Really necessary???

The 45k stretch of Kapiti beach is now open to nudists! All of it!
Says the council: "Simply being nude in public if we try and control that then that's a breach of freedom of expression and that means the whole bylaw would not be in line with the Bill of Rights Act which we have to be basically," says Anne Molyneux of the Kapiti Coast District Council.
Family First has slammed the decision calling it crazy.
"I think at the end of the day we actually need to draw a line in the sand and we need to say that nudity is not acceptable where you've got families, where you've got children," says Bob McCoskrie, Family First national director.
McCoskrie says the rights of "nudists to hang loose should not be at the expense of families feeling embarrassed or offended".
And it seems he is not alone. Many locals are not in complete agreement with their council .
"A little bit of the beach would be ok, but to have the whole beach open like that is just pushing it a bit I think for young'uns," says a local.
The draft bylaw goes out for community reaction this month. It'll be up to the public to draw their line in the sand.

PERSONALLY I WOULDN’T WANT TO RISK BEING FACED BY SOME OLD DUDES STRETCHED BITS FLAPPING IN THE WIND EVERYTIME I PENED MY EYS. Gross.

Maori Kisses

Chocolate Maoris? Nope..but I have found Maori kisses...

Maori kisses
3:12PM Wednesday August 22, 2007By Amanda Laird
Maori kisses. Photo / Babiche Martens
Melt-in-the-mouth chocolate biscuits with a sweet cream filling
Makes 30 small biscuits joined together
100g butter125g sugar2 eggs2 cups plain flour2 tsp baking powder2 Tbs cocoa powder1/2 cup dates, finely chopped1/2 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped150g dark chocolate
FILLING
125g icing sugar, sifted1 Tbs softened butter1 Tbs sherry3 drops vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Cream butter and sugar until pale. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well.
2. Sift the dry ingredients, mix in the dates and walnuts. Spoon teaspoonfuls on to greased or baking paper lined trays and bake for 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.
3. To make the filling, mix the icing sugar with the butter until smooth then add the sherry and vanilla.
4. Gently melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a small bowl over simmering water - stir until smooth. Dip half of the biscuits in the chocolate, then let cool.

RIP Nippy xxx

Remember Nippy the really cool Gibbon from the zoo that Dale and I always raved about? Had his own cage by the zookeeprs tea room and would let you scratch his back? Well he died last week...very sad. He was over 60! Oldest captive Gibbon in the world. Here he is eating an iceblock.

Local news

Well you may have heard we had some major rain a few weeks ago. Remeber that bloody awful flat Darren & I lived in on Devon St? Well the house next door almost fell off the hill with a slip. Check out the pics. And I've added one of the hospital as it looks now, really coming along now and not looking to bad. The main steps come out right behind the bus stop so I'm guessing the bus stop will move? The construction office guy with all the pot plants etc has gone but of course the 'SPUC or whatever he is dude' still sits outside all day (well when feels like it).