Friday Feathered Friend
This week we again feature Louise Thomas, who supplied the photos and the words.
"Molly didn’t know exactly when it all went wrong, but she was pretty sure Brad had been a massive misstep. He was a real fly boy, handsome, with a cute ruff of feathers giving him a jaunty look. He used to swagger onto her section of the beach with little fish gifts. Once, she had been on a fast-track career path at flight school, then six months later she was sitting on a guano-covered rock in a stinking estuary having to regurgitate mush for a screaming infant. It’s not that she didn’t love the little tyke, but he was never in the plans and some days she felt like her head was going to split open with his incessant asthmatic kvetching. And Brad? She hadn’t seen that no-good bounder in weeks. Red-billed gulls (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae scopulinus). Parent and juvenile, Hutt Estuary."
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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84.6% Yes
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13.9% No
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
It’s Riddle Time – You Might Need an Extra Cup of Coffee!
Nobody has ever walked this way. Which way is it?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.