Tabla de contenidos para Issue 82 Aug/Sept 2022 en Good

contentment.co.nz aliceparminter.wordpress.com amandareelick.com Fiona Fraser A seasoned journalist and former magazine editor, Fiona escaped Auckland and moved to Hawke’s Bay in 2016, establishing Contentment PR & Communications. Having never meditated in her life, she was convinced to try a Cape South ‘Relax and Restore’ retreat after meeting facilitator Kate at a women’s networking event. “Hearing Kate’s story was phenomenal,” says Fiona. “I booked the next available spot and loved every moment.” Fiona now juggles “occasional meditation” with business commitments, motherhood, freelance writing and choir practice. Alice Parminter Alice Parminter is a woman of many interests. A former journalist, she is now happily settled in Paeroa. She loves exploring the region’s many beautiful native walks and beaches with her family. When she’s not busy writing or doing the school run, you’ll…

rnzb.org.nz Magically modern Cinderella The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s new Cinderella production presents a sparky, stylish twist on the classic tale, with a heroine who knows her own mind and a hero who follows his heart. It promises highs, lows and fairy-tale endings in every shade of the rainbow and comes with a magical new score by Claire Cowan and fashion-forward designs by Emma Kingsbury Choreographer and former Royal New Zealand Ballet dancer Loughlan Prior shares his side of the story and why his characters get to choose their own happy. How have you modernised the story of Cinderella? We’re emboldening Cinderella’s story. In a lot of versions she’s pushed and pulled around by her stepmother and fairy godmother even. In this, we really wanted her to have a lot…

You might think of sewing as a bit of a frumpy pursuit, something pursued by unfashionable housewives looking to save some money. But these days, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Plenty of people have returned to sewing as a soothing hobby, particularly during the recent lockdowns – and the clothes they’re turning out are nothing short of stylish. Jeanette Hayes, 59, is one such hobby ‘sewist’. A lawyer by day, she began making her own clothes about four years ago. She had sewed when she was young, like many of her peers. “Girls at that time did home economics at school, and that consisted of cooking and sewing lessons,” she remembers. “It’s a bit different now!” She was also blessed with a mum who was a good seamstress,…

While living a fast-paced life in London, Peter Kearns was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, a serious digestive issue, and candida, a common yeast imbalance. Needing a radical lifestyle change, he started researching alternative therapies to heal himself. In the end, all his research led to the science of probiotics and the incredible benefits of fermented foods for gut health. Kearns embarked on a journey of discovery, making his own fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, in the hopes of curing himself. After six months, his inflamed pancreas had settled back to normal and he had significantly reduced his candida levels. Amazed at the results of a diet high in fermented foods, he and partner Fiona Dykes hatched the idea to create a probiotic food brand. After moving back to Aotearoa New…

It’s universally acknowledged that if you eat well and keep hydrated, good skin will follow. Nourishing yourself from the inside out is the ideal, but if you struggle to eat a balanced diet or your skin could do with an extra boost, “ingestible beauty” supplements – that you can eat, drink and swallow – can lend a helping hand. The supplements often contain plant extracts, collagen, vitamins, minerals and probiotics, but as the industry grows so does misinformation – so do your research and go for products that are based on sound scientific research and studies, in order to reap the stated benefits. That’s one of the reasons Pro You co-founder Anna Thompson-Ford has produced a series of White Papers about what Pro You supplements aim to do, how they…

Lemon Soufflé Cake This cake looks spectacular when it comes out of the oven, then it gradually sinks and looks rather underwhelming. But don’t be deceived – you’d be hard-pressed to find a more delicious dessert cake. Once it’s been chilled and topped with that glorious mix of yoghurt and crème fraîche, it becomes the lightest, most moreish cake you have ever tasted, with a cheesecake-like texture. Serves 8 / GF · V if vegetarian sour cream or crème fraîche is used. 5 large (size 7) eggs, separated½ cup sugar¼ cup honey1 tsp vanilla extract finely grated zest of 1 lemon¼ cup strained lemon juice1 tsp orange blossom water (optional)1 cup sour cream or creme fraiche1 cup Greek yoghurt⅓ cup ground almonds⅓ cup maize cornflour or rice flour To Serve…

Caramel Nut Smoothie My kids eat all kinds of veg without even realising it, chuckle! Like this smoothie – with a cup of hidden cauliflower. This veg makes the texture of the smoothie even creamier. So it’s there because it is good for you and tastes good too. Serves 2 1 frozen banana, peeled½ cup cashews1 cup water1 cup cauliflower florets3-5 dates (depending on how sweet you like it)½ teaspoon cinnamon1 scoop protein powder, optionalOptional toppings: chopped dates and nuts for crunchiness and yumminess! Place all the ingredients except the optional toppings in a blender and whizz them up. Pour into two glasses or bowls. Top with the optional toppings if you feel like making them look all fancy. My kids just drink it from a glass which makes it…

Winter is a season for staying in and keeping cosy – but that doesn’t mean you have to stop entertaining. Here are our top tips for making your home extra-inviting for winter festivities and laying a beautiful table without breaking the bank. Dim the lights Remember, whenever you’re entertaining, you want to welcome your guests in with soft, inviting lighting. The number one key is not to have the overhead lights on really bright – use your dimmer switch, if you have one, or better yet, turn off the overheads and use lamps, so the light source is less harsh and easily controllable when you’re all sitting down. Candles are a godsend in winter, adding a cosy touch of hygge to any interior and providing light without intensity. Tea lights…

“I had to learn to trust my gut about what is beautiful,” says plant-lover and committed conservationist Nicky Andrag. She’s relating the story of how she came to start her botanical art studio, Velt, in 2017. It’s a tale that takes off from the point at which, exhausted by the relentless demands of a high-pressure corporate job, Andrag decided to leave the world of IT behind her – and ends with a childhood passion for pressed flowers being transformed into a thriving small creative business. Andrag’s story will sound familiar to many. A creative person at heart, she graduated from South Africa’s Vega School – which focuses on training in design and brand communication – in the late 2000s, but ended up working as a project manager in the field…

Gardening in August • Gorgeous camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas, daphne and hellebores prefer cooler conditions, so plant them now before it gets too warm. • As winter ends, it’s nice to get some bright colours in the garden! Pop seedlings such as viola, hollyhock, carnations, cornflowers, cineraria and poppies in the ground now for an instant visual hit. • After all the rain, moss can be a problem in shady areas of your lawn. Improve your drainage by raking the area and applying sulphate of iron solution (10 grams per square metre) to kill existing moss. • To prep for spring planting, weed your beds and dig in a generous amount of compost and other organic fertiliser. Sow spring seeds now, including peas, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and beans. • Love your…

If Arizona Muse were in charge, soil would be at the top of the endangered list – and she’s not alone in her thinking. The world-famous American model, whose face has graced the cover of more than 40 Vogue magazines, is one of a growing number of high-profile personalities using their fame to urgently spread the word about the global soil crisis. From March to June 2022, Sadhguru, founder of the Isha Foundation in India, rode a motorcycle all the way from London to New Delhi, meeting global leaders and citizens along the way as part of the Conscious Planet ‘Save Soil’ movement to educate about the vital role that soil plays in the planet’s sustainable future. “Soil itself is going extinct,” says Sadhguru. “Fifty-two per cent of the world’s…

SUBSCRIBE TO GOOD AND RECEIVE* Weleda Skin Food and Skin Food Body Lotion duo valued at $54.80. Weleda Skin Food is a deeply nourishing and intensely hydrating whole-body cream that restores and protects the skin. This award-winning formula and celebrity favourite has been around since 1926 and is 100 per cent natural. It includes extracts of organic chamomile, calendula and wild pansy to soothe rough skin with revitalising organic rosemary to boost dull complexions. These calming extracts are gently blended with enriching sunflower, lanolin, sweet almond oils and waxes to provide a fine protective barrier against the ravages of wind and weather. Weleda Skin Food can be used on rough, dry skin anywhere on the body, face, hands, elbows and knees and is excellent for garden or hard-working hands. Free…

I found myself in the company of a harakeke weaver recently and she offered to teach me how to make a basket. I accepted the invitation though I was also a little fearful. This is because I’m a bit of a perfectionist and for years I’ve told myself that I’m not good at craft, which is silly because you don’t know unless you try. Weaving the leaves together – under and over, over and under – I found myself entering a meditative state. A deep sense of calm. Good feature writer Maddie Ballard explains the psychology of crafting on page 14, confirming that craft activities come with a whole host of psychological benefits. Craft activities can not only help you unlock a ‘flow’ state, they can also provide a great…

Steam occurs when warm moist air mixes with cold air and it can cause foggy mirrors, paint damage and wet walls and ceilings, adding significant costs to house maintenance. Damp surfaces are the perfect place for fungus and bacteria to grow, which can cause serious health problems. Moisture also causes slippery floors, and bathroom falls are among the leading causes of accidents in the home. According to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), the average shower releases 1.5 litres of moisture into the air. To prevent this, the EECA recommends putting a lid on shower cubicles to avoid dampness. Showerdome® is a clear acrylic dome that attaches to the shower cubicle top to act as a barrier between moist and cold air thus preventing steam forming, reducing condensation and…

Kate McLeay begins reading from the pile of letters she’s received from inmates who write to thank her, and her sponsors and supporters, for the work she has done within Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison. “It has helped me out a lot through the stressful times that I have been through in this environment,” reads one. “These eight weeks have changed me for the better, taught my brain how to come to stillness, focus on the present moment and then spread that stillness and focus to other areas of my life,” another prisoner shares. And then there’s this one. “This is my first time in jail. I’m overwhelmed with regret. Until I did this course I had terrible issues with ruminating at night. I really feel like mindfulness has helped set…

Travel gamechanger Pocket-sized natural multi-stick BabyButtface, $55, is a gamechanger for skin and travel. It’s lightweight to carry, multi-purpose and like the name says, leaves the skin feeling as smooth as a baby’s bottom. To cleanse, roll it on your face, massage with dry fingers, add water and rinse. It can also be used as a hydration stick, primer, lip and brow balm. hisweet.com.au Skin Food for the body Weleda has expanded its award-winning Skin Food range with a brand new Body Lotion, $29.90, for all over moisturising. The nongreasy, fast-absorbing formulas are gorgeous to use and include an allergy-friendly Unscented Body Lotion, which soothes irritated skin and relieves itching. Developed with dermatologists, it’s perfume- and alcohol-free. The bottles are also made of 97 per cent recycled content (excluding lid…

Kiwi cookie makers Molly Woppy turn 20 this August – time flies when you’re having fun! The brand started in the kitchen of Hayley and Alistair way back in 2002 and quickly grew into a New Zealand favourite. Molly Woppy cookies are created by foodies and chefs using real, quality ingredients, so you can enjoy a truly delicious biscuit. Simple, honest and made with love, they’re batch-made and hand-scooped, just like you’d do at home. Life doesn’t get much better than an artisan Molly Woppy gingerbread man dipped in a mug of your favourite hot drink. Molly Woppy prides itself on carefully selecting the best-quality ingredients, from the smoothest chocolate and most aromatic vanilla pods to the zestiest fruit and zingiest ginger, and you can taste the difference. In line…

Fancy a new set of oven mitts to use next time you’re baking? You can make some easily using a woollen blanket and an old towel. Check out your local opshop for thick blankets. I chose this one because I especially loved the retro tag. To make two mitts you need • 1.4 square metres of blanket fabric• 0.5 square metres of towelling• Sewing thread to match• Sewing machine threaded with a thick needle• Iron and pins For each mitt you need to cut • 1 towelling square (25cm x 25cm)• 2 woollen squares (25cm x 25cm)• 1 thin strip (15cm x 7cm), to make the loop Method Step 1: Take 2 woollen squares and 1 towelling square. Put the woollen and towelling sides you want on the outside of…

Plants need water the same way that we humans do. Much of their structure contains water and they use it along with minerals and sunlight to produce energy to grow. Plants have evolved in their natural environments to utilise water both in its liquid form, as rain, and as a gas in the form of vapour or humidity in the air, so where a plant comes from dictates what kind of moisture levels it needs. In the home environment, plants are completely dependent on you to give them the precious H2O that they require to flourish. More than any other area of plant care, watering causes the most grief for people, and it’s easy to understand why. Water too much and your plants will quickly weaken and die; water too…

Remote and beautiful, the islands of Samoa boast dazzling sands, perfect palm trees and waters so blue they glow. It is also a glorious place for an adventure. Arriving in the morning gave us a magnificent bird’s eye view of how green the Samoan islands are. I landed with friends for a week of sand, sun and adventure. The south coast of Upolu is an area with beaches that are so stunning you would think they had a beauty filter. To get to there is an easy drive on the same side of the road as New Zealand. We passed colourful village houses in bright pinks, reds and yellows, flawless gardens and friendly people waving at us with big smiles. Our destination was Vavau Beach – a sheltered stretch of…

1 Make it last To stop a jar of tomato paste going mouldy, cover the surface of the paste with olive oil. Replace the lid and store in the fridge until you need it again. Thrifty Cooking – collected wisdom from The Country Women’s Association of Victoria Inc. 2 Gut-friendly tip Drink 20 minutes before and after meals, not during. Liquids can dilute digestive juices, making your system work harder than it needs to. The 12 Step Mind-Body-Food Reset by Jessica Sepel 3 Women in olive oil WIOO (Women in Olive Oil) is an online group that began as a Facebook page in 2020 to unite women in the olive industry and has now grown and boasts over 2,000 women in 50 countries. All women are involved in at least…

Started my day enjoying a gorgeous sunny morning in my dressing gown cosily engrossed in Good. Absolutely love the range of articles you cover, it’s an encyclopaedia about living the good life – and living it well. I’m not a gardener and don’t have pets but learnt a new term ‘pet happiness’, gaining an appreciation for pet owners who fuss over their four-legged babies! The ‘Joy of Gardening’ inspired me to drive to Mum’s the next day and pot a cutting that had been sitting for weeks. I chuckled all the way through Wendyl Nissen on social media, and I made a pumpkin cashew curry that night. Of course my next car will definitely be electric. Congratulations Good, you really know how to enrich our wellbeing. Kat Hi there, and…

Hard craft Have you ever sat down with your knitting and found yourself overcome with a sense of calm and wellbeing? Or maybe you get a hit of calm and pleasure from cooking, crocheting or even colouring in. What’s key is that you experience the sensation when you’re doing something crafty – something that results in an output, and that’s creative while not being too strenuous. That sense of calm and wellbeing is more than just a fleeting pleasure. It turns out that craft activities such as knitting come with a whole host of psychological benefits. “That sense of mastery and pleasure you get from doing something with a tangible outcome – that sense of achievement and progress – is really, really good for your wellbeing,” says Dougal Sutherland, clinical…

“K now your limitations.” Those three words were said to me a few months ago when I was visiting my old friend Catriona in Sydney. If anyone else had said this to me I would have told them to shut up, but coming from her, they hit home, hard and fast. We were talking about gardening. I was describing what was probably my worst summer in terms of growing vegetables. My tomatoes didn’t thrive, my beans died, my cauliflower sulked and produced a few tiny heads… the list goes on. Part of the problem is that where I live in the Hokianga, it is very dry in summer and prone to drought. As we are on tank water, I’m not inclined to water too often in case I need that…

Most of us will have heard that connection is vital to our health and happiness. Yet the reality is feeling lonely or even isolated is a common experience – and can impact any of us, particularly when big life changes come our way. Moving to a new place, going through a break-up or divorce, falling out with a close friend or losing a partner, friend or family member to illness, are all events that can spark this experience. Loneliness can also develop gradually, or turn up unexpectedly, for any number of reasons. The global pandemic has brought loneliness into the spotlight with lockdowns isolating people, disrupting relationships and driving up mental illness. But studies show it’s been an issue for a long time now, across many different countries. And one…

Annabel Langbein feels another book coming on – and jokes it could be a sequel to Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence – as she and husband Ted search for a home in Southwest France. Understandably, the process so far hasn’t been straightforward, and they’ve mostly been laughing along the way, even when their Udrive hire car from Paris nearly didn’t last the distance. Taking a €1 deal to drive the car south seemed a good idea at the time! “It was a complete wreck and the longer we drove it, the slower it went and made the most terrible noises. We literally hobbled into Bergerac,” Langbein laughs. They’ve now bought a car, with the help of some French friends, and clocked up more than 3,000km, crisscrossing the countryside like…

On camera, Nici Wickes is exuberant, noisy even, as she cheerily prepares meals for television or Instagram – so the title of her new cookbook, A Quiet Kitchen, comes as a surprise to many. “What, Nici quiet?” she laughs. Yet pottering alone in her kitchen is what Wickes loves best. It’s where she finds solace and joy, recharges her batteries and she’s discovered that living in the small seaside rural community of Port Waikato fills her cup to the point that it is now overflowing with contentment. When lockdown forced Wickes to be in one place, she chose Port Waikato over her rented city apartment. “I learned quite a lot about myself during that time. People around me were like, ‘Are you okay because you’re on your own?’ And I…

joellethomson.com Do you match the wine to the food or the food to the wine? And do the old adages still stand, that white wine is best with fish and red wine with meat? If wine and food matching seems like an old-fashioned rather than modern pastime to you, join the club. We’ve all heard that white wine is too light a match for a medium-rare Argentinian steak and a big bold shiraz is an overpowering wine to drink with a delicate sliver of white fish, but rules are made to be broken, such as that time when we ate fish ’n’ chips on the beach with a light-bodied pinot noir and it tasted like heaven. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Well, yes and no. When…

Acrylic pouring is a fun way to get your creativity flowing and make something beautiful. This technique involves pouring fluid paint onto the canvas then using a straw to move it around. Use Resene testpots diluted with a little water, mixed very well to create a flowing paint. I used Resene Alabaster, Resene Mother Nature, Resene Smitten and Resene Quarter Turbo. You will need • Several sheets of paper and a dropcloth• 4 jars of equal size• Painting canvas• 4 Resene testpots – Resene Alabaster, Resene Mother Nature, Resene Smitten and Resene Quarter Turbo• 4 tin cans, empty and clean• 4 small plastic spoons and 1 plastic knife• Paper straw Method Step 1: Lay out several layers of paper covered by a drop cloth. Set down jars and balance the…

Grow: Wāhine Finding Connection Through Food Sophie Merkens, Beatnik Publishing, $60 A refreshingly honest read that takes us on a journey across Aotearoa, meeting 37 inspiring women who find meaning and connection through food. Around the Table Julia Busuttil Nishimura, Plum/Pan Macmillan Australia, $45 Australia’s best-loved home cook perfectly matches dishes to time and place. Around the Table presents recipes for everything from quick weeknight meals to indulgences for summer feasts. I Am Autistic Chanelle Moriah, Allen & Unwin, $30 An interactive and informative guide to autism, I Am Autistic is a tool for both diagnosed and undiagnosed autistics to explain or make sense of their experiences. It also offers non-autistic people the chance to learn more about autism. Rob’s Kitchen Sophia Cameron, Blue Star Press, $50 A recipe book…