Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

There’s a slight delay with the next post, so meantime I’m going to talk about Christmas carols. What is your very favorite Christmas carol, and which one could you go a million years without ever hearing again?

My very favorite Christmas carol is Snoopy’s Christmas, performed by the Royal Guardsman in 1967. It’s a fictional story about Snoopy who has to go out and fight the Red Baron on Christmas eve, although this really did happen in 1914.

During World War I, in 1914, an event known as “The Christmas Truce” took place between the Germans and the British, initiated not by the commanders, but by the soldiers themselves. The enemies exchanged small gifts such as beer (from the Germans to the British) and tobacco and tinned meat (from the British to the Germans). “No Man’s Land” was cleared of the dead bodies, the trenches were repaired and drained, and the troops from both sides shared pictures of their families with each other and, in some places, even using “No Man’s Land” to engage in friendly games of football (soccer in the U.S.).

The song was inspired by Snoopy the dog from the “Peanuts” cartoon strip.

The Christmas carol that makes me cringe the most is Stevie Nicks singing Silent Night. Apologies if you’re a fan but to me there’s nothing “silent” about this song at all. Thankfully, I’ve yet to hear it so far this year!

So, which song is your favorite? Which makes you cringe? Everyone who comments will go into the draw to win a download of the anthology From the Deep. Check back in the comments tomorrow to see if you’re the winner.

I stole this idea from Wylie who stole it from Leah.

Get Your Cyborg Name

A little girl called Emma, who lives in the South Island of New Zealand, is running a campaign against swearing. She says we all swear too much and wrote to Close Up, our local current affairs program, expressing her concern. They told her if she did some research into the problem they’d do a news story on her campaign. Nine-year-old Emma spent last month researching the problem. She watched TV, listened to the radio, eavesdropped in the school playground and counted the number of times people swore. It was a lot! There was the F word, the C word, the S word and the B word plus a few variations, I’m sure.

In New Zealand there was a controversy about the word “bugger” especially after Toyota came out with the ad below. Personally, I thought it was amusing (good New Zealand humor) but thousands of people didn’t and complained. You judge for yourself…

I’ll admit. I swear, and thinking about it, the problem became worse after I started writing erotic romance. I guess that when nothing bad happened to me after writing the naughty words, I figured the stories my mother told me about dire punishment weren’t true. I felt free to verbalize the odd naughty word as well. Okay, Emma. I listened to you speaking on TV, and you have a point. There’s no need for us to use such bad language. I promise to do better.

Do you swear? How do you teach your kids not to swear when they’re faced with swearing on the TV and radio on a daily basis?

I watched the start of a program tonight called How To Look Good Naked. I watched for about five minutes before I changed channels in disgust. It was about a woman who hated her legs and butt so much that she’d worn tights both summer and winter for years and never appeared naked in front of her husband. Whenever they made love she wore tights because she hated her legs so much. They asked her to strip to her bra and panties and honestly, she looked fine to me. She was very pretty and while she was a traditional pear-shape, there was nothing wrong with her that I could see and my hubby agreed.

They showed a group of seven women arranged in body size and asked her to slot herself in where she thought she would fit. She put herself at the larger end of the scale when in fact she was the second smallest of all the women in size.

I just don’t get this! Are we all so brainwashed that we think small and skinny is perfect? The seven women they showed all looked fine to me as well. Yes they all had curves but they looked feminine! Advertisers need to stop with their airbrushing and photo manipulation. Quite frankly, perfect is boring. If having curves is a flaw, then too bad. I vote for curves and natural body shapes. I was so angry with the woman I wanted to shake her. I see a book coming in the future…my future…

Both hubby and I like the Dove ads that show women in all their various shapes and sizes. They all look beautiful to me.

Opinions? Comments?

We had a wonderful holiday. Here are some totally random thoughts about holidays and Hawaii.

1. American toilets flush differently to ours. I forget and it’s always a little startling remembering during the first visit. I’m always relieved when the water stops gushing upward. I worry it’s not gonna stop!

2. The ocean is such a pretty color – a clear turquoise blue – and it’s very clear. Warm to swim in too. Not like at home.

3. Jeez, I hate the American system of tipping. I’d rather be charged more so that employers can pay a better wage. I’ve travelled a lot so I know about tipping and it really cheeses me off when service staff calculate the tip for me because I don’t have an American accent. Even worse are the staff who don’t do a good job and still expect a tip. New Zealand is so much easier.

4. Without exception the staff on the NCL cruise were smiling and pleasant the entire time. Nothing was too much trouble. I don’t know how they kept up the smiling faces. I had no problem tipping them at all. When we’ve saved up enough for our next cruise we’ll be booking with NCL.

5. My favorite place was Kona on the Big Island. Lush and green and very pretty. I’d love to visit again one day.

6. Ice cream is good for you.

7. Ditto with Margueritas. Two margueritas are extra good

8. I missed our wee dog.

9. Two weeks is not a long enough holiday. I want to win Lotto…

10. In New Zealand we’re used to hearing world news, reading it in our papers. I like to know what’s going on in the world but the news in US seems to consist of just local stuff. What’s up with that?

11. US Custom staff need to take a few chill pills. I understand security and the need for it but 99.9% of travellers are not criminals.

12. I love Borders bookstores and I know the location of just about every single one in Hawaii.

13. Coffee in Australia and New Zealand is far superior.

14. On this holiday we tried activities that we don’t have or can’t do in New Zealand. We went in a submarine and dived down 130 feet. Saw lots of fish, a turtle and eagle rays. We visited a sea horse farm. We went to a shooting range. We drove a Mustang. We also visited the volcanoes but we have those at home.

15. In New Zealand the price on the article to purchase is what you pay at the checkout. Tax is included and it’s much easier!

16. Each Hawaiian Island has a distinct character and they all have a wet side and a dry side.

17. State and National Parks are very well administered. The US has some great wilderness areas to visit. If you haven’t checked out the ones nearest to you, you’re missing out!!

18. A cruise ship has lots and lots of stairs. Good for exercising the butt.

19. The end of a holiday is the time to start planning the next vacation. Look out San Francisco 2008.

That’s all I can think of right now. I’m sure I’ll think of more once I sign off.

I was fascinated by this story and the photos in my National Geographic newsletter today. It’s about bodies discovered in Denmark’s bogs, most of whom seem to have been sacrifices. Check out the photo of the man with the battle hairstyle and the one with the red hair. (They think the bog has made the man’s hair turn bright red)

This is the link here

Paige Tyler tagged me a few days ago.

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I’m feeling in a rule-breaking mood – lack of sleep makes me bolshy – so here we go…not following any of the directions. My middle name is top secret and you’ll never guess it in a million years. I’m going to use the first four letters of my first name since my middle name has four letters.

S – sometimes I’m Silly – just ask Mr. Munro and he’ll tell you.
H – I’m also Happy and a half-full glass kinda girl
E – I’m Enthusiastic and Energetic and Early rather than late
L – I love to Laugh. I like to Learn new things. I’m currently feeling Lazy and Lethargic.

And finally, I’m meant to tag four people – one for every letter – but my rule breaking is still in force. I’m not going to tag anyone unless they’d like to play. Let me know if you play so I can come and see. Tonight I’m a Rebel

I was in the shower this morning, thinking as I do (I do all my best plotting while in the shower). Suddenly, a plot idea formed involving vampires. Astonishing for one who does NOT like the sight of blood, but whoever said a writer’s mind had to be orderly? Anyway, I came up with a random thought, one that has been on my mind ever since.

Do you think a vampire can drown? Yes. No. Why?

BTW – I think they can, but I don’t want to give away my fledgling plot…

Well, I took the quiz but the outcome, for anyone who knows me, is very predictable!

You Are a Chocolate Cake

Fun, comforting, and friendly. You are a true classic, and while you’re not super cutting edge, you’re high quality. People love your company – and have even been known to get addicted to you.

We’re having horrendous weather in New Zealand at the moment – a cyclone with rain and winds gusting up to 170 km an hour. Last night our power blinked out just before seven and it didn’t come back on until about three and a half hours later. I mention this because since the Boxing day tsunami our government has worked hard to make everyone aware of what to do in the case of an emergency. In New Zealand we’re at risk of cyclones, flooding, earthquakes and volcanoes plus of course tsunamis.

Mr. Munro and I have glanced at the mail that’s arrived but haven’t really done much more. Last night proved a test of sorts. We were able to cook because we have gas and had a torch and small tea-light candles. After dinner we watched a DVD and managed to view one and a half episodes of Boston Legal before the battery died. We discovered the radio on hubby’s cellphone really does work. I was even able to read the first chapter of Rachel Vincent’s Stray with hubby’s head torch. Of course, our lot was ten times better than residents in the north of the North Island, and my sympathies are with them all. Today, the army is heading in to help out.

This morning I checked the household emergency list to see what the Civil Defence department advises. We’re actually pretty well prepared, although I do need to stock up on candles. I think some of the big stubby ones would be best since they’re less likely to topple over. I also need a supply of batteries.

They mention having a small bag for a Getaway Kit and to keep it ready for evaculation. Part of this kit should include birth and marriage certificates, driver’s licences and passports, insurance policies and family photos. On a good day I can’t find some of these items, so this is a bit of a worry.

Other items required in everyone’s emergency survival kit are:

Bottled drinking water (at least 3 litres per person per day)
Water for washing and cooking
Non-perishable food and a can opener
A primus or gas barbeque
Waterproof torches and spare batteries
Radio and spare batteries
First aid kit and essential medicines
Toilet paper and large rubbish bags for an emergency toilet
Face and dust masks
Pet supplies
Blankets or sleeping bags
Wind and rain proof clothing
Strong shoes for outdoors
Sun hats and sunscreen

Supplies for Babies and Small Children:

Food, formula and drink
Change of clothing and nappies
Favorite toy or activity

They also recommend that each household comes up with an emergency plan. Each member of the family needs to know where they will meet or leave a message if they can’t get home, who is responsible for collecting children from school, which family member responsible for emergency survival items, the radio station to tune into for civil defence information and the names of neighbors who might be able to help or might need aid in emergency preparations. They also recommend to draw a plan of the house showing where to turn off water, electricity and gas.

For more information visit GetThru

Are you ready for an emergency in your area?