Skywatch Friday: Winter sky

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Winter means cloudy skies and heavy rains and cold weather. It also means winter colds and flus. I have to tell my students to blow their nose properly.

Photohunt: Bubbles

http://tnchick.com/

This post is a follow up of the Watery Wednesday photo of the ducks swimming in the creek.
These bubbles are a bad sign of a dying creek. The creek is polluted and people are warned not to get into the water. Idiots dump all sort of rubbish and choke up the water. Once, there was even a shopping trolley.

The poor ducks, they will continue to swim because it is their nature to swim. In some extreme cases, they die. Hopefully , this won't happen to these ducks.

watery wednesday: Ducks

http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

At the boundary of Mt Albert Grammar School, there is a creek. There are ducks enjoying their swim even though the water is dirty.

I have just done a follow up on the creek.http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2010/06/photohunt-bubbles.html It explains that the water is polluted.

The ducks are wild. In New Zealand, wild ducks are allowed to be hunted in may. But these ducks, the creek is in the city. the neighbours will protest if you came with a gun.

According to a friend, these ducks don't taste good, I have no idea why.

ABC WEdnesday: Letter U for urns.

http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/

The old electric urn is usually called a zip which is actually a brand. You find this in the olden days in work places where there are are lot of employees. The days of the tea lady is long gone, and even big bosses have to make their own cup of tea and clean up after themselves.

Ruby Red Tuesday: Red Apple

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com

The most expensive and famous apple in New Zealand is probably the one in Double Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank's bag when she arrived in Auckland International Airport. Like most international passengers, Hilary was not aware of how strict of Biosecurity restrictions were.

Double Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank has been told to pay a $200 fine for trying to bring fruit into New Zealand in January 2005.

The American actress has been fined $200 and ordered to pay $30 in costs after she failed to declare an apple and an orange when she arrived at Auckland International Airport from Los Angeles.

She faced a $200 instant fine at the airport but instead wrote a letter defending herself.

However, Manukau District Court, which covers the airport, rejected her letter and imposed the fine with costs in a hearing without lawyers.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Maf) said Swank had admitted liability and explained the circumstances.

That letter went to the court and was considered on March 18 but court officials refused to say then what had happened until Swank had been told, saying she needed to know before the whole world.

Maf said New Zealand's strict biosecurity regulations were to keep the country free of pests and diseases that could seriously damage our environment, natural resources, threaten our economy and undermine our way of life.

International passengers are obliged to declare all foodstuffs they may be carrying when entering New Zealand.

Biosecurity New Zealand prohibits or restricts the entry of some food products because they can bring in pests and diseases. Pests and diseases brought into New Zealand deliberately or accidentally, could seriously damage our natural resources, threaten our economy, and undermine our way of life.

These restrictions and prohibitions apply to food for both personal and commercial use.

Certain foods may be allowed entry if they have met the requirements of the Import Health Standard (IHS) and have appropriate certificates.

When you arrive in New Zealand, you will be asked to declare any food you are bringing in and show it to biosecurity quarantine inspectors.

They have a bin like the photo and ask you to dispose of fruit and food.

Hilary Swank has been told to pay a $200 fine for trying to bring fruit into New Zealand in January.

Yellow Mellow:I found my Mack

http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/
Last December I posted that I was looking for a Mack and explained why.(see below) I went to Australia, where the land was very big and there was bound to be Macks. Indeed there were, but Macks go vroom vroom vroom very fast. Before I can whip up my camera, the Macho MACK had zoomed past. So I didn't find my Mack.

I came back to New Zealand and continue on my mission to find my Mack. I finally found one. He wasn't exactly what I had in mind, he was a concrete mixer, not a big truck.

This is part of my old post.

Now, I am looking for a MACK. I told Ed that I have been looking for a MACK for a long time. My ESL adult student calls himself MACK.

I asked," Is it Mike?"
He said," No!"
I probed," Is it Micke?"
He replied," No!"
I asked," Is it Mick?"
He started feeling irritable," No!"
I asked," Is it Mitch?" thinking of David Hasselhoff
He said," NO!!!! It is MACK, I saw it in an American Magazine."

The next class, he brought the magazine. He gave it to me. It was a trucking magazine/catalogue.
There was his MACK. Proud and strong.
I said," Very Macho!" I should never have doubted him.

Scenic Sunday, Weekend Reflection: On a lake in Australia

http://newtowndailyphoto.blogspot.com/
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http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/
Today is the Queen's Official Birthday in New Zealand. It is the official opening of ski season, as June is the first month of winter.

It's raining,
It's pouring.
It's freezing here in New Zealand.

I like to be in Aussie,
Where it is warm and cosy.

That's where I like to be right now, in Australia where I was in January.