Sideswipe: Tropics at the lake

Photo / Supplied

"How tropical does Lake Rotorua look in this advert?" asks one local. "Some slight air-brushing, I'm thinking."

Get in behind

Joan writes: "On my way home from work, my car broke down, so I rang my brother, who came to tow me home. After the tow rope broke for the second time, my brother stopped the car and tersely explained that when we went round corners I was not to touch the brake. All went well until we turned into the road where we lived and I was getting very close to the back of my brother's car. Not wanting to upset him by braking, I steered round the outside of him and as I came sailing alongside him, he shouted, 'Get in behind!' We both realised how funny it was and laughed our heads off."

Superhero to the rescue

Anthony Smith has hearing loss but did not want to wear hearing aids because super heroes don't wear them. His grandmother contacted Marvel comics and asked if any superheroes had hearing problems. They responded that Hawkeye, one of the Avengers, once wore a hearing aid. Marvel then created a superhero named Blue Ear and sent artwork showing him detecting trouble with his super-powered hearing aid. Anthony, from New Hampshire in the US, now wears his own "blue ear". (Source: Mentalfloss)

Scary power of imagination

Judi writes: "As a child, I often heard 'as slow as a wet week' but heard it 'as slow as a wet weke' and pictured a weke as this large, fat, slimy, slug-type horror slithering across the ground at a slow pace with a watery substance spraying off the body . Even though now I know better, the scary image remains."

Thanks to Waihi helpers

"My partner and I went away for a quiet weekend to Waihi Beach," writes Anna. "We booked dinner at The Porch and each received a superb dinner. Not long into the meal, my partner had a coughing fit, which caused him to fall unconscious and out of his chair. Many people came to our aid. In particular, there was a fantastic couple - I believe from Rotorua - who took control while the staff phoned for an ambulance. In the turmoil I never got their names. They even offered to drive me through to Tauranga Hospital, where the ambulance was heading. The manager and staff were also amazing and offered to redo our meals, and we were charged only for the wine. I am hoping all these people who helped us out will read this and accept our thanks."