist behind me - very close behind me was riding furiously seeming to have something to prove. Half way up this short street, on a bend is a pedestrian crossing with pedestrians on it. I slowed and the bike rider behind me swerved around my car and rode through the walkers on the crossing narrowly missing one. I said a very rude word (but to myself as The Old Girl was in the car with me and doesn't like me saying that) and then followed him up the rest of the street to the lights at Murphy Street. The lights were red and pedestrians were about to cross. The male cyclist, now in front of me went straight through the red light and turned left. I beeped the car horn long and loud at him from my stopped position. This obviously upset him as he dropped his bike on the side of the road (which, I'm disappointed to report didn't get run over by one of the cars going down Murphy Street) and came up to our car to remonstrate.

I pointed out the red light to him and, in case he was blind which there was evidence to prove said "You went through a red light mate and nearly collected pedestrians". He, and I observed that he was an old geezer but not as old as me, huffed and puffed and castigated me for beeping at him. Needless to say we had a few words including me drawing to his attention that he'd nearly hit pedestrians on the previous crossing on Moturoa Street. It was clear that we weren't going to be pals so I didn't invite him to join this thriving blogging community. In closing he huffed off with a snarky "have a nice day" to which I rather wittily, in the 'Nui style said "fuck off you wanker". This surprisingly wasn't the end of the conversation as he then said "don't you fucking well tell me to fuck off " etc. This 'banter' might have gone on longer but traffic was building up and the lights changed to green. The old bugger got back on his bike and rode down Mulgrave Street and, true to form, went through the red light when it changed into Aitkin Street towards Parliament. Maybe he's one of the 'new' MPs?

UNDER PRESSURE

I went to Petone yesterday and managed to get out alive - just.

I recommend the film 'Pressure' which I saw at the Lighthouse Cinema in Beach Street. This is a great film on the relationship between Eisenhower and Captain Stagg (chief meteorologist) in the days leading up to the D-Day invasion on 6 June 1944. Riveting stuff.

On my walk back to Petone railway station I crossed Jackson Street (on a pedestrian crossing). Several cars stopped on each side but a dickhead on an electric scooter, riding in the middle of the road refused to stop and kept coming straight at me as I was in the centre of the crossing. He (twenty something male Maori) could clearly see me. I put my hand up in a 'stop' gesture but he kept coming. I then changed my arm position to one where my forearm would connect with his throat but at the last moment lifted it as he went under it. I said a rude word to him as he passed.

In that moment a thought flashed through my mind that if I had knocked the (rude word) off his scooter it would be likely that I would be the one held to blame even though I noticed the approving nods from the car drivers. How unfair is that?

Maybe I need my own train.

JUST DESSERTS

MYSTICAL MINISTRATIONS

Some more school buildings are being moved at the school over the road from us. This time they are not prefab classrooms being moved off site but a large building that is being moved in sections from Pipitea Street to the Hobson Street entrance. This will be done in quite a few moves it seems. The first was yesterday when four very large pieces were moved at 5am.

It was quite mystical viewing this at such an early hour - just before dawn. There was no traffic and the workmen had obviously been instructed to keep their voices low. This and the bright 'alien landing' type lights made for a surreal setting. The only loud instruction I heard was "Keep to the right there!" which might have been someone suggesting the direction for the Opportunity Party to go or maybe some sort of Vatican invocation.

Talking of invocations, and I was, Robert, if viewing this might have construed, in his adulation-befuddled mind that it was a special ceremony celebrating the relocation of the holy tabernacles of Christ. He might have reported on it in terms like this:

"Eventually the Holy Tabernacles of Christ were gently maneuvered into their new resting places and left peacefully and silently to await the ministrations of the ladies' Rosary group. I sat unnoticed and watched which was just like watching Peggy O'Sullivan  back in the day (ooooh!) and after the third decade of the Rosary I became aware of somebody sitting close behind me. Just an occasional breath. Nothing threatening. I felt very relaxed (ooooh !). I was convinced that it was the Virgin Mary kneeling behind me, pretty as you can imagine. Long wavy hair and olive complexion (ooooh again!). I looked into her eyes and smiled. 'She' didn't smile back. "Move along there please" said a stern looking guy in a high-viz jacket "you are in the way and also, maybe you should do up your trousers".

I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO'S BEEN THINKING

 A while ago I wrote this post I'VE BEEN THINKING in which I imagined the possibility of a coalition government between National and Labour - a grand coalition if you will.

As both are relatively centrist parties that share maybe 70% ideas on the economy, social welfare, health, education and policing etc. a coalition between these two, leaving out the minor parties who by and large have wacky, extreme and generally unworkable policies in their portfolios, would give us a stable government that could action long-term goals.

Well, I read today that a 'business leader' and billionaire Guy Haddleton is asking National and Labour to form a 'grand coalition' and to cut out the smaller and less reliable parties rather than relying on the smaller, and less reliable parties.

Haddleton argued that National and Labour collectively accounted for 58.6% of the party vote and 78 seats in parliament, making a cross-bloc centrist government numerically possible. I agree with that (probably the only thing I have in common with a billionaire).

Grand coalitions (joining centre-right and centre-left major parties) are common in European countries like Germany but here in New Zealand have only been formed under wartime emergency conditions.  Still, given what the idiot Trump is leaving the world as his legacy and the threatened Russian expansion triggering mobilisation in UK, Poland and the Baltic countries - maybe we have 'wartime emergency conditions' now.

MR WOBBLY

 Are we surprised that Chris Luxon is backtracking on his statements that National would never consider having the Opportunity party in a National led coalition government?

I alluded to this likely outcome in these two earlier posts:

RIGHT OR WONG?

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

Well, blow me down, weasley Luxon is now making statements of appeasement and "a desire to work in a "much more collaborative way with all parties across Parliament".

Following the preliminary results of the 2026 New Zealand general election, National Party leader Christopher Luxon has softened his stance on working with the Opportunity Party (TOP) and its leader, Qiulae Wong, after previously ruling them out repeatedly on the campaign trail. 

Key Details of the Shift
Initial Position: Throughout July and the lead-up to the election campaign, Luxon repeatedly and explicitly ruled out forming a coalition or working with TOP, citing fundamental incompatibilities over tax policies (such as TOP's proposed land tax and wealth tax). 
Post-Election Shift: After preliminary election results showed TOP crossing the 5% party vote threshold (securing about 6% of the vote and tracking for seven list MPs), Luxon signaled an opening. 
Luxon's Stance: Speaking to reporters after the preliminary results, Luxon said that while National didn't need TOP to form a government based on initial right-bloc numbers (estimated at 67 seats), he acknowledged a desire to work in a "much more collaborative way with all parties across Parliament". He noted potential areas for cross-party collaboration like artificial intelligence, infrastructure, and social media bans, though he stated that formal negotiations would wait until official results are finalized. 
TOP's Position: Qiulae Wong confirmed that TOP remains open to working with either side of the political spectrum and noted she would call the party with the most seats first. She has emphasized that any potential coalition partner must be able to align with TOP's bottom lines. 

          Google

No wonder he's known as the Blancmange Man.

" I was there but now am here but I could be over there"

Blancmange:
A Wobbly or Spineless Person: Used to describe someone who lacks backbone or firmness—like poking a cold pudding that wobbles and just returns to its shape instead of standing firm. (For example, describing politicians or authorities as "talking to a blancmange").
Nonsense or Fluff: Occasionally used as a synonym for rubbish or empty talk (e.g., "That's a load of blancmange!" meaning it's silly or meaningless).
Anything Pale or Bland: Casually applied to people or objects that look sickly, pale, or completely uninteresting.

Wikipedia

IS IT 'MILLER TIME' OR ...

... Is it closing time?

President Trump is elevating Stephen Miller, his powerful domestic policy adviser, to be his next chief of staff after Republican losses in the midterm elections. Susie Wiles will step aside for Miller next week and it is expected that there will be more changes. 

Miller, a fanatical Trump fan, has been the architect of some of the most polarising domestic policies in Trump’s second term. This promotion as expected is a doubling-down by Trump on the disastrous issues of mismanagement of the economy, the war with Iran and deportations. Things will become worse over the next two months until new Democrat candidates are sworn in in January.

Maybe the idiot, in finally giving over power to the creep Miller, is giving up but won't go graciously.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Richard and Shelley are coming to our place for afternoon tea on Saturday.

That'll be nice.

Richard said that they will be bringing butternut pies.

Unless he has a supplier of little ones like those 'little pies' he seems to be hooked on I think that just one butternut pie will suffice.

***************

I've booked to see Aldous Harding at the Michael Fowler Centre at the end of the month.

I like Harding's music and find it quirky.

The Old Girl won't come along with me though "You're on your own there Matey - I don't like quirky" she said. We differ in our musical tastes sometimes - not in all but she doesn't like the more strident and unusual stuff that I do like Scott Walker, Weill/Brecht and Benjamin Britten operas and, of course, Captain Beefheart.

SENSIBLE ACCESSORIES ...

 ... not extra arms unless they can help you to plug in your new computer.

No, a couple of weeks ago I bought a Dashed travel adapter.

It has been a hassle, at home and when travelling, finding and using the various chargers and attachments for the Apple products I have:

• Laptop
• iPad
• Iphone
• Apple watch
• Hearing aids

When travelling the cables get all tied up together and there's often the occasion when a cable isn't taken with a charger or vice versa, or the right plug isn't taken. This nifty adapter fixes that with the added advantages that it acts as a power bank for quick charging away from an electrical supply and that it has adapters for different country's AC sockets.

The phone and the watch and earphones magnetically attach to the charging platform in the centre of the pod and the other units are attached by the different built in cords.

I showed it to The Old Girl when she came home on the weekend and she expressed delight at it before claiming it.

Today I went on-line again and bought another one - a black one for me so there will be no arguments.

I was pleasantly surprised when buying this one that, because it's now November, an early Black Friday 20% discount was applicable along with the free shipping. Beudy!

These will be just the thing for our trip to Great Barrier after Christmas.

THE LOYAL DEVOTEE

 

Richard is chasing his practice hours goal that he set for the year.

"One tune for every day in November!
I've decided to also learn those 30 tunes on my guitar, so I'll know the repertoire on two instruments.
Don't get me wrong, the violin will still be my main instrument.
Every day I'll target one specific tune on one instrument. I'll give that half an hour (on each instrument) then I'll devote another half hour (on each instrument) to three or six repertoire pieces.
In those two hours of practice I'll also make sure that technical practice (scales, etc.) is not neglected.
On the guitar that includes pick work and on the violin that includes long bows and intonation checks.
There you go.
I've done my guitar hour. Now it's violin time. It'd be good to get a bit of double bass (bass has its own repertoire) practice done too."

It’s nice to have a goal in life and to be orderly but if he slacks around again then next month he might have to double or treble his efforts.