Sideswipe: November 13: Queensland lines don't play by the rules

A less than straight yellow line at the University of Queensland.

At least the line-painting guys in Christchurch had a good excuse (earthquake) for their less than straight yellow line, says Wilbur. "However this one - picture taken when I was at the University of Queensland in Australia - has no such excuse!"

Santa spreads Christmas goodwill

A reader writes: "It's that time of the year: kiddies are able to send a letter to Santa and receive one in return. NZ Post has gone one step further and it gives the following options: 'Yes, I require my letter to be in braille' and 'Yes, I require my letter to be in large print'."

A wonderfully literal answer, deserving of a tick, surely.

Marmite proves unbearable for cabin raider

A hungry polar bear recently broke into a cabin in Norway and ate a film crew's entire food supply - but decided not to eat their Marmite. The BBC crew were in Svalbard filming scenes for the new David Attenborough series The Hunt when the polar bear decided to break in. The bear ate almost everything, but chose not to eat the yeast spread. (Source: Burton News)

You say potato, I say high carbo

"When I was recently in hospital, the senior nurse put me on a high-protein diet," writes Bonni Wilde from Rotorua. "After having been assured that a dietician approves all such special meals, I was surprised to find the breakfasts provided on two consecutive days included toast, Weet-Bix, orange juice, fruit and jam. Everything is high carbohydrate, not high protein."

Protein MIA