"As I was standing on my front lawn, spraying weedkiller on dandelions, a little neighbour girl asked if I was watering my flowers," writes a reader. "I replied, 'No, I'm killing them.' An expression of sadness washed over both of our faces. We shared a moment in silence. 'That's mean' she offered and peddled off."
Spoils of war
"At school in England during the war, kids were encouraged to collect bits of German bombs and place them on a special table in the hall," writes David H Fisher of Howick. "Any and All ordinance was welcomed ... but by far the most common was shell fragments from our anti-aircraft guns.
"During an air raid, the guns fired hundreds of shells at German bombers. They were meant to explode near a bomber and riddle it with red hot shell fragments. But most of the pieces rained back down ... on us."
Bitter taste of macaroni and cheese for Jacinda
Dispatched with great care
"As a 5-year-old I would be put on the NZ Railway Services bus at the old bus depot in the Britomart by my mother with a label around my neck, to travel to Kaiwaka," writes Annette Stewart.
"The driver would be asked to put me off at my sister's farm. We stopped in Wellsford for refreshments and when we reached the top of the hill before Kaiwaka my eldest sister would meet me at the farm gate. I always got there safely and enjoyed the journey immensely."
Video pick
A bad lipreading of the Trump Kim Jong-un summit …
Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz
