Brian Rogers Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz

We've had a rash of responses to our column last week, on curious ailments.

Foremost was an invasion of emails and letters from our Scandinavian-descended readers who pointed out, some with fairly creative hand gestures, that they have inherited the Viking Finger phenomenon from their ancestors.

We've also received some correspondence from some of you with quite peculiar symptoms and also we sympathise, we cannot publish all the details here as it is a family newspaper and some of your revelations should really be kept within the sanctity of doctor-patient confidentiality.

Except we can't resist some advice for Surfer Steve of Papamoa, whose complaint of a peculiar skin ailment may be more common and easily cured than you imagine. We suggest you should try washing the sand out of the crotch of your steamer, you may find the rash eases.

For the rest of you, thanks for the insight into your medical misadventures. Please see a doctor immediately. Maybe the concept of an ‘Ailment of the Week' wasn't so smart, after all.

Your mail
Here are a few responses which we can publish.

'Hi Brian – I was very amused reading your story ‘Viking Finger'. I too have an inherited problem finger – a crooked, very pronounced second finger on the left-hand comes out every second-generation female. However, my youngest daughter has it too. Lots of funny stories associated. My father was Norwegian – my paternal grandmother and a Norwegian female cousin had the same. - Ingrid Wicksteed.

'Dear Roger Rabbit,

Thanks for your story about your Norse/Celtic friend.

Did you realise that there were those people living in New Zealand long before any Maori came? They had set up homes and stone circles and lived happily here. Then groups of Maori arrived, who fought and killed many of them.

Some lived together, which explains the fair-haired Maori who used to live in parts of the north. The Maori got many ideas from these people.

Look especially at the patterns on the meeting houses etc.

They are true Celtic patterns. Even the Maori waka have a great resemblance to the Norse boats. Perhaps we should be reminded ... that this country once belonged to the Celts!” - Elsie Jones.

Thanks Elsie, I'm sure that will elicit some response from readers.

Grandma's letter
Iris Stockwell of Tauranga sent us a lovely note, saying she always enjoys reading the columns as they are so ‘tongue in cheek'. Thanks Iris, I'm not sure that's the way the Race Relations Commissioner sees it. Never mind, Iris offers this story, which doesn't mention Vikings, but includes finger issues that we thought you'd find entertaining:

'Letter from Grandma. She writes… The other day I went to a local Christian bookshop, saw a sticker that said: ‘Honk if you love Jesus' so I bought one and put it on my bumper.

Boy I'm glad I did! What an uplifting experience followed!

I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection; just lost in thought and didn't notice the light had changed. It's a good thing someone else loves Jesus, because he started honking. It was then I found out that LOTS of people love Jesus. The guy behind me screamed:

'For the love of God! Go Go!” What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus! Everyone started honking so I leaned out my window waving and smiling at all these loving people. I even honked my own horn a few times to share the love!

There must have been a man there from Florida, as I heard him yell something about a 'sunny beach”. I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger up in the air.

When I asked my grandson in the back seat what that meant, he said it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something. Well I've never been to Hawaii; so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back. My grandson burst out laughing... even he was enjoying this religious experience!

A couple of people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started to walk towards me. It was then I noticed the lights had changed, so I waved to all my brothers and sisters, grinning, and drove on through the intersection.

I noticed I was the only car that got through before the light changed and I felt kind of sad for all the love we had shared; so I slowed down leaned out the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time.

Praise the Lord for such wonderful people”. Signed Grandma.

Parting shots
The Prime Minister visited this week and among his ports of call was the new birthing centre. Here at RR we are baffled why the National team are handling this, surely a birthing centre opening should be the role of someone in labour?

If you think everyone else has a special day and you may have missed out, don't despair. There's a day of celebration for you next week.

October 21 is National Nut Day.

brian@thesun.co.nz