Posts by Hilary Stace
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Thanks Heather
Thanks for that info but that's a pity.Giovanni
Re the great childminder. She says in her experience the middle child of three often has more behaviour 'issues' than the other two, but they grow up into very interesting adults -
Giovanni
I do know a babysitter who can cope with any child (and also likes them all). She's otherwise occupied at the moment but may be occasionally available. if you are interested I'll ask her. -
Heather - can you remember who the Radio Live person was who mentioned Autism NZ? We always need money, and that shows a public media awareness that should be followed up. But personally,I don't think it is ethical to use violence or blood sports as fundraisers (although few charities turn down gambling or alcohol money).
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It is still holiday season while the evening concerts and lights are on at the Wellington Botanical Gardens. And they are till the end of the week. I urge any Wellington based person or family to go along. It's free, its fun, and the lights are on till 10pm. The disco balls in the trees with the bubble machines, and the movement of light on the path particularly intrigue kids. My favourites are the underlit trees that make wierd and colourful twisting shapes (and make some look like giant brocolli). The scented garden is particularly nice. New this year are lights made to look like nikau fireworks, and the artist in residence has dressed one enormous tree in lace d'oileys. It's all lovely and very popular with Wellingtonians.
And re the Sally Lunn debate of the above thread, I checked Aunt Daisy and her Sally Lunns are small sugar topped buns. Condensed milk tins could be cut down for the muffin sized rings to bake them in, she suggests.
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Re long gone comfort food that went well with butter. The best thing before sliced bread was the 'fluffy bit' exposed when those long fresh white loaves were broken in half. Or you could just buy the half loaf with that tempting piece just crying out to be picked at. Every family seemed to have a name and traditions about that piece.
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I wonder if Kim Hill managed to get an interview with him. Her listeners were helping with the lobbying at the end of last year. Would be great to hear if she did. On the other hand the concert revealed quite a lot about about him and his life.
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We always knew it as a coffee bun and they were a real treat, sliced with butter, because they were bought from a shop, not homemade (1/6 they cost I remember at the shop near our primary school). And yes they had the occasional sultana. Sally Lunn was what the South Islanders called them, like the crib/bach divide.
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Not BDO but Leonard Cohen. I agree with Mark.
I apologise to all those who couldn’t afford or missed out on tickets to Leonard Cohen. But his Wellington Concert was amazing. His great voice and poetry, his nine superb musicians (with backing singers who also turn cartwheels) provided an exceptionally enjoyable and memorable concert. Coming on stage soon after 8 pm they were still doing encores at 11.15pm with only a short break. And at the end the 75 year old - who joked about his age, and stature, and Te Papa’s giant squid - skipped off stage.
We had to wait for about the 4th encore but at 11 pm he got to the highlight for me (only a few hours before Obama’s inauguration) ‘Democracy’ (is coming to the USA). The twirly harmonical bits were almost drowned out by the cheering.
"Sail on, sail on
O mighty ship of state!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on."The concert covered a large proportion of his extensive repertoire mixing the old favourites and less known with some innovative treatments. Reciting ‘Thousand Kisses Deep’ rather than singing it was particularly powerful. The Webb sisters (sort of a female Everley Brothers) harmonised beatifully on ‘If It Be Your Will’. Another highlight was his political ballad 'Partisan'.
We could see, we could hear the words, and the sound and lighting were just right. A raised platform for wheelchairs gave a great view.
My only gripe. Why do so many people not get seated on time? The first 35 minutes was Sam Hunt’s – and what we could hear and see was great. Yet for the whole time people traipsed in front of us in the dark, some chatting, some calling to their friends, stumbling to their seats. Ggrrh.
But forgotten as the older crowd dispersed happy and humming at 11.30. -
Watching Al Jazeera on Stratos. Interesting panel includes a cynical Robert Fisk from Beirut who is dissecting the Middle East references in the speech. Also Naomi Klein who referred to Roosevelt (lots of people suggesting Obama most like FDR) as telling people that they had good ideas, but they had to make him do them - ie they had to hold him accountable. So she hopes the cheerleaders for Obama will make him do the things he has said he will. She also hopes he will prosecute some political crimes such as illegal wire taping of the Bush admin.
But overwhelming this for me is that in my head I can still hear Leonard Cohen and team's amazing rendition of Democracy (is coming to the USA) last night at about 11 pm as one of many encores in a 3 hour performance here in Wellington.
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Yes that was good to hear Russell. Especially considering Neil Young's links with CP. I just hope the parking and transport facilities were as good.