Sideswipe: September 19: No wind? No problem

No wind? No problem. "The Scottish flag was flying high in Glenfield, but there was no wind so look what they had to do to get it flying," says Nicki.

False sense of security at Auckland Airport

"Late last month my wife and I went to Australia," writes a reader. "At the Smartgate I presented what I thought was my passport, was given a ticket, photo taken, and duly passed through. My wife, on the other hand put in what she thought was her passport, given a ticket but was refused entry. Checking her passport she realised that she had mine and vice versa. Question is, how did I get through on her passport? Do we look alike? No. I wear glasses and she doesn't and I'm about 2.5cm taller."

Microwave asparagising

"Our family invented a word that is totally evocative of something that happens frequently," says Robyn. "I am sure many families with a microwave end up 'asparagising' food. I don't know how many times over recent years we have put food (especially asparagus), in the microwave only to discover it the next day!"

Destroying the enemy with the help of Celine

Found inside an Isis safehouse in Syria (according to Foreign Policy magazine): A Dell laptop owned by a Tunisian jihadist with recipes for bubonic plague, instructions on extracting ricin from castor beans, and (described the UK's The Register) "most terrifyingly of all -- a variety of syrupy songs by ... Celine Dion". (Source: Weird Universe)

Rubbish view

Dave Yzendoorn writes: "We stopped at the lookout rest stop overlooking the Hauraki Plains on SH2 and saw this view of someone's rubbish. I guess some people are short sighted."

Too hardcore for council

A homeowner has been blocked from registering his house under a new name because it was "potentially offensive". Daniel Lewis of Clapham wanted his post addressed to "Hardcore Mansions" instead of his house number. The name reminded him of nights out in his younger days. Bedford Borough Council said it was "inappropriate". (Source: BBC.co.uk)

Motor bike addiction

"Many of your readers would not realise that when we ride our motorbikes, not only are we riding on our own skills but our lives depend on the other road users being fully aware of driving," writes Jane. "Using a cellphone makes us feel even more vulnerable and I can sympathise with the bike rider for having a chat with the driver. Only those who ride motorbikes have any idea of the experience and why we continue to ride despite the odds being stacked against us. Motorcycling is very addictive and I have been riding for over 40 years. I will have to stop one day when my health deteriorates, but until then I'm on my bike every chance I get."