Happy Birthday Bonzo

Shame you had to leave us. We really miss you you know. The rest of the boys kind of lost heart after you self destructed. I suppose though, its a bit like Neil Young says, "Its better to burn out than it is to rust" damn but you sure did that man.. Its a shame the rest of the boys kind of lost heart & disbanded the group after you left us, because man were you boys going places. Do you know that you are still revered today & that even the young ones are digging your music ? Yep, no bullshit man..




This clip is 7 odd minutes long & it doesnt go right to the end of the track, but this is Bonzo doin what he did the best. Its off The Song Remains The Same, & is memorable to me because of the appearance of his son, who now fronts his own band called , strangely enough, Bonham.


Lastly, this rare clip from 1980, showing a modest man of few words being interviewed by Billy Connelly. Happy Birthday John Bonham, we miss you

I've been neglecting you

Tough shit. I've had a busy week or so one way & another. I know it was Bob Dylans birthday the other day. He's very lucky. he also shares it with Queen Victoria & my brother in law. He should be quite excited to be in such exalted company.

He should also be excited by the fact that I intend to invest quite a lot of money into checking out his live performance in August, God & Tish's magical abilities to book tickets online willing of course. He is bringing with him an Irish band called The Frames. They have an interesting history if you care to look it up on Wikipedia. They are also reasonably competent musicians.

Certainly a bloody sight better than that clown Kanye West that opened for U2. Well, winter draws on & I have me winter drawers on.. I love winter nights with herself & I in front of a fire. Lighting the fire is the one thing that actually allows all the cats in the house to co exist.. Funny critters is cats..

Today we christened Top Dog

You know, my new boat. Twas a beautiful day, & we caught some wonderful fish, some snapper up to 4 pounds.. Sounds better than 2 an a bit kg's dont it ?


This is my young friend Hami, who we took out with us. The Kahawai that he is holding up tipped the fishing club scales at 2.7 kg's, & has given him the club record for this species so far. If nobody else betters it , he will get a prize in October at the official end of the season.; Damn but that fish put up a fine fight, jumping out of the water & all . Quite a thrill for him to land it unaided & a thrill for us to watch it all. We had a wonderful day, with me pulling the plug (figuratively speaking) & heading for home at about 2.00 pm. Even then it was so nice that we motored up to Tapu & cruised along the coast for home.. First of many great days we hope..

ya gotta love him

Even though Andy Rooney is American, & some of what he has to say here is only relevant to Americans, I think a lot of this is good old common sense.......



Andy Rooney said on "60 Minutes" a few weeks back:

I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America. Try to have things like the UnitedCaucasianCollege Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television, or Miss White America; and se e what happens...Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door.

Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game.

I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason, which is why there are no girls allowed. Girls
belong in the Girl Scouts! ARE YOU LISTENING MARTHA BURKE?

I think that if you feel homosexuality is wrong, it is not a phobia, it is an opinion.

I have the right "NOT" to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off.

When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in cities where 70% of the population is black, that is not racial profiling; it is the Law of Probability.

I believe that if you are selling me a milkshake, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be an American citizen, you shoul d have to speak English!

My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over
and disrespect ours.

I think the police should have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you threaten them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word "freeze" or "stop" in English, see the above lines.

I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you are qualified for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop, trinket store, or any other business.

We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms, so that decades later they could come over here and tell us our constitution is a living document; and open to their interpretations.

I don't hate the rich I don't pity the poor.

I know pro wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television. That doesn't stop you from watching them.

I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make
more. If it ticks you off, go and invent the next operating system that's better, and put your name on the building.

It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the kid; and smack their little behinds when necessary, and say "NO!"

I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. And, please, stay home until that new lip ring heals. I don't want to look at your ugly infected mouth as you serve me French fries!

I am sick of "Political Correctness." I know a lot of black people, and not a single one of them was born in Africa; so how can they be "African-Americans"? Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around saying I am a European-American because my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from Europe. I am proud to be from America and nowhere else

And if you don't like my point of view, tough...

Shoes & Ships

On Saturday morning , we went to Hamilton. Just for a change... You see, I was silly enough to mention to herself that a company called Boating world was having a closing down sale. I thought that looking at boats for sale was a good idea, but changed my mind as I go to Hamilton every day anyway. Herself, with her usual persuasive charm, changed my mind for me & we went. We didnt find a boat there, but herself did find a couple of grotty old chairs that she insists will look wonderful recovered & given pride of place in the spare room. Me, I'm not so sure, but we have them. After that, we invited ourselves round to a work colleagues new place for a cuppa. Herself being herself, didnt wish to go empty handed, so we called into the New World Supermarket just up the road from the boat place.

In Thames, we only have Pak n Save, where unless you know the operator, your service is indifferent at best, with the girls acting as if they are doing you a favour just by being there , let alone providing a pleasant shopping experience. Not so at this particular New World. The youmg lass at the checkout chatted away to us as if we were long lost cousins & not Mr & Mrs Joe Soap that she has never seen before & in all likelyhood will never see again. I was that impressed that I found the supervisor & remarked to her about it. You see I believe that good service should be commented on as well as bad. I think the supervisor was having a crappy day, as her face positively lit up when she realized that I wasnt there to whinge.

So we went over to Melville , had our cuppa with my workmate & headed home via Morrinsville. On a whim , we decided to have a mooch through a large boatyard in Morrinsville. They not only sell & service boats there they make them. Its an old family firm & very successful. We had a good look round the yard & saw a few possibilities. Right up to the point where we saw this...

Its a Haines Signature Class Bermuda Renegade. 15 foot of very nice boat. You see , Herself is sick of getting wet every time we go fishing & with her poor old body being as it is needs to stretch her legs & walk about a bit. So we bought it. Its powered by a 90 HP Yamaha 2 stroke motor for the technically minded, nicely set up with a power winch for the anchor & hydraulic tilt on the motor. Its going to be cleaned & fully serviced over this week. We get to pick it up next Saturday morning. Weather permitting, we will be fishing Sunday. We cant wait.........

On Anti Smacking

Has there been anything else newsworthy over the last month or so ? I doubt it. For what its worth, here is ole Flattie's 10 cents worth on this subject. I speak with some authority on this. you see, I have seen the dark side. I probably would have been prosecuted under the new law, & quite likely would have run foul of authority under the old. Its not someting I'm proud of. The guilt feelings will probably last a lifetime. Its not really me, as i am not by nature a violent person. There were reasons for me being like this. I'm not going to use them as justification, nor am I going to pour my heart out regarding them. just suffice it to say the cause was there & I have to live with the effect for the rest of my life.

Any legislation only really affects law abiding citizens. Thats why we still need a Police Force. If it were possibile to legislate crime out of existence, then we wouldnt still need the Police to pursue & apprehend the perpetrators of crimes like rape, murder theft assault etc., etc., etc., All this legislation does is enable us to punish the guilty ones.

Just because its illegal, it isnt going to deter Joe Blow from coming home inebriated or what ever & taking his frustrations out on his family. All its going to do is cause even more guilt feelings among the average caring parent, who feels the need to administer a little more disciplinarian action than time out or whatever. I think Sue Bradford must have been dropped on her head as a child because she seems unable to distinguish the difference between a tap on the bum & full scale assault & battery referring to any form of corporal punishment as "bashing"

In a world gone PC crazy, this is just another nail in the coffin of common sense. I am pleased that the Police have been given discretionary powers in this amendment. It will allow them to ignore all these bleeding heart touchy feely cardigan wearing pillocks that want to interfere in basic family functioning & get on with their real job. The apprehension of real criminals. Ones that cause real harm to honest folk... End rant..