OLD FOGIE FRAUDSTERS? _ Yeah?

We are on the Wairarapa train and as per usual there are quite a few golden oldies using their free gold passes for a free trip. Anyway the conductor told one couple that they would have to get a new gold card because they had an expired.

And unless they had the right dates they were told not to accept them.

Why, we asked, were they so worried? After all, we said- its not like the card carriers are going to get any younger.

However the conductors tell us that there is a heap of fraud and people pass on the expired cards to people who arent yet eligible for them.

Sounds like a story there somewhere..

CHOO CHOO TRAIN DRIVER NEEDS A WEE MOE

Metlink's service is getting crappier by the day. However the 12.55 pm on a Friday is particularly prone to delays. the train arrives on the platform and the passengers get out and then it seems to sit on the platform for a while and then another engine gets hooked up and it sits there for a while more, while people are standing there are freezing their asses off . Then it backs up and lets the people on. Today it went away .. and didnt come back till around 1.10. However the Metlink info service was still telling everyone right up to 1pm that all was okay.

Then, wait for this, we had wait because the bloody driver felt he needed a break. So it was half an hour late.

What a bloody shame that some of the wank arsed employment laws werent given a quick tidy up on the back of the Hobbit employment law changes.

Some of the train drivers and many of the conductors are crap. But the good ones are great.

What really gets us is the fact that there are many tourists on this train. Its a really bad look for our tourism industry that this service is so bloody unreliable and below par.

WAIRARAPA PARISH PUMP DRAWS DEEP FROM COMMUNITY WELL

Palmerston North has been in the news a bit as it has had a bad rap for being a boring no account city. Thing is there is a lot to be said for provincial towns.

Take Masterton for instance. It's your quintiessential provincial retail and commercial hub.

It may not have lots of choice, but you normally get at least one of everything and they have to be good or they don't survive. So for instance, there is one really good sushi shop that would rival anything in the big smoke. And Strada's coffee and cakes are as good as anywhere in NZ.

And we have discovered that they also have one really good newspaper that is like the community newspapers of old. The Wairarapa News. Surprisingly its part of the Fairfax stable.Surprising, because we thought that this paper was so good of its type that it must be owned and loved by some locals. But being run and loved by some locals seems to be doing the trick.

Now there is also the Wairarapa Times Age , but there seems to be a lot less stories in it and its just doesn't seem to hit the mark like the Wairarapa News does.

However the Age does break some interesting stuff as this story shows. Bigotry and prejudice doesn't just rely on the colour of ones skin, it seems.

The Wairarapa News is delivered free, has a high advertising content and there are three or four interesting stories about issues that are close to the hearts of the residents and the rest of the paper is peppered with advertisements and stories about what is on. The community stuff that makes places like the Wairarapa so good to live in. A real good smattering of local politics, happenings and sport.

Like the fact that there are cheese making courses coming up. Or that there is a talk at the local Geological society looking at the two Wairarapa earthquakes of 1942 when the area was all shook up by two 7+ quakes a couple of months apart.

There are always lots of faces in the paper too. Sure, the photography is not world class but if you get to see the Doris you know from down the street being lauded for some community deed then you feel connected to your community.

And every Wednesday we really look forward to the Wairarapa News. Its a bloody good wee paper that does  its community proud and is a wonderful reflection of the province it serves.

And there is something  refreshing about reading news which is not based on the cult of celebrity.

We were already in love with the Wairarapa but apprehensive when we moved here permanently about 6 weeks ago but as every day goes past, that growing feeling of connection just keeps getting stronger.

And as we make the daily journey on the train into Wellington with the suns first filtering light bathing the valley we just spend the next 8 hours waiting to get back home.

Life is good.

WAIRARAPA TRAIN - COLD

There is no power on the Wairarapa Train this morning.. Its the third time in less that three weeks that we have had no generator on the train - that means no heating and only emergency lights and it always happens on really cold crap mornings.

However we reckon that being on a cold train is infinitely more bearable than living in a mangled Christchurch.. So we start our day grateful and thinking what we can best do for the stricken mainlanders.

IS BULLYING THE NEW BLACK?

W e are on the Wairarapa Train and a chubbyish young fellow and his sister are talking quite loudly  and he is bragging about being bullied by some seniors at his school. Taking great pride in announcing how he has been singled out.

Its a Charles Chauvel moment ..  loud indulged kids with their mother..  but frankly  - what sort of parent would lead a kid to be proud about being bullied?

METLINK NEEDS TO SORT THE WAIRARAPA TRAIN

We are ensconced on the Masterton to Wellington train.It is bloody hot, the carriages have sat in the sun all day - and by our reckoning it is a parching 27 - 28 deg. Now every carriage has a drink station. But guess what ? no bloody cups. We asked the conductor who says that this train doesn't have the right carriages to have cups. We don't know what the hell that means but when we arrived at 4.20 and got on the train early ( it leaves at 4.50) there were four train blokes standing around with their digits up there arses. What would it have taken them to ensure there were a few cups. It is very uncomfortable especially for older folk.

Today we also have buses from Upper Hutt. That is inevitable from time to time for track maintenence but the buses have to be the most foul buses in the whole country. We are sure they have been used to truck incontinent rest home residents, sweaty rugby players and vomiting pub crawlers and possibly all at once. They really are the worst buses we have ever travelled on. It will be interesting to see if they are used again tonight.

OF TRAINS AND WANKERS

Me and the Aussie Rock are weekend warriors. On Friday nite its off on the train to Masterton - to pick up the jalopy and then the bliss of 10 acres of rural paradise up the Rangitumau Valley where we camp in a shed that will one day be our house.

Anyway we quite like the train. Its pretty comfy and you if you get to the station early enough you can get a seat with a table and a power plug - in fact all seats have at least one power plug. So its a blogger delight - you can plug in juice up the wireless card and write for an hour and a half or work f needs must.

So its a bloody hot day here in Masterton and we arrive early. This grumpy curmudgeonly old train conductor - with a pommy accent was on the platform - looking - well shitty. Anyway I had my lap top and my backpack. normally I shove my backpack in the racks above and the lap top bag under my feet.

Anyway he barked at me and said that all my luggage would have to go into the back of the train.
I told him that my lap top would stick with me. He said that he was " just enforcing the rules and luggage had to go in the back. Now this is about my 15th train trip and the first time I have had this problem.

So off I went and duly put my little backpack down the back of the train.

Now all of this would have been fine but guess what ? I have counted at least 3 big bags and 15 back packs in the this carriage alone. I can tolerate rules - its inconsistency, and officious wankers I don't like.

And while I am at it the air conditioning needs sorted . Its doesn't work.

However it is a very pretty trainride and for $15 bucks one way - v good value.