By the time this post appears, your blogger-in-chief will be embarking on a five day boat trip around D’Urville Island with a collection of winemakers and winos. It’s supposed to be all sun, sea and seafood, but at the time of writing it looked as though there would be gales and rain, at least for the first day or so. (Schadenfreude ill becomes the climate cognoscenti, but I expect our tame cranks will be happy).
But before I get too wet, a small toot on the brass instrument of self-promotion: Hot Topic has made it into New Zealand’s top 20 blogs, as calculated by the estimable Tim Selwyn at Tumeke! and his nzblogosphere listing. Keeping clicking, folks. Tomorrow, the world…
While I’m away, the equally estimable Bryan Walker has the reins at Hot Topic. He will be ruthless with rude comments, and perceptive on any issue he chooses to discuss. Good luck, Bryan!
I wish Gareth well around D’Urville Island, and a sturdy set of sea legs.
Bryan, don’t you think your endorsement of Gareth’s book alongside the masthead is a little bit twee/awkward/boom boom well done old boy/self congratulatory blah, if you get my drift ?
Makes the blog appear a little bit shallow I think…although the commendation from Rev Bob Scott is very grand…
Well to be fair, Bryan didn’t contribute/moderate until well after he wrote that comment when the book was initially published.
Well you can’t say fairer than that then…
Ayrdale, not only did I not contribute to Hot Topic until over a year after the review was written, I did not know when I wrote the review who Gareth was (other than from the publisher’s information sheet) or what his website was about. I have been a Waikato Times reviewer for many years, and in recent years the balance of my reviewing has moved from literary titles to climate change and other environmental titles – at my request, because of my concern at what I had read about climate science. I liked Gareth’s book, though I think if you read the review you will see that it was mainly concerned with the book’s content. I don’t consider that I use congratulatory blah, or any other kind of blah for that matter.
It looks from your second comment that you have resiled from your earlier comment. In which case I’ll leave it there.
Yes, fine. just looks a little sort of anxious/insecure.
Make’s the headline to the article very apt though…
Ayrdale, sly personal innuendo is not a difficult mode. Try something more demanding intellectually which bears on the content of this website.
…I consider myself ticked off Bryan…