Posts by Helen Searancke

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  • Cracker: Being there is everything.…,

    For a year or two when I was travelling with my then toddler daughter to visit grandparents in Wellington, Air NZ would always lose something - stroller, suitcase, etc. It happened at least three times (Auckland to Wellington).

    More recently I had two strange luggage experiences while travelling in Vietnam:

    Firstly, arriving in Hanoi from Ho Chi Minh City, one of our two suitcases wasn't on the carousel. A quick glance around the luggage area established that it had been taken by a tour guide to stand with a big pile of other luggage, destined, we assumed, for a bus tour or something. Hooray for a distinctive luggage label (thanks World Journeys) and a purple detail on a plain black suitcase.

    The other thing was that, before you could clear the arrivals hall in Hanoi, two nice young women checked that our baggage receipts matched the luggage we were hauling out of the airport - an excellent security feature, I thought.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 24 posts Report Reply

  • Busytown: If you build it...,

    For whimsical, philosophical children's literature (that can be read to them, then read by themselves) I can recommend Shel Silverstein (USA), especially The Giving Tree, The Missing Piece, The Missing Piece Meets the Big O, and Where the Sidewalk Ends (a collection of poems). My seven year old has had them for years and still loves them. She now reads the poetry to herself and it makes her laugh. He was another author who 'got' kids.

    And then there's Shaun Tan (Australia) - a brilliant visual artist and storyteller - try The Arrival (a textless story of emigration; good for adults too), The Lost Thing (a boy who understands what others don't) and The Red Tree (a truly haunting comment on grief and despair turning into hope).

    That's my two cents worth. Thanks, Jolisa, for a great post - I wish you did more (though this mother of two understands why not). They're always a highlight when they appear.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 24 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: Hunting Squirrels,

    Intangible as it may be to sloganise, I recall a real feeling of optimism when Labour was first elected three terms ago. The mood of the country went from downhearted and socially bereft to something much more optimistic, especially when the Labour government immediately began a programme of social spending (on the arts, too, though that wouldn't wash with the great unwashed come this election time).

    Maybe a campaign along the lines of "remember how bad it was before, under National? How can it be any better in 2008/09?"

    People want change for change's sake, but I suspect they won't like it when they get it.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 24 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: The drugs don't (always) work,

    Hi, first time poster here... SSRIs helped me deal with post natal depression 4 years ago. And they really worked like magic - it felt like an immediate correction to a chemical imbalance, even though I wasn't taking a high dose. When I saw the headline in the Herald today I immediately thought "like hell they don't". Thanks for the interesting discussion on this and the thorough research behind it. Kia kaha to those battling depression/mental illness in all its forms.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 24 posts Report Reply

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