Oh My Spring

The wonderfulness that is Spring in Auckland is undenieable. I love it! Warm air, bright sun, and late evening sunsets make evenings, weekends and holidays so much more accessible to enjoy.

Today I took a walk and lunch with my friend, Xanthe and one of her daughters, Sophia. We had a lovely day that included lots of laughter and shopping.

Signs of Spring were unmistakeable. Fresh growth on lawns, flowers opening, birds out and about and a few drops of rain only serving to freshen up everything.

Very soon the fabulous hot days of summer will roll in but for now, I will enjoy Spring.

Earth - The Movie

From the opening scenes of the Arctic the scene is set. Beautiful images of an environment so stark and pristine that it is difficult to imagine any living creature thriving. A snow leopard brilliantly camouflaged by its spots slinks through the forest; a mother polar bear pops her head out of a hole deep in the snow where it has hibernated all winter long, soon followed by her two cubs.

As the seasons change, so the animals must travel across harsh terrain in search of food and water in their struggle for survival. We are taken on a journey from the north to the south pole over the course of a year.




We follow a herd of elephants on their search for water. A mother elephant struggling to keep her calf in tow loses the rest of the herd. They are now in danger from predators. Thankfully we are spared any blood-thirsty scenes from the hunt.

In the tropics we are treated to a courtship show from Birds of Paradise. See footage of the courtship dance from the movie below.

Dramatic footage of Great White Sharks leaping out of the water to snare it's prey - fur seals.

Our journey continues following a humpback whale with a 5 month calf. As soon as her calf is strong enough, a humpback whale, weakened by lack of food travels thousands of miles form the equator to the polar waters to feed. A calf drinks 600 litres of milk a day. By this stage the mother is surviving on her blubber.

This movie is a festival of sights and sounds much of what is captured is rare footage. A salutary message about climate change is provided. In my opinion this is an absolute must see.

If Politicians Were Cars

The sturdy 'Helen' model is not for the fainthearted. Performing best in hard terrain it is liable to run over other smaller cars in it's path.

The flashy John Key is a high powered sports model. Possessing very comfortable seating for corporate passenger the John Key is capable of extremely high-speeds but does tend to over-heat if subjected to frustrating waiting periods.

The wheels are now falling off the once shiny and highly polished Winstone Peter's model. Now something of a relic the fuel gauges and other indicators are prone to giving inaccurate information.

Petite and fuel-efficient, the Jeanette Fitzsimons is available only in green.

The Rodney Hide makes a great deal of noise, but rarely seems to make much progress.

Designed to carry the entire whanau, the Pita Sharples is comfortable especially for the front occupants. It lacks modern navigation systems and occupants often appear to have little idea - or concern - about the ultimate destination of the vehicle; they're just enjoying the journey. The ultimate success of this vehicle will depend on who it shares the road with after the election.

National Party Bid

In a "KeyNote" speech in Rotorua this week, John Key spoke about National's economic and infrastructure plans. "National is conscious of the challenging economic conditions facing the world right now.

These challenges will have serious implications for New Zealand, and we shouldn't underestimate them. The reality is that the New Zealand economy is currently in recession, and the US economy, in particular, is looking shaky."

Keys outlines a plan to back businesses and grow infrastructure as his Party's main objective. He talks about growing the economy to build economic growth. He outlines traffic jams; slow internet connections; inadequate public transport networks and calls to cut back on electricity use as issues that constrain productivity growth and putting a huge pressure on inflation. The way forward, in his view, is to reduce debt for the average New Zealander and to invest in a prosperous future.

Key also speaks of family life as a core value and pledges a commitment to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of core social services.

Labour's Love Lost

When she revealed the election date, Helen Clark said, "This election is about trust. It is about which leader and which major party we New Zealanders trust our families' and our country's future with."

The Labour Party is building a campaign based on the ideals of Building a National Identity; Families Young and Old; Transforming the Economy and Sustainable New Zealand.

There is a long road ahead for Labour trailing in the polls by 18 per cent. Helen Clark also trails in the preferred Prime Minister stakes, well behind John Key.

However, under MMP Clark ain't dead yet. She is campaigning hard for the Maori vote; the Greens are a pretty steady option and no-one can ever say for sure that Winstone is dead. There are 45 days to go until 'E' Day and this campaign is going to get plenty dirty!

High Fashion

Sera Lilly

Simply Wonderful

Kirrily Johnston

Trelise Cooper



Trelise Cooper

Here are some more images from Fashion Week. Trelise Cooper has been hailed as the toast of the catwalk so I have included some more of her fabulous designs. Trelise Cooper also paraded a line of children's fashion clothing that was highly applauded.

NZ Fashion Week

Zambesi

Zambesi

Annah Stretton

Annah Stretton

Karen Walker

Andrea Moore

NZ Fashion Week 16 - 21 September 2008.

On Saturday I visited Annah Stretton's retail outlet in Takapuna and I was able to see first-hand the intricate and beautiful work in her designs. I would describe much of her work as being soft and feminine. Many pieces were unique in terms of colour, style and fabrics and there was quite a wide range of choices to suit different moods. The notoriety that NZ fashion has received is well deserved.

Telethon!

Telethon is back! The twenty-one hour 'Big Night In' event is set for June 20 - 21 next year. Telethon last screened on NZ television 15 years ago.

KidsCan is the organisation that is set to benefit. KidsCan sets out to meet the day-to-day physical needs of disadvantaged children. Everyday children are going to school hungry, wet and cold. KidsCan work to supply food, raincoats and other basic essentials so that children are well set to reach their potential and become successful.

Martin Henderson is confirmed to appear and managers are hoping to attract some other big names. American TV star Leeza Gibbons and Coronation Street actor Christopher Quinten married after meeting at a NZ Telethon in the mid-1980s.

Telethon is another one of those episodes from the 70s and 80s that so many of us remember with some nostalgia. I am including a video clip of highlights from 1981.

Fashion NZ Style

Chris Chronis

Alexandra Owen

Karen Walker

Trelise Cooper

Liz Mitchell

Next week is NZ Fashion Week. The designs above are a sample of what will be on show.

The NZ fashion industry has gained attention and critical acclaim internationally. Their look is in demand and our designers are recognised overseas. The industry enjoys a huge depth of talent and success. NZ is known for its new innovative designs and fine attention to detail.

The focus is on wearability rather than clothes that look great but hamper ease of movement. Natural fabrics that allow breathability are prefered and zips, buttons, wraps and ties that allow freedom of movement feature readily. Meticulous attention to detail and perfection in tailoring is also commonplace.

Some of NZ's top designers include Karen Walker, Andrea Moore, Annah Stretton, Trelise Cooper, Tanya Carlson, Caroline Moore, Barbara Lee, Untouched World, Kate Sylvester, Liz Mitchelle, NomD, World, Zambesi and many more.

Election '08

Pukeko!

A family of Pukeko have taken up residence in the garden outside my classroom window at school. They are the source of much curiosity for myself and a group of my students as they forage about in the swampy grassland.


Pukeko are a New Zealand native bird. They are a member of the rail family and are also called the Purple Swamp Hen or Purple Gallinule although they are not really purple at all but a striking bright blue colour. Its wings and back are black with a greenish gloss and the undertail coverts are pure white. It has a large scarlet beak and orange-red legs and feet. A very exotic-looking bird it is a favourite for many and is the subject of many art and craft works in New Zealand.

The Pukeko is often thought to have a death wish as it darts around by the side of the road but not according to ornithologist WRB Oliver who had other ideas when he said, “The Pukeko is a bold and fearless bird. It has learned that trains and motorcars are harmless and takes no notice of them.”

Groovy!

Not all ideas from the seventies were good ones! Although, I think that the departure from fashion sense that occurred then was not restricted to only NZ!

The velour jumpsuit

The beige brigade

Who's who in NZ 1970s

Sir Rob Muldoon

Selwyn Toogood

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa

Sir Richard Hadlee

Sam Hunt

Peter Sinclair

Lindy & Azaria Chamberlain

Remember the 70s?? Who did you talk about around the dining room table? There was many "discussions" about "Piggy Muldoon" around the table at dinner time when I was growing up. He was around for sooo long, too...

Peter Sinclair, Jenny Goodwin and Philip Sherry were in our lounge room every evening and Selwyn Toogood was at least once a week.

Dame Kiri was there at Charles and Diana's wedding and we saw her sing in the early hours of the morning. We won't mention the dress - it couldn't really have been a bad omen ..... could it?

From across the Tasman everyone was talking about Lindy Chamberlain and her infamous plaintive plea, "a dingo stole my baby." Well... did it??

And yes, Sam Hunt really did always look that bad.