Where did that year go?

Dai Henwood, Jeremy Corbett, Paul Ego, Ben Hurley, Justine Smith, Josh Thomson and Jeremy Elwood took over the opera house stage on Saturday night, presenting 7 Days Live to a packed house.

In two halves, the first consisting of all seven players presenting seven minutes of stand-up followed by an adapted live version of their Friday night TV1 show, 7 Days, the evening was fast, a little grubby, very funny and an opportunity to see the comedians in the flesh.

It’s also a great way to introduce the opera house to a lot of people who would have never had a reason to go there.

It was definitely not your usual crowd.

Full marks to the opera house crowd who got everyone seated safely and efficiently, and to Fergus Reid who got to go on stage and present Jeremy Corbett with a fresh microphone, even if Jeremy did call him ‘Mike”.

“I call people by what they give me,” said Jeremy, which gave him an excuse to ad-lib a clever joke.

7 Days Live can come back any time. Expensive produce:

From a supermarket some distance from here comes a TV commercial advertising imported red, seedless grapes at $3.99 each!

You wouldn’t want to buy a bunch of them, would you?

Try again Fresh Choice.

Letter to the Editor:

As one approaches or is waiting at a roundabout and sees a turn signal blinking, one thing is certain; that signal light is working. Conversely, whatever the state of the turn signals on other vehicles, dormant or otherwise, one must never assumed this correctly indicates the intentions of the drivers.

Graeme Bridge Wanganui

Where’d it go? Wasn’t it just last week we were celebrating the arrival of 2018?

Now, the last Midweek issue of another year is out and we start planning for next year.

A newspaper doesn’t arrive in your letterbox (or on the driveway, or in the porch) without the work of a lot of people, many unpaid and many overworked.

My contributors over the year have added variety and value to Midweek, giving their take on aspects of Whanganui and beyond, or giving us instruction, advice and encouragement in their specialist areas.

In no particular order I would like to thank Gareth Carter, Joan and Mike Street, Shirley-Joy Barrow, JB Phillips, Ella Grant, Carla Langmead, Nadine Rayner, Carla Donson, Whanganui Volunteer Centre, Angela Hewson, Christopher Cape, Greg Bell, David Scoullar, Carlton School, Ken Chernoff, Helen Marie O’Connell, Peter Hall, Jorja Bramley and Sport Whanganui, Andy McGechan, Mame, Professor Terry Cunniffe, and others too numerous to mention.

It should be acknowledged that all contributors submit stories and opinion for no payment whatsoever and none, at any time, has begrudged this arrangement. Midweek is blessed.

While they (and I) supply words and photos, there are others in the production chain who make sure the pix and copy are presentable and laid out nicely on the page

To that end I would like to thank Colleen Thorpe’s team of sub editors and copy editors, in particular Kris Wills and Linda Thompson, who can take a sow’s ear and turn it into a bling-spattered designer fashion accessory.

Then, of course, there are the people who inspired the stories and smiled for the camera.

This paper is all about you, the good people, the essential cogs in the community. Without you we have no paper, because it’s your stories that people like to read.

I hope the tiny bit of “fame” the Midweek has provided has been of some benefit . . . and that we represented you faithfully.

Obviously there are others along the way who contribute to the final product, so printers and delivery people can take a bow too.

The advertiser pays for this paper, so it would be nice if readers patronised their businesses in return.

Ah yes, the reader.

You who pick up the paper every week and read through it with interest (we hope).

Occasionally you comment and your letters are always welcome, even if sometimes they’re not particularly nice.

Rest assured, as long as they abide by the basic guidelines I will print them.

But please, don’t message this editor with requests to cease delivery because you don’t want to read Midweek.

Not only are you asking to miss out on a lot of news and community coverage, you insult the man who works six days a week to produce a paper.

I had one chap who told me he has no need for the paper and by delivering it I am only creating “rubbish”.

I would hope I was creating “recycling”, but that’s another matter.

I am buoyed by the fact that so many do read Midweek and enjoy its weekly offerings.

Midweek starts again on Wednesday, January 9.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a happy Christmas and a promising New Year.