KEY POINTS:
Denise from Omaha Beach took her 3-year-old grandson Ethan to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. "The entrance to the museum has revolving doors and we had to go through these several times, entering and leaving. We spent all afternoon in the children's section and Ethan had a great time. On the way home I asked him what he had liked best about the museum. His answer? The revolving doors. So much for culture!"
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A reader writes: "You'd think ACNielsen, after all their surveys, would be aware of a few changes in gender relations in the past few decades. Not so. Signing up to their Homescan panel requires you to name one person as 'head of the household'. According to them, the head is the person primarily responsible for earning the income to meet the household expenses (I can't remember the exact words here). How many wives have been silenced with: 'Who pays the bills around here?' ... "
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Advert in the Whakatane Beacon's lost and found column: "Found - one large bull straying with our 110 unmated heifers. The bull will be sold to defray some of the expenses."
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An expedition is to tackle Mt Everest in 1920s clothing to pay tribute to climber George Mallory. Mountaineers will retrace his steps in specially adapted hobnail boots, knickerbockers, Burberry suits and fur-lined motorcycle helmets. Mallory died close to the summit in 1924 but his body was discovered only eight years ago by American Conrad Anker. It is not known if he reached the peak. Anker, who will lead the expedition, which will be filmed for a TV documentary, said: "It's the most compelling mystery in the history of mountaineering."
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Reading a story about the standard of dress expected of teachers reminded Anne Martin of Helensville about a day she picked up her grandson from school. "Along the road we passed a young surfie type - straw-coloured, shoulder-length, stringy hair, baggy cargo shorts, sandals, no socks - thumbing a lift. 'No one's going to pick up a scruff like that,' I remarked. 'That's not a scruff,' protested grandson, 'that's my teacher.' And a very fine teacher he was, too."
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A Portsmouth pensioner is claiming a record after living in the same house for 96 years. Alex Baker has stayed in the two-up, two-down terrace since he was born there in 1911. When he spent his first hours there, the Titanic had yet to sail and World War I was still three years away. The house, bought for £130, is now worth £130,000 - but Alex laughed off the idea of ever cashing in. He told the Mirror: "This house has always been my home, so why would I ever want to leave?"
