Breaking news

I can see the headlines- girl with sequinned cardigan ignores search area. This very red girl is me, in the Taranaki Rescue helicopter on Sunday scouring the bush for a missing helicopter. I think I was writing my intro when this was taken by the sneaky crewman. It was pretty amazing going in the chopper, and the dudes were really nice, even gave me a sandwich when he landed on some beach to re-fuel.

I'm going to be an aunty

My sister, the inimitable Ange Rothwell, who can eat a packet of chocolate wheatens in one sitting and still ask for more, who can do the crane pose, and who can sing about pyjamas in a way no-one else can, is going to have a baby with her partner, the man with two livers, Martin O'Neill.
My mum and dad are pretty ecstatic, and it means the Rothwells will live on ...
I'm not sure of the due date or anything like that, and as it doesn't have genitalia yet, we don't know if it's a girl or boy, but Ange is referring to it as a 'her'.
If you want to send your congratulations, email Ange at Angela.Rothwell@orionhealth.com

J'aime mon chat

Is it wrong to want to get home at the end of the day so you can be with your cat? Is it wrong to cuddle your cat in bed like it's a boyfriend replacement? Or stroll around pet shops looking for treats he might like? Am I the saddest woman who ever walked the earth?

Actually, no. If I were truly sad, Charlie would have his owqn blog, not just me raving about him in mine.

Anyway, some things about Charlie:
1. He's afraid of the cat flap
2. He doesn't have nads, but his scrotum is massive
3. He was found by the SPCA who named him Charlie
4. He likes Whiskas beef and vege casserole and NOTHING else unless it's from a human plate
5. His prowess at chasing toes and the strings on my bikini top is legendary
6. He likes to sleep on the pillow next to me, on clean washing, or on my feet
7. He answers to Charlie, c'mere, and hey you
8. He has a red name tag on a black collar
9. The vet says he is about a year old, maybe two years old
10. He has actually gotten in the shower with me on several occassions, and likes to drink bathwater

Who says the paper is full of bad news?

In the last week, I've written about bashed ducklings and a woman dying of cancer, but they've actually been good news stories. Hurrah! They've been stories that make me like being in this little corner of the world.