CRIME AND COMPASSION

Today we got our car back. The story started on the 25^th of February when our car was allegedly stolen by a man with Mongrel mob connections called Customline Ford, from the Masterton Railway Station. He is the son of one of Wairarapa’s own, Little Man Ford. The name is not their original name. It was changed by deed poll to reflect the family’s love of Ford cars. Little Man is dead.

We had been leaving the car at the station from Monday to Friday, as we thought that a 18 year old faded green Ford Station wagon might not have had much attraction to any would be car thief. When we discovered the car was stolen we asked for some assistance from the train drivers. They were very helpful. They gave us the number of the local police and the number of the person in Wellington who administered the security cameras.

We rang the police , gave them all the details and they said they would post out an event number. They said that they could not email the event number that it could only be posted.

We dealt with Constable A. In the meantime the Aussie Rock, (my partner) got hold of the security guy and the next day we got our first break. The security footage clearly showed the thief. However he said he could not release it until he was asked to by the police. We rang the police back and told them that the security footage. Constable A said she would sort it out and get the footage. A week went by and we heard nothing . We rang again. We were told Constable A was not there and were put on to Constable B she picked up the file and then a couple of days later informed us they recognised the thief. She alledged his name was Customline and they were looking for him. He was very well known to them.

Anyway a couple of days later we got a notice from Land Transport that the car had changed ownership. The Rock checked with LTNZ and discovered that the car had indeed been reregistered a day after it was stolen. They would not tell us who it was, unless we went into the office and again said that they would release that information to the police. We rang the police and told them of the new development and they rang back to say that the car had been reregistered to someone at a Lower Hutt address who was also well known to them. They then informed us that the file was on its way to Lower Hutt - it took a couple of days to be transferred to the Lower Hutt CIB.

We were informed that the police were already keeping an eye on the property as it was in the Farmers Cres area, which was a MOB enclave and some of the residents had been issued with eviction notices from the Housing corporation. We were told that once they spotted the car they would have to get some reinforcements to take the car back because it was not something that one of two police could do on their own considering the tensions around the evictions.

Another week passed. We called into the Masterton Police Station and talked to Constable B where she reiterated that as yet they had not sighted the car. I asked her how likely it was that we would sse the car again. She did not rate our chances highly , explaining that normally when cars like ours were stolen they ended up in a Chop Shop within a few days or they were moved around all round the country. I suggested that I knew someone with strong Mob connections and that I was sure he could track the car down. She said that could be worth considering.

That night The Rock arrived home with two things - the name of the person the car was registered to – Barry Kahui and a newspaper story about Kahui who was on home invasion charges. And was appearing Thursday 2^nd April.

I rang my mate. Within hours he had talked to Barry who reckoned that the car had been sold to him as a repo and he had spent $1300 on it. He wanted some compensation for the money he had spent on the Mag wheels and a few other things. We resisted.

Our friend genuinely believed that this guy had been told some bullshit by the Customline. It was akin to your cousin ripping you off.

Anyway he gave the cellphone number of Barry and we texted him.

Then over the next two days there was an extraordinary dialogue as we came to an agreement about the car. As soon as he realised that the car was hot and we could prove it was hot and the police knew, Barry wanted shot of it. He had bought it to transport his 6 kids. He had put Mag wheels on it. And put speakers in it.

I was ready to call it quits. Years of dealing with gang members means that I know how difficult and dangerous it can be getting to a point of resolution. However the Rock is a stubborn bugger and wanted to follow through – so he talked to Barry direct. Soon they came to an understanding. The car was in a car park in Farmers crescent with the wheels off. We could pick it up. But the deal was that once we put wheels back on it could be driven away.

So yesterday the Rock and a mate went to Farmers crescent. The car was now missing a new battery. they went and got new rims and tyres and put them on, only to find the fuel line had been cut. So it was towed to a garage and its being repaired. Now while they spent an hour getting the car sorted , the Rock got to know the Mob, who were in full regalia. Some came up and yarned. They wanted to know what he owned. They were trying to work out why he wanted his old banger back. It was simple, the car has family history and has been around for a long time. He was pretty annoyed that the deal that the car be in drivable condition, was not kept. But Barry had put the car in the car park on the Wednesday night so who knows who stole the battery.

The Rock says he saw a mother and a father who cared for there children , who looked after them with affection and concern as they played on the asphalt. While I reminded him that all he saw was a snapshot – he said he knew that, but he also knew good parenting when he saw it. He talked to some Mobsters who were bemused that this quiet man would go to such lengths to get an old car with no wheels back.He quietly informed them that he had come to get the car because it was his.

A copper arrived minutes after the Rock had towed the car away. They rang me to say that Barry had told them we had collected the car. Her sounded surprised that we had repossessed it.He informed me they were there to get it back.

Bit late I said, not without a trace of sarcasm.

I also asked the copper, if it was true, as Barry had said, that the police had seen him drive the car during the past three weeks and had done nothing , the copper said to his knowledge that was not the case.

So whats the upshot?

Well, Customline is likely to be in for a bit of grief. The Lower Hutt Mob made it very clear that they felt they had been ripped off.

The police while helpful at all times have very crap processes. If someone deals with a file it seems no-one else knows what the details are.

And someone needs to do something about the interface between the police and LTNZ. We do feel let down by the police process but not by the police.

Anyway we will be requesting the entire file from the police to see what decisions were made and when. We aren’t out to get any individuals because they have treated us with respect the whole way through.

But we are following through because, you see, this didn’t pass the granny test. That’s the test you apply that means if you were a granny what would happen. If it was a granny instead of the Aussie Rock, she would have never seen her car again. And the mongrel mob would have learned that crime does pay and has no consequences.

And that does not do our society any favours.

So what happens now? Well we have the car back and its going to a new home and in a cul de sac in Lower Hutt, life goes on.

RUTH PRETTY WE HATE YOU

Damn.

Last year we baked our very amazing Grand Marnier Australian Women's Weekly Xmas Cake . It was eaten to resounding applause of our mates and family. A cobber also baked a whisky Xmas cake - again it was eaten with gusto and received very high praise - well done Blondini. And some other mates bought with them a perfectly formed Ruth Pretty cake - it was left till last as it was sealed in cellophane and came in a very swanky box.

In the last two weeks the Aussie Rock has polished off about 2 kgs of Christmas cake - half the Grand Marnier Cake, the remaining Whisky Cake and the Ruth Pretty cake. Aussies are fine purveyors of Xmas cake. Yip - you guessed it, Ruth Pretty's cake - pictured left, prissy, perfectly round, perfectly formed and perfectly delicious, apparently was declared by the Rock to the best by a country mile. And in Aussie that's a bloody long way.

Thing is - the Rock ate the whole damn thing - every last crumb - all by his gutsy self. So no one else can do the comparisons. All we know is that our guests over Xmas loved ours and Blondinis cakes and declared them very fine examples of spectacularly good cakes.

Now considering that he knew there would be a huge risk in never having Busted Blonde bake him another Xmas cake, the Rock was very very brave and we know that he is honest to a fault. So Ruth Pretty's perfectly formed cake must be something spectacular.

And here's the kicker - the bloody cow has a secret recipe for it. She is onto a winner and she knows it. We hate that.

And will we bake our famous and much loved Gran Marnier Cake next year? Nah the Rock can buy his bloody own from Ruth. Sometimes honesty doesn't pay....

THE ROCK ROCKS

Now, while we know that the Aussie Rock is not the most romantic bugger in the universe, occasionally he surprises. We got the second book in the Millennium Trilogy " The girl who played with fire. That was pretty good. We also got a card. It wasn't silly or schmaltzy - it was just right. It was all about being together forever. And it was propped up on a vase of roses on the bench.

They were our roses but the Rock had to walk down the drive and pick them, as they are the only roses on the whole place - and doesn't do walking for no good reason - he is a very purpose driven walker so there was a lot of effort and thought went into it and we reckon a sprinkle of the L word.

We are blessed...

GOOD DAY

The sun is shining, my son is flying, ma and pa are playing golf, the Aussie Rock is , well a rock, and 1000 people turn up to hear John Key speak in Southland.

and then we find out that Rodney Hide could be in cabinet

Thats a good thing - Economic - dry - social - wet.

Perfect.

IN PRAISE OF PARENTS AND JERSEY BENNIES

We have had a dam fine Xmas break. We refrained from blogging till today and concentrated on enjoying the company of our parents and just kicking back. We introduced them to a range of our mates and they all enjoyed their company and suspect they may get the odd visit if our friends tour down south.

Things we will remember most about this Christmas are:

Seeing mum and dad back in a hay paddock , which was where they met over fifty years ago was pretty cool.We baled about 500 bales over a couple of days and we wouldn't have got there if it wasn't for their help.

Newbolds in Masterton We got a new 90cm oven delivered 3 days before Xmas. 3 hours after it was delivered there was a calamity as the Aussie Rock and dad had a mishap as they were putting the gib up on our very high ceiling and one of the beams they were working with hit the glass oven door and shattered it . We got a replacement a day before Xmas. It cooked a boned out 7.5kg turkey and two legs of lamb all at once. Newbolds slogan is 100% - well we reckon they undersell themselves. They gave us 110%. We probably wont go past them to buy dishwashers, and other assorted stuff we need.

Our gardens ... They provided us with heaps of good stuff to eat.

















Mates - we had a few visit over the holidays and we had heaps of fun with them all. We are expecting them all to be at our 50th in July.



Our own Jersey Bennies. We have had lots of feeds and they are wolfed down by everyone. Waxy, sweet and delicious they were the stars of the garden.












Chloe. - the Rock's daughters dog. Sshe is a stunning incredibly well mannered dog who delighted everyone. Even if she did steal the ham we accidentally left out one night and even if she also did a dumpster dog impression in a bid to crunch on some crayfish tail shells in a midnight munchy session.


So we will miss mum and dad - They have been spectacularly good company and their energy leaves us for dead.

However our batteries are recharged and we are ready again to hit the traces and get back to work and of course to blog.. We think that 2010 will be the year of the blogs.....

BEHAVE JOHN!

Lordy, the Aussie Rock, BB's bloke, is always dismayed about the never ending rivalry New Zealand has with Australia and now John Key has gone and made it worse. He has made the equivalent of a Trans Tasman Treaty claim for the rights of such strategic indigenous assets as Pavlova and Phar Lap. We are still bickering with the Rock over who owns what. BB doubts if there will be a thaw in Trans Tasman relations tonight. Thanks John-Not.

ROLL OUT THE TUMBRIL- UPDATE

On the 6th of March we blogged on the fact our car was stolen after it was left at the Masterton Train station - under the security cameras. We contacted the people with the security footage and the Masteton police. The security guy got the thieves on tape. However he needed us to get the police to ring him. We gave all the details to the Masterton Police who said they would chase it up. A week passed and nothing had happened - we talked to another constable who said they would look into it. Still nothing. Then yesterday the Aussie Rock got a letter from Land Transport saying there had been a change of ownership. He thought that the police must have notified Land Transport that the car was stolen. I thought it was a bit odd - anyway the Rock rang Land Transport and low and behold the car was re registered the day after it was stolen.... They wont say where - they want to talk to the police and will release the details to them. Farrrrkin protracted process we reckon....
So when we find out who the little buggers are we will be borrowing this canon and these gunslingers from Oswald Bastable to deal to the bastards who stole our car!

WHAT WE WANT FOR XMAS

For our blogging mates



For Cactus - a stunning looking rich as bloke who doesn't have a wife at home.
Nah - what we want for Cactus is a newspaper to realise the talent and hook her in as a columnist .




For Whale - someone to deliver a bad ass tank to his front door.
Nah - what we want is for him to have a fantastic day with his family

For the boys at No Minister - lots of sex and booze
Nah - recognition that they are the best team bloggers around.

For Motella - A full house over Xmas
Nah - a contract to write for the AA magazine.

For KiwiBlog - A super rich cute political loving geek chick that roots like a rabbit.
Nah - actually super rich cute political loving geek chicks who root like rabbits in every town in NZ.

For Red Alert. - A poll that shows they are closing the gap on National
Nah - a poll that shows Shane Jones is more popular than Phil Goff.

For Alf Grumble - a fine paddock or two of hay.
Nah - A posting to be our man in the Ukraine. We think he would do wonders for our trade relations in Eastern Europe..

And what do we want for Xmas? Well we have got all we wanted.

Family around us, good food wine and the expected company of good friends to our little piece of kiwi paradise.

Our partner – the Aussie Rock has been toiling away building a house that will be our retirement abode and a place for our friends to parkl up and shoot the breeze.

The Rock bought me an ice making fridge,/freezer - something that I have always wanted above all other material possessions for no good reason. It shines like a diamond in the yet to be completed kitchen. We love him all the more.

Our son is seeing the fruits of hard graft and has a career he loves flying helicopters.

Our job is interesting and has some importance so we are feeling a measure of satisfaction.

Ma and Pa are looking pretty good for 70 plus coveys.

Lambcut has given up the cancer sticks and her eyes and skin have shed years in a matter of weeks. It almost made us cry to see her smoke free.

In the New Year we vow to support the agencies who work tirelessly to stop our children from ever taking a puff.

So for 2010 we just want the same again thanks

We wont blog too much over Xmas - we have things to eat and drink , people to talk to, places to explore, gardens and flocks to tend to and families and friends to love.

Merry Xmas and all that....

BUSH FIRES SCARE THE CRAP OUT OF US

We visit Aussie a bit due to the fact that BB's partner comes from South Australia. Anyway about two years ago we ended up there at the time there was a bush fire near Penola. I, of course wanted to take a look. The Aussie Rock thought I had lost my mind. Anyway we had to skirt round the fire to get to where we needed to go. It burned for quite some time and even though it was not a huge fire, compared to the blazes raging there at the moment, the flames were enormous. But still the thing that struck me and remains etched in my memory was the density of the smoke. You would get lost and overwhelmed in an instant. It is without a doubt a very nasty way to die. We feel a huge sense of sadness at what has happened in Victoria. We also travelled through the Adelaide Hills - the scene of another horrific fire on Ash Wednesday in 1983. And it was easy to see how people would have been trapped so quickly with the density of bush surrounding some properties.

We are glad that we can offer our firefighters to assist the brave firemen of Australia.
It is probably the least and most we can do.

SHED FIVE NEEDS A NEW CHEF AND THE DANCE OF TANGAROAS BUTTERLFIES.

A trio of us went to Shed 5 today for lunch. We had a good table- good enough to watch some nubile topless boys jump off the lower wharf at Dockside and emerge - rippling muscles glistening. The guy candy was so good that we contemplated paying them to do it all again.

Anyway, back to the food. We had breads to start - nice rolls - marscapone laced with truffle oil, and good Olive oil and reduced balsamic. Excellent - 8/10

Next Snow crab on a wasabi pea puree - very very moist -maybe just a hint too much salt but that was balanced by a lovely Spy Valley Sav Blanc 2008. crisp - The crab entree at $26 was a treat.

Sadly the main of steamed terakihi was not up to scratch. It was terakihi with a gazpacho carpaccio jelly , sweet kumara cubes and a very light chilli dressing. It was way too firm. No spring, bordering on dry. We were hungry so we ate it but it was far from Shed 5 at its finest. At
$34 - we expect perfection.

We shared a cheese platter - strong and bold was the theme, so it was Gorgonzola picccante, Gorgonzola dolce, Italian provolone, and an Aussie Tarago triple brie- the heart stopper. They were sublime and we moved to a thicker, spicy Cental Otago Bannockburn Akarua Pinot Gris , a wine that is much more sophisticated that the early vintages.

The company was fantastic, the weather sublime. The bill was $434 for the three of us. We did drink a bit.

And on the way home past the Frank Kitts lagoon, I introduced the Aussie Rock to one of Wellington's best kept secrets. The dance of Tangaroa's purerehua ( butterflies). Large stingrays come in and swim right up to the edges of the lagoon and feed. On a still day people line the lagoon mesmerised. They are simply extraordinary to watch as they glide through the shallow waters. They should be marketed as a Wellington attraction.

fish for dinner - but not scampi....

A Horny head Turbot -cool name huh.....



I bought a turbot on the bone for dinner - the Aussie Rock bought me a De Hillerin filleting knife on his last trip to Paris - my first instinct was to cut off the baubles that hang out in his budgie smugglers.. Imagine going to France and not bringing me back something romantic!! But the knife makes me want to buy fish on the bone just so I can use it -- its beautifully balanced and a dream to use..

anyway - it was a succulent fish and there were enough trimmings to make a pie or fish cakes at a later date...

I just floured it - served it with a simple home made coleslaw ( laced with pecorino cheese ) and kumara mash...

heaven...

LOVE BUG

BB got chockies for Valentines Day . The Aussie Rock likes milk chocolate - he bought BB's favourite Dark chocolate - true love.

THE BEAN COUNTER AINT BUYING

You know we are in for a rought financial ride when Don Brash, is renting rather than
" investing" in property...

In this article in the Herald he is almost prone to black humour...

Queen Bee rightly points out that this a pivotal day with calls for deposit insurance and information on how to overcome depression if things get tough in our Sunday papers.
Both leaders are launching their campaigns today. What they say and do will be important to our nation.
Meanwhile Bustedblonde and the Aussie Rock have a practical response to the impending financial crapfest.
We have planted a vege garden , and done a deal with a local farmer for ongoing meat in return for grazing. We have the river at our backs and the wind in our face and we will weather whatever comes at us..

And by the way - Like QB I notice that some of the comments on some posts are getting nasty.
I write my stuff on this blog for me and anyone who wants to read it. If you dont like it write your own.
I dont moderate because I believe in free speech .
And I dont come from the school of elegance and niceness like QueenBee - my approach to matters is much more akin to Hootons..

In short you dont scare me but with 20 years of filed info as a journo and a few other interesting occupations over the years, I may well be able to scare you.

CACTUS KATE DOESN'T APPRECIATE GOOD WINE AND WELL ENDOWED FARMERS

Bugger me , I thought that this was the outstanding news of the week - a direct air service from Masterton to Auckland.

The Aussie Rock and I have a block of lovely land and a really big shed with a really big bed just north of Masterton so I was delighted to read about the new air service on STUFF this morning .

Kate takes the piss - but hell the Wairarapa is a very happening place, lots of very eligible bachelors over there and plenty of married men who are looking for a bit of off the radar action so if i was her I would be jetting in as soon as she gets a long weekend.

TO THE AUSSIE ROCK

ALL IS VERY GOOD.....

HOLIDAY ROUND UP

Some cute wee fellas and their old lady on a family outing on Lake Rotoaira near Turangi Swans taste ok but you need to skin them.

And some Native clematis - one of the
prettiest flowers in our bush.
We were on tour over the weekend and for a variety of reasons ended up staying and having Dinner in Turangi. We dined at Valentinos - an Italian restuarant that was over priced and underwhelming - but BB is spoilt - Zico's in Courtney Place is still number one trattoria in NZ. And its where the interesting people hang out - a lot.

And the Aussie Rock and I stayed at the Anglers Lodge - it was average, the price $115 a nite but adequate.

IN THE PROVINCES

We finished our pickle making endeavours today - 20 pints later. Half piccalilli and and half bread and butter. We will have to buy lots of cheese to accompany the pickles and any guests will duly leave with a jar of BB's finest. We went to the Masterton boot sale this morning - its a regular Sunday market of all sorts of goodies. Its not just top end foodie stuff like the one on the Saturday - this one has junk, cheap veg, plants, books and crap.

Today we bought a dozen home made melt in your mouth chockie chippie bikkies for $2 from a lovely old lady who has got to be about 80. She does a mean raspberry jam and her red pepper jelly ( all for $2 dollars ) are staples in the pantry.

We also bought 10 jute and hessian sacks for various reasons, some honey comb and a brand new mat for $10.

Now we also support the local economy as much as possible and that includes buying the inky fingers version of the delightfully parochial Wairarapa Times Age.

However, the Aussie Rock burst out laughing when he read the headline for the Saturday paper -
It screamed "ALL EVIDENCE POINTS TO BAIN"

We had just spent some time saying that we reckoned all evidence pointed to the father Robin Bain.

The Times Age taking a dollar each way perhaps?

Then we burst out laughing this morning when we spied a delivery vehicle for Liquorking
On the top of the front windscreen it read "LIQUOR, SHE WILL LOVE IT !"

Of that we have no doubt.

BITS AND BOBS

We have been enjoying some wild and wicked weather in Tauranga where the Aussie Rock has a bit of a bach near the beach at the Mount.

When it was fine it was splendid but the torrential rain out did the sunbeams today. For all that Tauranga and the Mount are wonderful places to visit.

We are now back in Wellington and are off to Zico's with Spaz and his angel wife.

So we have had a quick scoot round the blogs and MacDoctor has the funniest post on Sue Bradfords departure from the Greens. We agree with his sentiments entirely.

And the Australian is breathless in their admiration for Key's decision to appear on Letterman. We initially thought it was dumb. But as someone who has lived in the USA pointed out, Key's self effacing corniness would have gone down a treat there. Its their sort of humour. However we also agree with Fran O'Sullivan - we cannot lose sight of the serious stuff either. Perhaps an armchair interview on Close Up, or even the Sunday programme to talk about the serious stuff and why it matters to New Zealanders. It would be good to give it some context that a quick flick on the 6pm news cant give.


And are we the only person who is going to fess up and say they dont understand what the hell John Key's comments about having the loosest slot machines really means?

THE BITTERNESS OF GALLS

As we were watching the big game last night between NZ and Australia we mused to our Aussie partner, the Rock, that despite the vilification of Quade Cooper, there were many signs that NZ and Australia were finally  understanding that we had more in common than not. 

The mere fact that a kiwi born boy like Quade called Australia home, as do hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders, is a case in point. He is well aware and proud of his kiwi heritage but for him Aussie is home and he wears the Aussie jersey proudly. 

We think that Cooper is an outstanding athlete - he is Sean Maitland's cousin so his sporting lineage goes back aways. 

So despite the loss to the kiwis last night one of the big names in Australia sports writing is calling on  his country to get behind the kiwis in their quest for the cup. 

We agree. The All Blacks French final should see the All Blacks trump the Frogs. And while the world knows the strength of our rivalry with Australia the world may not realise that we have never got over the Gallic bastards coming over here to blow up a boat in our waters. 

ROLL OUT THE TUMBRIL

We were hanging out to get to the Wairarapa this weekend. We didn't get our country fix last weekend so we were toe tapping waiting for the Train today.

Now we leave the 15 year old metallic green Falcon station wagon at the Masterton train station car park right under the security cameras between weekend visits. Now you would think that with security cameras at many vantage points it would be pretty safe.
It wasn't - it, along with a couple of other cars, was broken into about 4 weeks ago. The thieves broke the back rear passenger window - and the guys at the Train station in Masterton kindly duct taped it shut when they found it.

Anyway, I skip off the train about 3pm today and look around - alas no Falcon - yip some nasty little spotty shit(s) stole it this time - duct tape and all. ( mark my words car thieves are always spotty little shits).

The Train boys were very helpful, giving me the name of the guy who runs the security cameras and the number for the local police station.
The culprits stole it on February 25th - they were on the tape. It seems no one looks at the tapes unless someone asks. Anyway we had to co-ordinate the security bloke and the police. Sort of self help crime fighting. Will be interesting what happens next. We will report.

Now the car is old but one that is held in great affection. It smells a bit but has been very very well looked after. (Our bloke - the Aussie Rock is like that) - its sort of a sea sick green colour and if you are in the Wairarapa you wont miss it because its the one with duct tape on the back seat passenger window.
and the rego is OZ 623. We ended up getting a taxi driver to take us to the block today and he says that Masterton is pretty unsavoury sometimes and there is a bad element in the town. That's bloody sad and I suspect its no different than many towns these days.

Masterton is full this weekend for - the Masterton Golden Shears competition.

The last weekend we were here the National Pipe Band Champs were on.

So its all go in Masterton.

There will be a reward either cash or Bluff oysters if its found in going order.

Anyway, we can report that the mushrooms are plentiful and the bloody zucchini have grown so big that if you scooped them out you could paddle them down the river.