Sideswipe: Shopping for a pardon

This is what Carol Merrell saw outside a church in New Plymouth.

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In response to a report about it raining fish in Australia, Chris Thompson writes: Question: What's worse than raining cats and dogs? Answer: Hailing taxis.

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Kim's invitation to Tom and Vicki to attend an annual Christmas party posted in November never reached them. She says: "I know this because today, it has been returned to me by New Zealand Post. One wonders why it has taken five months for this letter to travel no more than 2km to its owners, who apparently don't live there any more!!" The Barclays, too, never received their invite and thus weren't at the party either. "Perhaps NZ Post will deliver this next month!"

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This week's Food in a Minute on TV One depicts the presenter walking through a Hawkes Bay peach orchard and sampling the fruit. Then she is seen using a can of Watties' peaches to make her trifle. Harlan notes: "If she read the label, she would find Watties' peaches are sourced in Spain." One on the nose for the local orchardists.

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After seeing the German trail-bikers' video, Greg, who lives in Munich, says: "Though extreme, to see that sort of riding is not surprising for me. Germans live on their bicycles. I have seen people texting while riding, changing songs on their iPods, texting and drinking coffee while riding. One day, I even saw a man changing his shirt while riding. What makes it more impressive is that no one wears a helmet, either.

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"To whoever lost their long-haired black and white cat over 16 years ago in Greenlane: "Maggie lived a long and happy life and was a loved member of our family," says Janet.

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A reader writes that despite having a sign on her letterbox saying "No flyers, no advertising", she continues to receive flyers and advertising. "I can't afford to hire a bigger recycle bin if I allowed all the 'junk mail' to be delivered. One kind of advertising is encouraging me to take on a home business - all I need is a phone and a computer, and I can become a very wealthy person. It doesn't add up that someone who is experiencing true financial and time freedom while travelling to exotic destinations for fun and development and enjoying their work/life balance would have the time to print out their fliers on the ink jet, cut them to size, then walk around the neighbourhood delivering each one to private letterboxes."

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See today's Herald cartoon