What has brought this on? Well last night the clocks changed in New Zealand. No big deal, I know, but it's now pitch black but still 18 degrees with 81% humidity. For you budding meteorologists out there, that means it's warm and sticky. And dark. And it's just not right! When the clocks change to their autumnal setting, it's supposed to be cold, crisp and fresh. And you certainly shouldn't have a preying mantis trying to make its way enthusiastically up the wall whilst wondering if it's safe to turn off the anti-mosquito device. It's all rather hard to take in if I'm being honest.
To add to the utter confusion, shops in the high street are preparing their Easter displays. You know the drill; bunnies, eggs, baby chickens (chicklets?) and daffodils. It's all out of season for those raised on a northern hemisphere cultural diet. When you're expecting to see pumpkins and witches' brooms we're getting Easter paraphernalia. Simply put. It's. Not. Spring.
It's enough to drive you to distraction. Maybe it's these mixed messages that resulted in one of the most talked about events of the year so far. No, not a visit by Justin Bieber, but an audaciaous raid on a local art gallery. Yes, during the early hours of Saturday morning Parnell played host to a heist. Or The Heist as it's now being called.
I know what you're thinking, "Why go all of the bother of ram-raiding an art gallery when most of the rubbish in there could be painted by my five year old niece?". Well ordinarily I'd be with you. But this is Parnell and the thieves took off with two paintings worth over $1m. Which is not bad for a night's work.
Although the residents of this neighbourhood are outwardly outraged, that a crime of this nature could happen in this sleepy bohemian enclave, secretly they're chuffed to bits. Yes you really know you're living in an up and coming area when it can host a heist. Forget all of the Ferraris and Porsches, you know you're doing well when the art gallery gets done over. It's certainly going to put Parnell on the map once again and give our neighbouring neighbourhoods something to aspire to. I even heard one local say, whilst queuing in a grocers to buy some tofu, "You can say what you like about Parnell, but Ponsonby's never had a heist! That'll shut them up. Tschh, they haven't even got a gallery!"
Amidst all of the chatter, the Police went door-to-door asking if anyone had heard anything or seen anything suspicious. I imagine it was a fruitless exercise, a bit like the time I went to the shop to buy bananas only to find they'd all been sold, as most Parnellians are well in bed by 3am. It's not, shall we say, a party 'burb. Besides, everyone knows that the paintings are probably still inside the gallery, as anyone whose seen The Thomas Crown Affiar knows.
And if they aren't still in the gallery, then they can't have gotten far. Not on New Zealand roads. Unless they had a boat waiting in the harbour, in which case they might be on one of the many outlying islands. My money would be Waiheke. Plenty of rich folk there and the perfect place to flog a million dollars worth of artwork. Ponsonby wouldn't even get a look in!
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