Sideswipe: Style icon beyond compare

Paul Henry in the 1980s (left)... Is that a perm? And Paul Henry as he is today (Tweeted by @BreakfastonOne). Photos / Supplied

You don't get my approval, council

"What is the point of a city council stating that they have a 20-day turnaround on building consents?" a reader asks. "We submitted ours to the North Shore City Council in Jan 2010 and it was finally approved in early May. Although we had the architect regularly checking in with the council, we only twigged that we'd got consent approval when we started receiving 'congratulatory' letters from suppliers telling us they'd love to help us with our renovations. So not only does the council make you wait an eternity but they make available your information to third parties. Ludicrous."

They seem so lifelike, don't they?

Reader David Shannon would like to apologise for scaring the wits out of the young lady at the Auckland Museum on Sunday. "As master of ceremonies for the American Memorial Day Service, I was there in my Army uniform. Before the formalities, I was visiting the 'Scars on the Heart' display - standing quietly in the darkened corridor, where the trenches of Gallipoli are realistically re-created. As the lady and her companions turned the corner near me, her mind's eye obviously perceived me as part of the exhibit, and when I turned towards her ... her shriek of alarm scared us all!"

Things going boom in the night

Jessica writes: "On Saturday night just after 11pm my partner and I awoke to the sound of what seemed like gangland warfare. Then we realised that the explosions were far too big to be guns. We lay there in the dark wondering what on Earth we had just heard, but this has really stumped us. Does anyone know what was going on? P.S. We live near Mt Hobson."

Marketing efforts well off track

While walking his dog on Sunday, Chris Sieberhagen saw bundles of the North Shore Property Press dumped over the rail in the Lyford Reserve walkway in Sunnynook. "If I were them, I would not only be concerned about my reputation, but also about paying distributors who are clearly not doing the job."

It's All White to order Happy Meals

Kate Porter from McDonald's responds to Aaron's comments about the Fifa World Cup McDonald's toy: "McDonald's develops Happy Meal toys more than 12 months in advance. At the time of the 2010 Fifa World Cup toy development in early 2009, it was not known or guaranteed that New Zealand would qualify for the World Cup. Aaron will find the NZ flag in the sticker sheet - it can be added to the arm band and worn to show his support."