Ructions in the family after film career frustrated
LET’S start with a creepycrawly. What a handsome creature this is, featured today. Maybe not the sort of thing you’d like to see dangling in front of your face when you open your eyes first thing, but definitely a bit of a showstopper.
My colleague Jasmine Couch wondered if readers could help her pin down just what this is.
‘‘I found this critter hopping across my lounge floor last night — before the cat did, luckily!
‘‘My first thought was that it was a weta of some some sort — and I think it’s a female, as I can see its ‘ovipositor’ at the back, but it’s generated quite a discussion on my Facebook page.
‘‘Some people think it might be a grasshopper, others a cricket.
‘‘I’d be interested to know exactly what it is. I can’t seem to match it with any of the weta pics on Google.’’
Let me know if you have any clues.
Beauty queen
All this talk of the 1920s and the New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition in Dunedin prompted Deanna Pedersen to send a photo of her mum, accompanied by this story:
‘‘I was always told that my mother won the Miss New Zealand competition and a Hollywood movie contract. She was Margarette Reid Boult, born in Arrowtown. She was 19.
‘‘She was beautiful and talented. Organisers were convinced she was a star.
‘‘The competition may have been in 1927, when there was a Miss New Zealand contest held with a new and extra incentive of a prize of a Hollywood contract from Metro Goldwyn Mayer.
‘‘She won the contest and contract, but was forced to give up both because her mother, Violet, would not sign the consent forms to allow her to go to the United States.
‘‘She was devastated.
‘‘Following this she married a dashing exWorld War 1 soldier, Charles Graham, of Clinton, who was one of seven brothers who went to war.
‘‘After her mother refused to sign the form, Violet was ostracised by her family.
‘‘They were all upset because they knew Margarette was a budding star.’’
Spore moonerisms
And staying with the 1920s theme, Tom Landreth, of Cromwell, says ‘‘there were a good many Toddle Me Fords on the roads. Not built for speed but a good workhorse.’’
Beverley Hannah’s contribution is ‘‘not a spoonerism, but my motherinlaw always referred to Daihatsu cars as ‘Dartsueys’.’’
Chris, of Christchurch, was reminded of a story by the ‘‘Satsun Dunny’’ spoonerism in the column yesterday.
‘‘A freight plane carrying car parts from Japan had a malfunction with its cargo door over the Pacific. It was said to be raining ‘Datsun cogs’.’’ Nice one.
And finally, Peter Hall, of Lawrence, shares this one:
‘‘Just came in from working in the garden and the other half had the music going. ‘Listening to Nelly Wilson?’ I asked. Strange looks received, then it clicked.
Column break
Sorry to say there will be no column tomorrow. See you on Monday.