DEAR Jasminda, FOR five years, I have been minding a friend’s dog (Minty) while they go on holidays. This is usually no problem; the dog and I get on very well. This time, though, I was left with instructions that Minty (who is 15) now eats breakfast at 4.30am and dinner at 3.00pm every day, […]
Legal Hypothetical: Painted into a corner
MARY is interested in purchasing a unit in a local housing development. The unit is yet to be constructed, so she proposes to purchase the unit “off the plan”. Mary negotiates a price with the real estate agent and a draft contract is soon sent to her conveyancer of choice. The contract states that Mary […]
Stargazing: The secret star maps of moths
ON a moonless night, when the world goes quiet and even the gum trees seem to hold their breath, something small is commuting through the darkness. Not a drone. Not a late-night bird. Just a moth, humble, silent, and roughly the size of your thumb flying with the confidence of a seasoned pilot. Inside that […]
Kids Banned
Letter to the Editor: No plan to make electricity cheaper
DEAR News Of The Area, THE COALition seems desperate to live in a fact free zone. Let us dissect their decision to abandon their Net Zero policy to concentrate on power prices. What options are available to any government to lower electricity prices? To make this simpler, let us ignore any commitment to lower carbon […]
Letter to the Editor: The Nationals’ views on Net Zero
DEAR News Of The Area, THE matters raised by Harry Creamer and Jake Little in a recent edition of your paper in relation to the National Party’s attitude to the policy of “Net Zero” require some response. The Nationals are as eager as anyone else to reduce carbon emissions and if we ever reached a […]
Legal Hypothetical: Selling the house… any day now
ANNETTE died in late 2021. In her will, she appointed her two eldest children, Fiona and Sean, as co-executors. Her estate consisted largely of a coastal cottage where Sean had been living intermittently for several years. Under the will, the cottage and the remainder of the estate were to be divided equally between Fiona, Sean […]
‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
DEAR Jasminda, I’m thinking of getting an ice bath for stress relief. Do you have any views on this? Gavin H. Oh, Gavin, Sometimes I read a conundrum and my first thought is, yes, I have views on this, but do you really want to know them? I have no qualifications in ice-bath therapy, […]
Zero Snip
Letter to the Editor: Council wasting money
DEAR News Of The Area, I AM watching in amazement at what the council is wasting money on now. They have decided that the perfectly good hot mix tar road in front of the council chambers needs to be resurfaced, while there are sections of roads within 100 metres of that road that have holes, […]
