During the day, here in autumnal New Zealand it's been a pleasant mix of fresh, slightly chilly mornings warming to 16-22c days. It's a kind of jeans/shorts/jeans scenario.

However, a couple of weeks ago my last remaining pair of Levi's developed a small hole in the left knee. The warning signs were there with little threadbare patches signalling the impending demise of my trusty strides. The game was to see if I could make them last till we get to 24/7 warmth for the next 5 months.

Having seen worn threads of impending doom I considered briefly the usual repair; duct tape strategically placed over the worn area. However, the last time I tried this it backfired. The tear was in the seat area. Turn the jeans inside out, a couple of strips of duct tape over the weak area and bingo, good as new.

Until a couple of outings later...... when slowly the warmth of, and young children or those of a sensitive disposition should turn away now, the warmth of my bum softened the adhesive which, as it's job description dictates, quickly reattached to the nearest surface.

The big question of the day. Rip 'em off lightening quick or the slow draw? No more detail required but let's just say there were tears and I really can't imagine why you'd ever go for a waxing.

Consequently, too scared to try the duct tape fix again, I'm now sporting a rather trendy pair of slashed knee jeans. Pretty cool eh!

Meanwhile, its "will we, won't we?" Again. There's another Low shaping up to deal pesky yotties a blow. The thirty odd rally boats that have been postponing for weeks now, have pushed back another day. The independents are in the rec room pouring over Grib files looking for the elusive window.

We're thinking we might just buy a car, a wee house, a pile of logs and settle in front of the fire for the winter.