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THE IDEAL BLEND

There’s a saying that sometimes life gives you exactly what you need, when you need it. That’s what happened to Aucklanders Anna and Andrew Methven when they were house-hunting four years ago. The couple met in 2011 when Andrew was an executive chef at SkyCity and Anna a florist. Having spent a few years renting, they were looking for a house for their merged family of four daughters, ranging from teenagers to a six-year-old. “We were looking for a five-bedroom house so each of the girls could have their own room,” Anna says. At the time, the couple were renting in central Auckland but despite a year of house-hunting, they couldn’t find anything to suit their specifications or budget. “A north-facing house that would give us lots of sunshine was also high…

THE IDEAL BLEND
TalkBack Shuta Shinoda

TalkBack Shuta Shinoda

Engineer Shuta Shinoda discovered his knack for sound while in London as a 19 year-old, having initially come to the city from Tokyo to study English. Returning to Japan for a brief spell to work in Tokyo’s now-closed Sunrise Studio, it wasn’t long before he was back in the UK studying audio engineering at SAE. “I always wanted to come back to London again,” he says. “It’s just much more fun!” Now Shinoda is based at London’s highly respected Hackney Road Studios, where he has been based since 2010. There he has engineered acclaimed albums for the likes of Hot Chip, Ghostpoet and Anna Meredith — who you may remember singing Shinoda’s praises in our feature on her album FIBS. Here, Shinoda takes us through the importance of maintaining momentum through…

Sun savvy

Natural oils with a high SPF include carrot seed oil (35-40) and red raspberry seed oil (25-60.) IT’S no wonder all ancient cultures worshipped the sun in some form. The sun gives us light and heat to cultivate crops for energy. Without sufficient sun, our moods darken and diseases increase. The sun triggers serotonin which gives calm clarity and releases melatonin for sleep. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can set in without sunlight. Sunshine also supports vitamin D production which is vital for vision, healthy bones, type 2 diabetes management, and immunity. A little sun is also considered a cancer preventive as those living in low daylight areas are more prone to cancers of the colon, kidney, ovaries, pancreas and prostate. Skin conditions like acne, eczema, jaundice and psoriasis often benefit from sunbathing…

Sun savvy
The alkaline cure

The alkaline cure

“Acidic-tasting foods, such as lemon, are not necessarily acid-forming. In fact lemon, once digested, actually has an alkalising effect on the body.” FOR over 100 years, the teachings of Dr Franz Xaver Mayr have formed the basis of one of the most effective European diet and health regimes. Mayr, born in Austria in 1875, pioneered a radical new approach to wellness. One of his pupils, Dr Eric Rauch, opened the first Mayr health clinic in Dellach, Austria. This clinic, The Original F.X. Mayr Health Center, is much admired, much copied, and a source of help to many. The alkaline cure evolved from research begun by Mayr, and is based on clinical understanding of the effects different foods have on the digestive system. According to the Mayr philosophy, good digestion is the most…

Natural beauty

Star ingredient: Rose “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet ...” well, clearly Juliet had not sniffed some of the synthetic fragrances passed off as ‘rose’ today. Treat your skin and your senses to the anti-ageing and mood-boosting health and beauty benefits of true rose essential oil and pure rosewater. Try: Zen Botanics Bulgarian Rose Hydration Mist ($25.00, www.zenbotanics.com.au) and Weleda Wild Rose Creamy Body Wash ($17.95, www.weleda.com.au) Expert tip: Practise what you preach As children we are taught never to say anything negative or discouraging that could hurt someone’s feelings or leave them feeling less than they are. Then, as adults, we teach those same lessons to children. But are we, in fact, practising what we preach? Maybe you don’t say it out loud, you only think it, but whenever…

Natural beauty
BEACHED AS, BRO?

BEACHED AS, BRO?

Continuing on from the theme set in my column in the December 2020 issue of NZ4WD magazine about beach use, and that summer means beach time for many with often the use of a vehicle to get to a spot on a beach for picnics, camping and maybe fishing. Perhaps that is not going to be our future, despite increasing desires to escape the crowds. With a growing population, the pressures on beaches around Auckland are rapidly creating management problems. Inner city beaches are crowded, and nearby parking is diabolical. The lure of the wilder west coast beaches with their black sands and surf is strong too and Auckland Council data showed that on the 2020 Labour Day, 580 vehicles drove onto Muriwai Beach. Unfortunately, not all of those vehicles stayed on…

BLUES LEAD

BLUES LEAD

As Hendrix taught us, there’s a blurry line between rhythm and lead guitar. After tackling the chords for a 12-bar blues, this month Paul takes on a single-note riff. Jenna’s example could work as a rhythm part, especially if someone else is playing chords, or as the basis for a lead solo. Early blues masters who played unaccompanied like John Lee Hooker or Robert Johnson would often employ repetitive, rhythmic licks to keep the groove going. You can also improvise over the backing track using the E minor pentatonic scale. Don’t be afraid to experiment – a dodgy note never hurt anyone! JENNA SCARAMANGA Jenna has taught guitar for 15 years at music colleges, schools, and IGF summer camps. She studied with Guthrie Govan at BIMM, and was classic rock columnist for…

GROW YOUR OWN BLUEBERRIES

Blueberries are a fantastic addition to the home garden, be it contained on a balcony or sprawling across acres, due to their adaptability and longevity – a happy mature blueberry bush can produce fruit for many years. DESCRIPTION Blueberries are a perennial woody bush originating from North America. They can be deciduous or semi-deciduous, with a stunning autumn display of colour; or evergreen, depending on the variety and where they are grown. Bushes range in size from around one metre through to more than two metres tall, making them great for anything from growing in pots to creating edible hedges. Blueberry bushes develop delicate white and pink bell-shaped flowers, adored by bees in late winter and spring. The bushes produce fruit through summer and into autumn. Most varieties are self-pollinating, meaning you only…

GROW YOUR OWN BLUEBERRIES

THE PLATING GAME

DAME LISA CARRINGTON Olympic Canoeist Without fail, whoever I mentioned this interview to reacted along the lines of, “I love Lisa Carrington!” Among the canon of famous Kiwis, she certainly stands out. Our most successful ever Olympian – with five gold medals and one bronze for flatwater canoeing – she was named a dame in this year’s New Year’s Honours list for services to sport, and scooped both Sportswoman of the Year and the Supreme Award at the Halberg Awards last month. Somehow, she also finds time to be an ambassador for 5+ a day – and a keen cook. We caught up to discuss her go-to fish tacos and memorable overseas dining experiences. What are some of your favourite things to eat in late summer/early autumn? Lisa: I love salads when it’s hot…

THE PLATING GAME

What we’re watching

Karrin MacLeod, business manager Men in Kilts: It is a road trip through Scotland – the stars (Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish of Outlander) explore their heritage, meet local artisans, food, music…etc. It’s bloody brilliant. Available on NEON Alexandra Blackwood, digital editor The Bold Type: Like a more realistic Devil Wears Prada, The Bold Type is a juicy series about three young women working at a sex magazine. It’s light, it’s fun, it’s the perfect distraction from the fact that the walls seem to be inching inward with each day we spend above level 1… Available on Netflix The English Game: When you like pretty fiction and your partner likes sport, there is middle ground to be found in a beautiful, romantic period drama that just happens to centre around football. The English Game…

What we’re watching
Double act

Double act

In early March 2020 a group of actors were being miked up as they took their seats at a grand U-shaped table inside Amazon’s Australian headquarters. Scripts clutched in their hands, they swallowed nervously as they looked at the giant screen that was live-streaming them to the US; where the company’s top execs had gathered to take stock. It was time to do the first read through of a script that had the weight of the nation’s expectations on its shoulders. Looking around her, Rebecca Gibney sensed the tension of the younger cast members and gave them a reassuring smile. “It will be okay,” she assured them all. “Let’s just have fun.” “And we did,” she recounts now of the first time the Back to the Rafters cast assembled, eight years after…

Nadia Lim LOVE, LOSS & FIGHTING BACK

Nadia Lim LOVE, LOSS & FIGHTING BACK

“I’m not sure I buy into this whole concept of balance,” laughs Kiwi food star Nadia Lim. It’s 11am on a Thursday and she’s sitting down to chat at her rural Arrowtown home after another hectic morning. Up at 6am, she’s fed the chooks, harvested the day’s takings from the glasshouse, made the lunches, got the kids up and off, met with farm staff, finished the final pages of her latest seasonal journal, organised publicity for her new family cookbook and prepared for a trip to Auckland for her new role as a MasterChef NZ judge. Nadia, excuse the pun, is a woman with an awful lot on her plate. “It is a bit chaotic at the moment, but this is just what my life is like!” she explains. “I keep telling…

HAPPILY NEVER AFTER

HAPPILY NEVER AFTER

Simone and Ravi were one of those couples other married people thought of as perfect. They had a successful small business, three amazing kids and spoke of more ups than downs when they saw friends. So when the time came for Simone, 43, to tell family and friends that the 18-year marriage was over, their surprise said it all. “Everyone was shocked,” she says. “From my mum to the neighbours and our work team, no one could believe it.” Worse than shock was the sadness that they responded with. “A mum from school burst into tears because she said if we couldn’t make it together, how could anyone else? Everyone thought we were solid. That was part of the problem – nobody knew we’d been drifting apart for years.” The average age for divorce…

LEGO MASTERS OLI & CHARLIE’S TRIUMPH ‘TOUGH LOVE HELPED US WIN!’

LEGO MASTERS OLI & CHARLIE’S TRIUMPH ‘TOUGH LOVE HELPED US WIN!’

Growing up in Palmerston North, Oli and Charlie Mollard’s parents taught them that actions had consequences – and that arguing with each other meant nobody would win. And it was this “tough love” that helped the contestants take out the Lego Masters NZ trophy last week. “Pretty much the only thing that we ever fought over when we were younger was Lego, specifically random bits like glow-in-the-dark bricks that we both wanted to use,” remembers Charlie, 19. “Our parents would put the bricks on top of the fridge so neither of us could have them and that’s how we learned not to fight. We had our moments on the show, but we knew that if we start arguing and disagreeing, then it was just going to stuff things up and make them…

Great Kiwi Bake Off judge Dean ‘I MARRIED MY EX-WIFE!’

There’s elements of Kiwi baker Dean Brettschneider’s life that sound like scenes from an unlikely rom-com – from finding love with Danish beauty Vibeke Kring Voltzmann while still married to someone else, to navigating a long-distance relationship and blending families, then divorcing… only to remarry amid a pandemic! Now, after decades travelling the world while building his empire, the Great Kiwi Bake Off judge is relishing the blissful ending marked by the couple’s second nuptials. “It’s better this time,” Rangiora-born Dean, 52, tells Woman’s Day from Denmark, where the pair now live. “I’m present and we’re doing things together – all the stuff we never did that normal couples do. Our love and attraction are rekindled in a stronger way.” The messy love story starts in Dunedin, where he opened his first bakery…

Great Kiwi Bake Off judge Dean ‘I MARRIED MY EX-WIFE!’
Adele & Rich FEELING THE PRESSURE!

Adele & Rich FEELING THE PRESSURE!

That’s not amore! They should have been having the time of their lives as they sailed around Sardinia on their luxe Italian vacation, but Adele and boyfriend Rich Paul looked like they wanted to be anywhere else as they sat stony-faced in the sun. The sullen pair later appeared to be exchanging terse words while sitting together on the back of the vessel. Sources reveal the once-loved-up couple are starting to feel the pressure of their high-profile romance. With Rich, 40, recently confessing his desire to have more kids and Adele, 34, forced to cancel her Las Vegas residency, friends say things are simply “all too much” for the duo, who are navigating their year-long relationship after the singer’s sad divorce with Simon Konecki was finalised in 2021. JEN MAKES PEACE WITH STEPMUM She once…

TREND SETTERS

Want a change and not sure where to start? The cooler months are the perfect time to get out of your hair rut and embrace something new. Traditionally, winter means we go darker and let our locks grow, but this season there’s a whole new class of bold and exciting trends taking over. From fantasy dye jobs to curtain bangs and natural curls, here’s some inspiration for your next trip to the hair salon. THE UNDONE BOB The square bob is a huge hit this season, but we’re steering away from the sleek ’90s style with flicked ends to a laid-back look that can take you into the warmer months easily. “This winter is about a hair texture that is more relaxed, but there’s a strong technical haircut behind this relaxed vibe…

TREND SETTERS

Rebecca Gibney’s tears ‘I’M DOING IT FOR MY SON’

When Rebecca Gibney was asked to go on Celebrity MasterChef Australia, the Kiwi actress said no. Then her 17-year-old son Zac found out about it. “He was absolutely ropeable because he loves the show so much,” Rebecca laughs, speaking from their family home in Dunedin. “He was like, ‘Mum, if you’re going to do a reality show, that’s the only one you can do… Seriously!’ And I wanted him to be proud of me.” So the Back To The Rafters and Halifax: Retribution star rang back to say yes. “While he’s still at home, for the little while that he’s got left, I thought, ‘I want to do it for him.’” Rebecca, who has been married to TV producer Richard Bell for almost 20 years, admits she doesn’t really cook because she doesn’t…

Rebecca Gibney’s tears ‘I’M DOING IT FOR MY SON’
Raw vs JPEG

Raw vs JPEG

1 First decision When you’re setting up your camera for the first time, one of the decisions that you have to make is what file format you want to shoot in. This usually comes down to a choice of two formats, JPEG and raw, with the option to shoot both simultaneously. If you’re new to photography and the concept of editing images, JPEGs make a good choice because they are universally recognised and can be opened and viewed by any image-viewing or editing software. You can upload them to Facebook or email them to a friend and they are visible. Raw files, on the other hand, can only be opened and viewed in specialist software. Thankfully, this is provided by the camera manufacturer and there are alternatives from third-party software companies like Adobe,…

into TEMPTATION

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE, HAZELNUT AND ESPRESSO CAKE SERVES 8 400g dark (70%) chocolate, chopped150g unsalted butter, chopped, softened6 eggs1 cup (250g) brown sugar1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar3/4 cup (75g) hazelnut meal1/2 cup (50g) good-quality dark cocoa1/3 cup (80ml) espresso, at room temperature Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 24cm springform cake pan and line the base and side with baking paper. Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. Vigorously whisk the eggs and sugars together in a bowl until well combined and sugar has partially dissolved. Whisk in hazelnut meal, cocoa, espresso and cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Place pan on a baking tray and bake for 50 minutes…

into TEMPTATION

CURRY CRAZE

“I LOVE A HANDY HACK, AND PRE-MADE CURRY PASTES ARE A GREAT WAY TO INFUSE BIG, BOLD THAI AND INDIAN FLAVOURS IN ANY MEAL WITH ABSOLUTE EASE.” @phoeberosewood MUSSELS IN CHILLI CURRY BUTTER WITH SPRING ONION PANCAKES SERVES 4 1 tbs grapeseed oil4 eschalots, thinly sliced4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced3cm piece (15g) ginger, finely chopped2 tbs yellow curry paste1 tbs chilli jam100g unsalted butter, chopped1½ tbs oyster sauce2 tbs white wine1kg pot-ready musselsCoriander leaves, to serveSpring onion pancakes (from supermarkets), cooked, to serve In a large shallow frypan or wok, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add eschalot, garlic and ginger, and cook for 2-3 minutes until just softened. Add curry paste and chilli jam, and, cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes until lightly caramelised. Add butter and oyster sauce, and cook, stirring constantly, until…

CURRY CRAZE

RUINING REVOLVERS?

It all started when I joined SASS and registered as a Classic Cowboy. Under the guidelines of this category, I selected my outfit to resemble an 1880’s working cowpuncher. As I began to assume my new persona, Curly Strait, research led me to believe they were mostly a rather “down at the heel” bunch—generally good, honest and hard-working fellers, but underpaid and lacking in top of the line “eeequipment.” I just couldn’t see myself in brand spanking new duds with brand spanking new guns assuming the role of a working cowpoke. I bought my duds secondhand and proceeded to age them by falling down in the dirt and dust, mud and grass, and wiping them with oil and grease, generally abusing both the clothes and me right down to bleeding…

RUINING REVOLVERS?

MY HAVEN

Who lives with you? My flatmate, aka my lockdown wife, Shareen. We made our house into a health camp over lockdown last year, as I had just come out of breast cancer surgery. We’ve since had a couple move into our previous flatmate’s room – Carlos from Columbia and Kim from Canada. Sadly, no pets. I love dogs, but I work too hard and normally travel too much. Instead, I’m one of those crazy ladies who will cross the road to pat a dog, just to get my doggie fix. Tell us about your house. Our home is spacious and we have three bedrooms, three bathrooms and an office, so there is heaps of room to live in your own space or choose to be more social. We are all quite…

MY HAVEN

Taking CARE of Jacinda

“Let’s have a cup of tea,” says the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. “I’ll put the kettle on.” These are not words I was expecting as we sat down to chat at her very humble electorate office in Morningside, Auckland. But then there’s a lot about our Prime Minister that is unexpected. Not least the fact that while she has led our country through one of the best Covid-19 responses in the world and continues to manage her team of 5 million day in and day out, she has also remained healthy and sane. I’m sure I was not the only person during those first frightening weeks, as the pandemic swept the world a year ago, to wonder how she was getting through such a stressful time. Is she okay? Is she…

Taking CARE of Jacinda

THE LADY AND HER BEAST

THE SUN HANGS LOW OVER Birnham Hill on the evening of Saturday, October 7, and Georgina Ballantine is keen to make the most of the evening light (the clocks are due to go back the next day). They have already landed three large salmon, fishing in place of the Laird who felt indisposed, and Melvin the boatman (“blind of one eye” and taking size nine boots) has knocked off at five. Her father James settles back at his oars, and Ina steps into the boat, and into her immortal place in piscatorial history. In 1922, she was 32 years of age. James had been the last of the Caputh ferrymen on the Tay, before the road bridge was built there in 1888 to mark Queen Victoria's Jubilee. Since then, he had…

THE LADY AND HER BEAST
All Hands on Deck

All Hands on Deck

How does it play? There’s going to be a whole cottage industry of Steam Deck accessories – the versatile USB-C dock, the fastest micro SD card, the most convenient travel keyboard and mouse – but I’m here to tell you that the single best Steam Deck accessory is a throw pillow. It turns out that the small, overly firm decorative pillows have been on our couches all this time just waiting for a higher calling: a Steam Deck to plop down on top of them. After hours of gaming on Valve’s new handheld PC I’m amazed by how capable it is, but that power comes at a heavy price. As in, like, the Steam Deck is really heavy. It’s inescapably a bulky device, weighing 68% more than the Nintendo Switch and 38%…

Zenith Amplitude Controller

Zenith Amplitude Controller

Hamstead knows a thing or two about creating tone and its new pedal, the Zenith Amplitude Controller, is all about getting the best tone out of your own equipment by offering EQ, boost and compression in one place. The signal path is all analogue, but three selectable routing options and some clever digital switching technology give you plenty of options for using the EQ and compression separately or combined. SOUNDS The three EQ knobs each offer 15dB of cut or boost with some selectable options on how the Middle operates: you can have centre frequencies of 500Hz, 800Hz or 1.2 kHz, and wide, medium and narrow Q (bandwidth). This is quality musical tone-tweaking, with the Bass knob rolling off unwanted weight or adding girth without sounding flabby, the Treble knob adjusting the…

Eat right for your shape

Eat right for your shape

Spices such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, and black pepper aid in the digestion of proteins and fats. THERE are four common body types, one of which will characterise your shape: banana, pear, apple, and hourglass. This is the natural body shape you’re born with, but it can change according to your lifestyle. You may be a vata but have increased weight and so may look like a kapha. Eat according to the body shape you were born with. By choosing a lifestyle that balances your unique type, you’ll find you can achieve great success in rectifying the common weight issues associated with your body shape. What shape are you? Banana – vata Bananas naturally maintain a long, thin, linear shape with a narrow waist, hips and shoulders, and longer limbs. They’re lucky…

THE ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

THE ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

BIG BOOKS Parenting is challenging to say the least. And if you feel you need a little guidance and objective advice, these books could be just the thing. Raising Girls in the Twenty-first Century By Steve Biddulph (Thorsons), R209 Times are changing, and we’re raising our girls for a future we can barely imagine. Girls today need to be strong, but without losing their open hearts and compassion. The book promises to help you navigate girlhood from the early days, to friendships, social media and sexual harassment with practical advice and real-life examples. Kindfulness By Padraig O’Morain (Yellow Kite Books), R176 “Self care” and “me time” have become social media buzz words, but what do they really mean for you as a parent? The author encourages you to be kind to yourself with simple and practical exercises…

Mixing Atmos: Morten Lindberg

Mixing Atmos: Morten Lindberg

The title of this series is only partly applicable to Morten Lindberg. The Norwegian engineer, producer and record label boss is undeniably a specialist in Atmos — but there’s no mixing involved. Instead, Lindberg aims to make immersive multichannel recordings that can be played back directly on a 3D speaker setup with no additional balancing or processing. It’s a logical extension of the purist ‘straight to stereo’ approach that is favoured by many audiophiles; and since every stage of the process from recording to release is under Lindberg’s control, there is no external pressure to do things differently. “I started out as a recording engineer back in the early ’90s, working mainly with classical, traditional folk and jazz music. Anything sounding in a natural acoustic environment was on my radar. Norway…

Superfoods at every meal

CHANCES are, you probably eat kale, honey, eggs, coconut oil, quinoa, sweet potatoes, blueberries, walnuts, and Greek yoghurt already – but maybe not on a daily basis. That's where these recipes come to the rescue; each incorporates two or more of these ultra-healthy foods into every dish, so you'll see how easy it is to make nourishing meals every adult and child – no matter how picky! – will enjoy. Blueberry bruschetta • Blueberries • Honey A perfect party-worthy appetiser! Enjoy it on toast or by the spoonful. I won’t judge. Makes 18 to 24 pieces, depending on the bread • 110g organic blueberries, mashed• 110g diced grape tomatoes• 1 tablespoon basil paste or 20 fresh basil leaves• 1 tablespoon honey, plus more for drizzling• ¼ teaspoon sea salt• 1 tablespoon olive oil• 1…

Superfoods at every meal

TOWER POWER

Americans are KNOWN for their love of FITNESS whereas the FRENCH had, stereotypically, PREFERRED to sit in cafes and WATCH passers-by. Today, that has ALL changed. It all started with Parisian resident Giuseppe. He loves to run, which wasn’t always the case. For many years, he sat at a desk running his company and he was starting to get a bit tubby, so he decided to embrace a new hobby. Within six months of rising early to run around beautiful lakes and along tree-lined running paths he was back to his trim self. Now he runs marathons. To help him achieve his upmost level of fitness he hired trainer Zaima Bouta, a high-school physical education teacher who works for the start-ups Urban Running and Urban Challenge. Founded by Jean-Philippe Benoist in 2012, the…

TOWER POWER
Positive Grid Spark Mini Modelling Guitar Amplifier

Positive Grid Spark Mini Modelling Guitar Amplifier

The Spark Mini is the latest in Positive Grid’s Spark range of digital modelling practice amps. These are designed to give the player access to a huge variety of emulated amps and effects, covering every imaginable genre and style, and they do that job very well. I recently reviewed the Positive Grid Spark 40, and came away impressed — there’s still one on the desk in front of me — and the new Mini, despite being significantly smaller, offers up all of the same modelling functionality and app integration. To find out how that side of things works, see www.soundonsound. com/reviews/positive-grid-spark-40. Crammed into the Mini’s tiny cuboid cabinet are Bluetooth audio, USB-C audio interfacing, and a built-in battery. Connect the amp with the app on your mobile device and you can use…

Careers 101

Careers 101

OVER the past 20 months, the Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATMS) has transformed its accredited education program into a structured program with three distinct levels: Minimum education standards: “We’ve defined these for each modality we offer for member accreditation (http://www.atms.com.au/minimum-education-standards/),” says CEO Charles Wurf. “These standards are the key for the future skill-base of natural medicine practitioners, and they are what ATMS accepts when it works with colleges and students considering becoming accredited members.” Recognised provider of education: “ATMS has a formal program where we recognise a college or education provider,” explains Wurf. “We generally follow the regulatory models, so if the college is already a registered training organisation (RTO) or operating in higher education, this will satisfy us. But we also have an exception capacity for colleges that operate outside the…

Earth healer

Earth healer

WHEN so much of the planet is in need of our attention, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and not know where to start: “How can I, as one little person out of billions, make a difference?”, we wonder. Dr Mahdi Mason believes you can. After years of not fully connecting to the environment and animals around her, she found that, like so many others, she was getting sucked into a corporate cycle of work and burnout: she had lost her connection with the earth. Through reconnecting to her roots, she discovered a way we can all heal ourselves, and heal our planet in the process. She shares her thoughts on how we can all start this journey with Amy Taylor-Kabbaz. How did your new book, Earth Healing, come to be? It…

Set amazing goals

Set amazing goals

Your greatest asset is this day, right now, right here. There is no better time to start turning your life around and manifesting what you want. YOU need to know where you want to go and what you want to do in life, and goals will provide you with an essential road map. Without this information, you'll be lost, adrift. I learned about goal setting from my father, and it's one of the most valuable things he ever taught me. Use these guidelines to set yourself some amazing, knee-trembling, life-enhancing goals! Think big If you don't know where to begin or feel like you have absolutely no ambition, take some time out for yourself and just allow your mind to wander. Give yourself permission to dream. Get somewhere comfortable and drift away on…

THE PUBLIC/PRIVATE CONUNDRUM

THE PUBLIC/PRIVATE CONUNDRUM

It is a curious phenomenon that when you own a particular model of vehicle, you seem to notice greater numbers of that model than you ever did before! Back in August 2020, for instance, I was afflicted by that after-effect of a Covid-19 shutdown that led people to go and buy things. In my case it was an impromptu visit to a Jeep showroom that resulted in driving away in a new Wrangler JL Unlimited Rubicon a day later. Yes, it does go well and has since been places like the 42 Traverse, Woodhill Off Road Park etc., but so far, the scratches have been able to be polished out. However, what I was alluding to is the number of other new Wranglers that I am now seeing on the Auckland roads.…

Make it MEXICAN

vegan tacos with orange salsa serves 6 | prep 15 mins | cooking 5 mins 60ml ( 1 /4 cup) vegetable oil 2 tbs Mexican spice mix 2 tbs fresh lime juice 750g firm tofu, sliced 1 red onion, finely chopped 1 large orange, segmented, chopped 1 cup chopped fresh coriander 18 soft mini tortillas 2 avocados, sliced Baby cos lettuce, vegan mayonnaise, chilli sauce, fresh baby herbs and lime halves, to serve 1 Preheat a barbecue grill or chargrill pan over high heat. Combine the oil, spice mix and 1 tbs lime juice in a small bowl. Brush the tofu all over with the mixture. Cook for 2 minutes. Brush the tofu again. Turn and cook for a further 2 minutes or until tofu is golden. 2 Meanwhile, combine the onion, orange, coriander and remaining 1 tbs lime juice in a bowl. 3…

Make it MEXICAN
Campfire Tales...

Campfire Tales...

IT WAS A balmy May evening in the middle Drakensberg; Royce Buckle and I were enjoying a fire under the stars. Born in Tanganyika, Royce grew up on a farm before becoming a ‘white hunter’ as East African professional hunters were called back in the 1950s. Now in his eighties, Royce lives near Winterton, and in recent years we have become firm friends. We talk the same language – a language which, nowadays, fewer and fewer people can or want to talk… guns, game and hunting, mostly. “I saw a lone hartebeest walk across that hillside this morning,” I said. “A century ago, hartebeest were plentiful in the Berg. Two freak blizzards wiped most of them out.” Royce nodded, “It can get bitterly cold up here in winter. The townie hikers…

IN SEASON: SWEET CORN

IN SEASON: SWEET CORN

Sweet corn and sunshine is such a happy pairing. A pot of steaming cobs – you know, the smell of corn mingling with the hay-like aroma from the silk that fills the air as they cook – just smells like summer. White bread with plenty of butter, steamed corn, salt and pepper, eaten outdoors without manners sums up one of my favourite childhood summer food memories, but after a few meals of the season’s first sweet and tender sweet corn served au naturel, it’s time to move on. I’m straight in there piling on the flavour to create the best slurp-fest ever: Mexican-style, laden with butter, parmesan and mayo (YEP! Butter AND mayo), sharpened with lime and spiked with chilli. There’s everything going on with this dish, all my favourites: richness,…

the big day

Herb and Goat’s Cheese Stuffed Chicken in Maple Bacon Chicken thigh meat gets a cheesy herb stuffing then wrapped in maple-glazed bacon, keeping the meat tender and juicy. 6 large boneless chicken thighs, skin off 400 grams streaky bacon 3 fresh bay leaves, optional maple syrup, for brushing Stuffing 100 grams baby spinach ½ cup frozen baby peas, thawed 2 cloves garlic, crushed finely grated zest 1 lemon 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted ½ cup each parsley and basil leaves ¼ cup fresh breadcrumbs, gluten-free or regular 100 grams soft goat’s or feta cheese sea salt and ground pepper Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. Stuffing: Place the spinach in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Stir to wilt then drain well. Refresh in cold water then roll up in a clean tea towel and squeeze out excess water. Place in a food processor with the…

the big day

Meet adorable Ava ‘I STILL HAVE TO PINCH MYSELF!’

It’s 9am on a Thursday and Laura Tupou is breathing a sigh of relief. After almost three weeks isolating at home as COVID swept through her young family, the broadcaster has just dropped her two-year-old Amalia back at daycare. “It’s been a long haul,” admits Laura as she settles down at her kitchen table to chat with Woman’s Day over Zoom. Her partner Andrew Patterson, an associate dean at the University of Auckland business school, hands baby Ava to her as he heads to the home office to begin his day. Lifting the adorable five-month-old up to the camera, the TV star coos, “Say hi, Ava! She’s been such a lovely addition to our family. “Getting used to having two has been quite full on, but she’s chill, quiet and goes with the…

Meet adorable Ava ‘I STILL HAVE TO PINCH MYSELF!’

J.LO & BEN’S PUBLIC MARRIAGE MELTD OWN

‘The honeymoon period is well and truly over for them’ When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck tied the knot last year, after rekindling a romance that had lain dormant for almost two decades, it seemed not even a movie script could have been more romantic. Their idyllic August wedding in the American south indicated that “Bennifer 2.0” would get their happily ever after – which is why friends were so surprised to see them looking so gloomy in each other’s company at the Grammy Awards. Fans and onlookers alike were quick to note that every time the camera panned to Ben, 50, and his 53-year-old bride, the couple seemed locked in a tense exchange. “However bad of a day you’re having, I promise you’re not as miserable as Ben Affleck at the Grammys right…

J.LO & BEN’S PUBLIC MARRIAGE MELTD OWN
JAMES BULGER’S MUM’S PLEA ‘PLEASE DON’T FREE MY BABY BOY’S KILLER’

JAMES BULGER’S MUM’S PLEA ‘PLEASE DON’T FREE MY BABY BOY’S KILLER’

It was the brutal murder that had us struggling to understand how two 10-year-old boys could abduct, torture, and kill a two-year-old. The grainy CCTV imagery of Jon Venables leading James Bulger by the hand, with his accomplice Robert Thompson just ahead, remains a haunting one. The two small primary school boys looked as though they could be the toddler’s big brothers on an outing. For James’ shattered parents, Denise Fergus and Ralph Bulger, this was when their waking nightmare began. And 29 years since that terrible day, they continue to fight for justice for their baby boy. “There is no doubt in my mind that he is still capable of evil,” Denise told a UK newspaper last week as she prepares to mount a fight to keep Venables behind bars as his…

MAFS STARS WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

MAFS STARS WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

JAKE & BECK: NOT SPEAKING! The pair shocked fans by pledging to stay together and give their volatile relationship a go in the real world, but unsurprisingly, it was all downhill from there. At the Reunion Grand Finale, video was shown of Rebecca Zemek kissing another man on a trip home to Perth. She’d claimed she was visiting her sick dog and her “shocked” groom Jake Edwards said, “I’d played the fool. I felt like an idiot.” Jake has since cut all ties with Beck and confirmed he’s in a relationship with influencer Sophie Guidolin, while Beck has confessed to “cheating”, and is trying hard to become an influencer herself. Jake reveals now, “We haven’t spoken one word to each other since that moment and I haven’t responded to any of her messages…

Vaz & Brittany reveal ‘WE DANCED OUR WAY TO TRUE LOVE!’

While gearing up for Dancing With The Stars back in April, software developer and reality star Alex Vaz told Woman’s Day, “Hopefully I can woo girls with lovely dance moves one day!” The 28-year-old South African-born Kiwi was feeling “love burnout” following two mentally taxing attempts at finding “the one” on Heartbreak Island and then The Bachelorette NZ, so while he joked about tangoing his way into women’s hearts, romance wasn’t on his radar. Yet when he woke up the morning after being eliminated and knew he wouldn’t be seeing dance partner Brittany Coleman that day, Vaz grasped what a spellbinding bond dance had brought into his life. “Realising we no longer had excuses to hang out was the hardest part of the show,” Vaz reflects. “Without rehearsals after work, I suddenly stopped seeing…

Vaz & Brittany reveal ‘WE DANCED OUR WAY TO TRUE LOVE!’

THE SON WHO SOLVED HIS OWN MURDER

At the end of a lengthy murder trial, the piece of circumstantial evidence that led Alex Murdaugh to be convicted of double homicide was provided by his dead son. The video, recorded by 22-year-old Paul just moments before he was shot and killed, showed one of the family’s dogs and captured his father’s voice in the background, placing the once-powerful patriarch at the scene of the crime. The clip – which the 54-year-old attorney reportedly knew nothing about until his six-week trial began – was enough to ensure he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife Maggie and youngest son Paul. Despite this, Murdaugh insisted throughout the trial that he had nothing to do with the killings. “I am innocent,” Murdaugh said on the witness stand.…

THE SON WHO SOLVED HIS OWN MURDER

Connie & Rach ‘WE’VE GOT OUR’ OWN ARMY!’

There’s not much that can faze former army corporal-turned-real estate agent Rachel Martin after being deployed everywhere from Egypt, East Timor and Bougainville to remote corners of Aotearoa. So when her Team Purple partner and bestie Janah Kingi decided to quit The Block NZ after COVID-19 hit, the Papamoa-based mum-of-three wasted no time finding a suitable replacement – and who better than her fellow former army buddy Connie King? “I knew Connie would be a good fit,” tells Rach, 42, who has three children, Jayde, 18, Quin, 16, and Liam, 15, with her partner of 21 years, former army officer Graeme Preston, 46. “She’s a good friend and an electrician, and I knew she’d be amazing. I rang her and she said yes straightaway!” It was a no-brainer for 40-year-old Connie. The sparkie and…

Connie & Rach ‘WE’VE GOT OUR’ OWN ARMY!’

The top 10 Canon cameras

There’s a Canon camera for everyone. From cutting-edge EOS R mirrorless cameras to slim vlogger-friendly PowerShot compacts, from lightweight EOS M travel cameras to the good old EOS DSLRs, Canon has arguably the most complete camera portfolio in the world of imaging. We’ve had the mammoth task of whittling this incredible catalogue down to the ten key cameras that we reckon are the best. Our list spans the whole gamut, every digital camera type and lens mount. Canon EOS R3 ● Street price around £5,879 ● www.canon.co.uk The EOS R3 is Canon’s mirrorless flagship. If speed is your main concern, you can’t go far wrong with the R3 – so long as you’ve got the budget. Its spec includes 30fps shooting (using the electronic shutter) and a world-record top shutter speed of 1/64,000sec. The full-frame…

The top 10 Canon cameras

FIELDS OF GOLD

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how Champagne secured its hold over the world. Perhaps it was when Louis XV’s celebrated mistress Madame de Pompadour declared it “the only wine in the world that makes every lady beautiful”. Seductive. Smooth. Effervescent. Elegant. The go-to for celebrations of every kind; the drop of choice from movie stars to royalty to Formula One drivers atop the podium. We are captivated by its glamour, its taste of success, but also the history it represents. The story behind Champagne is as compelling as the drink itself. The popular tale of the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon accidentally discovering bubbles in the 18th century is part of the romance (although not strictly accurate; it was more a new technique of in-the-bottle fermentation). Hence, many head to Champagne’s spiritual…

FIELDS OF GOLD

THE CHEF AND THE BUTCHER

A: I have always been a breast man. C: *chokes on his food* A: What’s wrong with you? I’m talking chicken. I have always been a breast man, but I think 2021 is the year of the thigh. C: I think coming out of Covid, thighs are thick and chunky, so let’s celebrate them. They’re bigger and better. A: We’ve all piled it on. We’re all a bit chunky, we’re all a bit thick… C: Everyone cooks at home now and this is a comfort food. Chicken and leek is a base. A: Why is thigh good for a pie? Because it’s thick. ‘Thicc’! Anyway, what makes a good pie? It’s pastry… C: You blanch the chicken thighs on the bone with stock and a bit of thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves and garlic. A: A pie can never…

THE CHEF AND THE BUTCHER

Sweet sensation

“WHEN WE GROW UP, WE LOSE A LITTLE OF THE MAGIC OF SWEETS AS WE TEND TO THINK DESSERTS ARE TOO GUILT-LADEN OR TOO DIFFICULT. I SAY BRING BACK THE INDULGENCE WITHOUT THE HARD WORK WITH THESE TOWERING SUNDAES AND ETON MESS MARVELS! PREPARE FOR THE MEMORY OF A BELLY FULL OF QUICK, COLOURFUL AND CREATIVE DESSERTS.” MANGO ETON MESS TRIFLES MAKES 6 INDIVIDUAL TRIFLES 700ml mango juice (we used Dewlands) 2 titanium-strength gelatine leaves Juice of 2 limes 300ml thickened cream 250g sour cream 1/3 cup (40g) pure icing sugar, sifted 100g store-bought meringue nests 2 mangoes, flesh thinly sliced 1/2 cup (75g) chopped macadamias 1/2 cup (45g) desiccated coconut Crumbled freeze-dried mango (optional – from supermarkets), to serve To make mango jelly, place half the mango juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to just below a simmer. Meanwhile, soak…

Sweet sensation
Nest generation

Nest generation

The designer: Interior designer Veryan Laity from VeryanFaye, working with architect Bryan Windeatt from Windeatt Architect. The client: A creative art lover whose children have left home. She shares her home with her partner and her dog Bobby, a Wauzer. Where is it? Remuera, Auckland. The home: A three-bedroom, two-storey bungalow built in 1958 by the client’s grandfather. The client moved into the house in 1991 and is the third generation of her family to live there. What changes did you make? “In 2001 the house underwent a major renovation to better align it with the needs of a family of four,” Veryan says. “This created three upstairs bedrooms, an open patio area and a new kitchen and bathroom. This was my first time working with the client and I introduced a Binova Italian…

MY HAVEN

Where in Napier do you live? We currently live on Hospital Hill with a view over the suburb of Ahuriri and the ocean. It really is the perfect spot. Why did you move from Christchurch to Napier? Since my husband Alex and I met, we’ve always talked about moving to the North Island as we really love the warmer climate and lifestyle here. On our honeymoon we did a road trip around different towns and cities and Napier felt the most like us. We’ve settled in really quickly and are so glad we made the move. Who do you live with? It’s just me, Alex and Stanley the cat. Tell us about your new house. Our apartment is on the first floor of a large family home but it used to be an…

MY HAVEN

E noho e, kia raungāwari. Sit down and bide your time.

I ’ve been living full time in the country for two years now. Before that I spent six years coming and going to our house in the Hokianga. During these past two years of full-time occupation, I’ve learnt a bit about how to behave. It’s not that there are any rules for living rurally that people who grew up in the city need to follow, but there are adjustments to make to how you exist in a different space. And you can only learn what those adjustments are by being in that space and opening yourself up to it. Recently I was in Kaikohe, which is our nearest town centre and where we buy our groceries as well as stufffrom the hardware store – which usually includes plants I don’t need. I was…

E noho e, kia raungāwari. Sit down and bide your time.
The Rudeness Epidemic

The Rudeness Epidemic

The pandemic may have had a lethal effect on American manners. Lawyers are reporting ruder clients. Restaurants are reporting ruder clients. Flight attendants, for whom rude clients are no novelty, are reporting mayhem; passenger fines have exceeded $1 million this year. Re-entry into society is proving to be a little bumpy. Some people may have thought that, having been prevented from mingling with other humans for a period, folks would greet the return of social activity with hugs, revelry and fellowship. But in many ways, say psychologists, the long separation has made social interactions more fraught. The combination of a contagious, life-threatening disease and a series of unprecedented, life-altering changes in the rules of human engagement have left people anxious, confused and—if they do not believe the restrictions were necessary—deeply resentful. “We’re…

EVA BRAUN: THE WOMAN WHO STOOD BY HITLER

“If anyone ever asked,Braun was Hitler’s secretary. He needed to maintain his image as the chaste leader” They were found together in the so-called Führerbunker underneath central Berlin, with Soviet forces scouring the streets above. Adolf Hitler was slumped on the sofa in his private study, blood dripping from a self-administered gunshot wound to his temple. Next to him was his long-time lover, and wife of fewer than two days, Eva Braun. She too had taken her own life, having bitten into a cyanide capsule. He was 56, she 33. Although their modest wedding ceremony had taken place in the small hours of the previous day, 29 April 1945, the couple had been lovers for the previous 14 years – albeit in secret. The German public didn’t know of Eva Braun, nor…

EVA BRAUN: THE WOMAN WHO STOOD BY HITLER
Miracle CURES

Miracle CURES

Vaccines are back in the news, as a bridge that will hopefully lead us safely over the troubled waters of the Covid-19 pandemic. More than a hundred Covid-19 vaccines are in development worldwide, and three may be ready for use in millions of people early in 2021. This is astonishing progress, given that Covid-19 was unknown a year ago, but it doesn’t guarantee success. History has shown that promising vaccines can fail to perform in real life; as with HIV, we may still be waiting for a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine a decade from now. Unsurprisingly, vaccines only work if people take them. At present, up to one-third of Britons may choose not to be vaccinated against Covid-19 - possibly enough to prevent us from achieving ‘herd’ immunity. Meanwhile, the…

“A GUITAR THAT’S TOO SMALL FOR ME LOOKS TRULY AWFUL!”

Devin Townsend has come a long way since he emptied his bowels inside Steve Vai’s guitar case. Back then, in the early 90s, Devin was barely out of his teens and had just scored his big break singing on Vai’s album Sex And Religion. But as a guitar player himself, he felt overawed in the presence of the virtuoso - and expressed his feelings in the worst way imaginable. What’s amazing is that he and Vai have remained good friends in all the years since then. And as Devin says now, that ghastly prank was really a backhanded compliment. “I was fortunate enough to work with Steve early on and realised he was so much better than me,” he admits. “And if one can’t articulate your discontent in an elegant way,…

“A GUITAR THAT’S TOO SMALL FOR ME LOOKS TRULY AWFUL!”
JESSIE DIGGINS CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

JESSIE DIGGINS CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

THE LAST FEW seconds are brutal. They are supposed to be. No matter how much or how hard Jessie Diggins trains, she never expects to feel good when she pushes toward her absolute limit at the end of a race. Sometimes she squeezes so much out of her body that her vision tints—“everything starts to look a little bit pink or yellow, even though I’m not wearing colored glasses”—and sometimes her legs feel numb. By the time she crosses the finish line, she says, “I’m definitely, like, close to blacking out.” That feeling explains, as much as anything, why Diggins made history in PyeongChang with her thrilling, come-from-behind photo finish, winning (with now retired Kikkan Randall) the team sprint freestyle race to earn the U.S.’s first gold medal in women’s cross-country…

Strive for life

WHAT if you have gone through so many challenging times that it’s almost obvious that life is hard? How do you find the resilience, and the hope, to continue? Amy Molloy is the author of the recently published ‘The World is a Nice Place.’ And she is well-equipped to talk about this topic: she’s survived anorexia, was widowed at 23, divorced her second husband in her late 20s, married for the third time and had two babies. And she’s only in her early 30s. So, how does someone who’s been through so much have such faith and hope, and truly believe that the world is a nice place? Amy Taylor-Kabbaz spoke with Amy about life after tragedy, and what makes some of us thrive despite the hardest lessons. You have been…

Strive for life

Outsmart cancer

“A study looking at the survival rates of women with breast cancer found that those with the highest isoflavone intake had the lowest mortality rates.” 1. Increase soy foods There is some confusion surrounding whether or not soy is beneficial or harmful when it comes to preventing breast cancer. The main reason for this is because soy can have a mild oestrogenic effect on the body, which is why they are known as phytoestrogens. However, they also possess cancer-protective phytonutrients as well as anti-oestrogenic properties. Separating fact from fiction, the best available science today shows soy is protective against breast cancer recurrence and is associated with better survival rates. One study concluded that the consumption of just one cup of soy milk per day reduced the risk of dying from breast cancer…

Outsmart cancer

Breakfast to go-go!

Ginger granola with peach This is a healing, dairy-free and vegetarian ginger granola served with fresh peaches and coconut yoghurt, and I can’t think of a more perfect brekkie. Serves 6 • 4 cups rolled oats• 3 tablespoons honey• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped crystallised ginger• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice• ½ cup roughly chopped pecans (activated if possible)• ½ cup sunflower seeds (activated if possible)• ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts (activated if possible)• zest of ½ orange• ¼ cup shredded coconut• pinch of salt flakes• peach wedges• coconut yoghurt Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Pop everything into a large bowl and mix together really well. Spoon the mixture onto the baking tray and press evenly over the base. Bake for 20 minutes…

Breakfast to go-go!

THE DUFFER'S GUIDE

A LIGHTER TIPPET improves your chances because the fish don't see it, right? Wrong. Well… right, but for the Wrong Reasons. While the debate rages among ichthyologists over whether a trout can spot a size 30 at fifty yards, or its eyesight is so poor it has to inspect every single fly Mr Magoo-like, for half a minute before daring to open its mouth, here's the important point — It Doesn't Matter. Mr Trout is not a Detail Man. We know this because, after inspecting your fly like a VAT officer ogles a dodgy receipt he doesn't say “D'you know what? That crafty little caddis seems to have fashioned itself crude artisan wings out of deer hair!” He often just says, “Oh sod it,” and scoffs said fly anyway. So the idea that…

THE DUFFER'S GUIDE
M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini Controller Keyboard

M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini Controller Keyboard

I recently reviewed the M-Audio Oxygen 25 MkV, in which I remarked with a smile that it retained the lumpy, chunky look and feel of its predecessors and hadn’t gone down the style route of other manufacturers. Well, pulling the Oxygen Pro Mini out of the box was an altogether different experience. The Mini is rather nice, it has Instagram-friendly angles rather than curves and a very busy front panel that packs usefulness into every inch. It looks neat, serious, useful and pushes my expectations up past what the Oxygen 25 offered, although they do offer many of the same features. The Oxygen Pro Mini aims to provide versatile and portable DAW and MIDI control with hands-on performance controls and a decent enough keyboard to prevent the involuntary recoil of your…

What is the low-FODMAP Diet?

What is the low-FODMAP Diet?

FODMAPs are also natural prebiotics that encourage good gut bacteria to grow in your gut. FODMAPS are a group of naturally occurring sugars that are not easily absorbed in the small intestine. These unabsorbed sugars continue on to the large intestine, where naturally occurring healthy bacteria make a meal of them. This gastronomic activity ferments these sugars, and the gas released from their eating spree leads to excessive wind or flatulence, gassiness, bloating, abdominal distension and pain - all very similar to symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Once you understand this process, the FODMAP acronym makes sense. It stands for: Fermentable (poorly absorbed sugars fermented by bacteria in the bowel) Oligosaccharides (the important ones are fructans and galactooligosaccharides (GOS)) Disaccharides (the important one is lactose) Monosaccharides (the important one is fructose)…

Good fat, bad fat

Omega-3 fats protect the adult brain: people who eat oily fish at least once a week have a 60 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. FOR many years a low-fat diet was promoted as the best choice for weight management and heart health. This sent the food manufacturing industry into overdrive, developing techniques - sometimes nothing short of chemical wizardry - to remove natural fats from foods and make them ‘healthier’. Then the pendulum began to swing and earlier research into heart health and cholesterol was questioned, coinciding nicely with the Paleo juggernaut which highlighted the importance of healthy fats in the diet. Perhaps this was taken too far by some people, with high fat diets and energy-dense raw desserts becoming the Holy Grail for those wanting to lose weight…

Good fat, bad fat

A model example

I don’t know if it’s a miracle that I’m OK now - but at the same time I never, ever thought that I wouldn’t make it. AS one of Nature and Health’s columnists, you might recognise the name and face, but Amanda Rootsey is so much more than an eco-model in the cut-throat world of fashion. Having faced life-threatening cancer and treatment in her twenties, Amanda has taken the lessons she learnt through her healing and is now guiding young women to treat their bodies – and themselves – with more love and self-respect. Take us back, Amanda. You had what many girls (and women!) would think was the ideal life, living and modelling overseas - before it all fell apart. I modelled all throughout university and once I graduated, I decided to…

A model example
NEURAL DSP QUAD CORTEX

NEURAL DSP QUAD CORTEX

Almost 10 years ago, I sat in a recording studio with a couple of colleagues fairly convinced that we were the victims of an elaborate hoax. We had just unboxed the first Kemper Profiler to arrive in the UK and immediately used it to make a profile of a Marshall JTM45. When we AB’d our profile with the mic’d amplifier through studio monitors, the results were simply astounding. This had to be a hidden camera show or some sort of witchcraft, right? As we said in 2019 in Guitar.com’s round-up of the greatest gear of the decade, “Not only did the Kemper Profiler’s release represent the moment that digital amp modelling truly came of age, it turned the process on its head and democratised it, allowing the end-user to create…

Deck THE HALLS

A Christmas tree will more often than not form the centrepiece of a scheme during the festive season and may even set the decorative tone for the rest of the home. Choosing the perfect tree can therefore be a quandary. Should it be real or faux? Large or small? Bought or rented? Here experts share their advice on combining practicality with decorative appeal. The real deal At this time of year, there is no shortage of freshly cut Christmas trees, and paying attention to a tree’s ethical and sustainable production is key to a successful purchase. The first step is to ensure that a tree’s growing journey is traceable from start to finish. Sourcing locally ensures a low carbon footprint because trees will be home-grown rather than imported. The British Christmas Tree Growers’…

Deck THE HALLS

Rodman 1250

Email: chris.jefferies@timeinc.com What to look for aboard the best used boats in association with COPPERCOAT The strongest copper-based antifouling available with a proven lifespan of 10 years from a single application. To see what our customers have to say visit www.coppercoat.com All it takes is one look at the Rodman 1250 to know that this is a boat that means business. The overhanging windscreen shade gives the impression of a furrowed brow, while the rising sheerline looks like a pair of hunched shoulders – in the dog-eat-dog world of fast sportsfishers, this is a bullmastiff. The mean looks are backed up with some serious deep-sea credentials. Rodman 1250 owners seem drawn to rough conditions, with Robert Taylour being a particularly extreme example. His 2005 model has clocked up 1,200 engine hours cruising from the Channel Islands…

Rodman 1250

DESSERTS

CREATED IN A SIMPLE LOAF TIN, THIS EASY BOMBE ALASKA SANDWICHES CARAMEL ICE CREAM BETWEEN LAYERS OF CAKE, THEN COVERS THE LOT IN FLUFFY MERINGUE GINGERBREAD BOMBE ALASKA SERVES 10-12 Begin this recipe at least 8 hours ahead. You will need a kitchen blowtorch. ⅓ cup (100g) ginger preserve⅓ cup dulce de leche or thick caramel1.5L store-bought salted caramel ice cream, softened slightly GINGERBREAD CAKE 2 cups (300g) plain flour, sifted2 ½ tsp baking powder, sifted1 tbs ground ginger2 tsp mixed spice1 tsp cinnamon¾ cup (170g) dark brown sugar100g unsalted butter, melted¾ cup (270g) golden syrup1 egg, plus extra 2 yolks, lightly beaten2 tsp finely grated ginger MERINGUE 6 egg whites, at room temperature1 ½ cups (330g) caster sugar Preheat oven to 160°C. Line a 12cm x 27cm (2.5L-capacity) loaf pan with two layers of plastic wrap. Line a…

DESSERTS

FOOD FAST

Smoky Sweetcorn Chowder with Cheddar Croûtes (gf) Hearty, smoky and super quick with a glorious topping of crunchy cheesy croûtes. You could also add in cooked chicken or prawns for a more substantial meal. PREP: 10 minutes COOK: 20 minutes SCALE: easy 2 tablespoons olive oil1 brown onion, thinly sliced2 cloves garlic, crushed2 teaspoons cumin seeds2 teaspoons dried oregano4 cups frozen sweetcorn kernels, thawed and 1 cup set aside2 tablespoons instant polenta1 teaspoon smoked paprika4 cups vegetable stock, hot1 teaspoon chilli flakes sea salt and ground pepper2 teaspoons lemon juice TO SERVE sour cream2 tablespoons finely chopped corianderCrispy, Cheesy Cheddar Croutons (see recipe below) Heat the oil in a large saucepan and stir in the onion, garlic, cumin seeds and the oregano. Cover and cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the onions are cooking, put…

FOOD FAST
UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

Marketing around games has changed considerably over the last two decades. There are far fewer young women in lingerie trying to make a network adapter look sexy, for example, or gamers whose entire heads are exploding due to the intensity of the latest title. But in the realm of PC hardware, at least one maxim has remained more or less unwavering: buy this thing, and you’ll magically see your own prowess as a gamer transform. There’s more sophistication to the message now. Esports team-endorsed products. MMO mice. MLG gamepads. Still, it boils down to the same idea PC hardware was sold on in the Razer Boomslang days: that there’s some kind of linear relationship between money spent and k:d. And that ignores the greater truth about the reason we invest in…

Schoolgirl’s courage A NEW LEG FOR LYDIA

“I can run as fast as my friends – I’m not last any more!” exclaims five-year-old Lydia Golding to her mum Lauren. Born with a rare deformity that limits the growth of her right leg, it’s simple achievements like climbing into her carseat or sitting cross-legged that mark monumental milestones for the young Kiwi. It’s also these moments that remind Lauren, 43, why she relocated to the US in the middle of the pandemic to put Lydia through months of gruelling treatment, which often saw the brave girl “screaming blue murder”. The shift to Florida cost the family $500,000 and saw them separated for almost a year, with husband Hamish having to work in Auckland, while Lauren cared for Lydia and her three-year-old sister Rose. Fortunately, the Goldings are now back together in…

Schoolgirl’s courage A NEW LEG FOR LYDIA

Toni’s kindred spirit ‘SHE REMINDS ME TO LIVE EACH DAY TO THE FULLEST’

Beloved broadcaster Toni Street has always been a big believer in fate. Ever since she was young, she’s had the sense that someone or something beyond her control is looking over her. “It’s comforting to think of the world like that,” she says. “It helps me to try to make sense of things.” So it’s no surprise that Toni believes fate had a hand to play when it came to her newfound close friendship with Auckland mum Sophia Perera, who won an on-air competition to join the Coast radio star on a Hawaiian holiday of a lifetime. Sophia might have been drawn at random to join Toni and her breakfast co-hosts, Sam Wallace and Jason Reeves, on the luxury week away, but as soon as the radio stars heard her extraordinary story,…

Toni’s kindred spirit ‘SHE REMINDS ME TO LIVE EACH DAY TO THE FULLEST’

Matthew & Chloe Ridge ‘WE HAVE TO PUT OUR KIDS FIRST’

Matthew Ridge doesn’t count his wealth in financial terms – he counts his blessings. The former Kiwis, Auckland Warriors and Manly Sea Eagles captain believes he is richer for being a father. Also a one-time All Black and presenter on Game Of Two Halves, his career has seen him excel in rugby and league, as well as succeeding in television and business. But his greatest role of all has been an at-home dad to all his five children. “I’m extremely fortunate,” he tells Woman’s Day in an exclusive interview offering rare insight into his home life. “I’ve worked pretty hard all my life, but I don’t have to work nine to five. I can spend quality time with my children, which is what I really enjoy. “A lot of fathers and mothers these…

Matthew & Chloe Ridge ‘WE HAVE TO PUT OUR KIDS FIRST’
Masked Singer’s Clint ‘I LOVE MY LITTLE MONSTERS!’

Masked Singer’s Clint ‘I LOVE MY LITTLE MONSTERS!’

There’s a big, fluffy monster in the house, a sparkly jellyfish by the pool, a pink possum prowling the property and a rainbow-coloured moa roaming around when Woman’s Day comes to visit The Masked Singer NZ host Clinton Randell and his gorgeous family at their Auckland abode. “I keep thinking that this is the weirdest job I’ve ever done,” laughs the reality star and The Edge radio presenter as he, his wife Jaime, daughter Cameron and son Ty try to squeeze themselves into their Sandringham lounge, where the one-eyed blue beast has made himself at home. “Take it off!” yells four-year-old Ty at the visiting costumed creatures, mimicking the audience’s catch-cry from The Masked Singer, a global TV sensation that originated in South Korea and sees a celebrity guessing panel try to…

WILLIAM’S CORONATION ULTIMATUM ‘IT’S ME OR HARRY!’

WILLIAM’S CORONATION ULTIMATUM ‘IT’S ME OR HARRY!’

King Charles is so desperate to smooth things over with Prince Harry that it may come at the cost of his relationship with his elder son. Prince William is understood to be feeling “betrayed” by ongoing talks from his 74-year-old father’s court over how to make sure Harry and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, attend the coronation amid fears the fractured family dynamic could overshadow Charles’ rule. “There’s a lot of chatter about how bad the optics could be if Harry and Meghan don’t come, but no one’s stopped to think about how William feels to have to share a bench at Westminster with the two very people who have caused so much pain to his family,” a palace insider tells Woman’s Day. “William, along with his wife and even his kids,…

The Block NZ’s Rach ‘THE NEIGHBOURS THOUGHT WE’D DIVORCED!’

When many New Zealanders were queuing up at supermarkets to bulk-buy toilet paper before the country went into lockdown, The Block NZ’s Rachel Martin was pushing her trolley down the eerily empty aisles of Bunnings, stocking up on nails, plywood, tools and anything else she might need for weeks of home isolation. Renovation is not just a passion but a lifestyle for army corporal-turned-real estate agent Rach, 42, and her partner, former army offi cer Graeme, 46, who have been renovating houses together for 21 years. Their three children, Jayde, 18, Quin, 16, and Liam, 15, grew up on building sites as the family moved every three to four years. Rach laughs, “We have old photos of Jayde as a toddler playing with a box of nails and Graeme made mini workstations for…

The Block NZ’s Rach ‘THE NEIGHBOURS THOUGHT WE’D DIVORCED!’

The Apprentice’s Kennedy ‘I WAS FIRED FROM MY OWN COMPANY!’

‘I’m all about the money... Money and dogs!’ At just 25 years old, The Apprentice Aotearoa’s Kennedy Anderson has already achieved more than most people do in a lifetime. The social media expert’s wrist is adorned with a tattoo of six tally marks, each one representing a business he owns. “My friends are always teasing me about what happens when I run out of arm space!” he laughs. “It’s a good reminder to myself that I don’t need to own any more than what can fit – otherwise I won’t have time for anyone!” It’s not surprising this ambitious go-getter has to remind himself to slow down. The Aucklander recalls, “From a very young age, I wanted to be in business when I grew up. On my primary school reports, where they usually write…

The Apprentice’s Kennedy ‘I WAS FIRED FROM MY OWN COMPANY!’
Buying Guide

Buying Guide

Lenses Interchangeable lenses come in a huge array of types for shooting different kinds of subjects IN GENERAL, the easiest way to expand the kinds of pictures you can take is by buying different types of lenses. For example, telephoto lenses let you zoom in on distant subjects, while macro lenses enable close-ups of small objects. Large-aperture lenses allow you to isolate subjects against blurred backgrounds, or shoot in low light without having to raise the ISO too high. Meanwhile, all-in-one superzooms cover a wide range of subjects, but usually with rather lower optical quality. Lens mounts On the whole, each manufacturer uses its own proprietary lens mount. Notable exceptions are Micro Four Thirds, shared by Olympus and Panasonic, and the full-frame L-mount that’s used by Leica, Panasonic and Sigma. Built-in focus motor Lenses for mirrorless…

SAUCY FIX

SAUSAGE & PANCETTA RAGU WITH WHITE BEANS SERVES 6-8 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil2 small red onions, finely chopped3 garlic cloves, finely chopped21/2 tbs each finely chopped oregano and parsley, plus extra parsley leaves to serve300g flat pancetta, skin removed, cut into lardons800g good-quality pork and fennel sausages, casings removed, crumbled2 tbs tomato paste2 cups (500ml) good-quality beef stock4 cups (1L) tomato passata2 x 400g cans white beans, rinsed, drainedCooked polenta and finely grated pecorino, to serve Heat oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onion, garlic, herbs and pancetta, and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes until onion has softened and pancetta starts to brown. Scatter over sausage meat, and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, for 4 5 minutes until meat has broken down and…

SAUCY FIX

OH HAPPY DAY!

AFTER SPENDING A DECADE working in the food industry, the recipes that I and my family and friends come back to, time and again, are those that are tasty, easy to cook, nourishing and thrifty. Eating well is for everyone and every day. It can suit any budget and use ingredients from the corner shop down the road or foraged from the leftovers in your fridge or freezer. It can be straightforward to make, ready on the table in 30 minutes, and, most importantly, it really can be delicious. I want to bring the joy back to home cooking and show you how satisfying, affordable and quick food can be. These are fast, foolproof and fuss-free recipes that everyone will love and can tuck into any day of the week…

OH HAPPY DAY!

OVERTRAINING ISSUES

OVERTRAINING is a unique issue. We often think about it as if someone has worked and worked their retriever to the point where its skills erode, or the dog physically can’t function, but that’s not what happens in most cases. In reality, overtraining happens when any one of us goes beyond our dog’s attention threshold in any given training session. This is almost never tied to hours upon hours of training but can instead happen in a matter of a few minutes if you’re working a young-enough dog. Knowing this, I always take a few things into account while planning a session with any dog. For starters, the length and difficulty of every training session is tied directly to the age and attention span of the dog with which I’m working. Overtraining…

OVERTRAINING ISSUES

Glorious greens

Pumpkin, chickpea, spinach, caramelised onion and tahini yoghurt This is one of the very first salad recipes Two Raw Sisters ever made, and years later we're still making it — which goes to show how much we love it! The use of Indian spices in this recipe transforms the roasted pumpkin and crispy chickpeas into little infused flavour bombs. We love making a big batch of the tahini yoghurt dressing and storing it in a jar in the fridge, as it goes with just about anything. Serve the salad with avocado, lamb, beef or chicken. Serves 6-8 1 medium pumpkin, deseeded and sliced400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed1 teaspoon curry powderPinch of sea saltOil1 brown onion, thinly sliced3 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped2 teaspoons ground cumin2 teaspoons ground coriander½ cup raisinsPinch of…

Glorious greens

Cabin fever

The first time I saw the tiny cabins, I was immediately intrigued. Situated on an island near our apartment in downtown Helsinki, they are like miniature houses dotted among the trees. While summer cabins are an integral part of Finnish life, most holidaymakers prefer the peace and quiet of ones that are so remote that you can’t see your neighbours. These tiny cabins, however, seemed to offer the same kind of serenity without the isolation. Just a 15-minute cycle from the city centre, the cabins sit on an island named Lauttasaari, which is Finnish for “ferry island”. Previously only accessible by boat, the island is now connected to the mainland by a bridge, as well as the metro, which travels under the sea as part of the city’s subway network. Set over 24ha,…

Cabin fever

‘We need BODY IMAGES uprising’

I’ve always considered myself to have a reasonable relationship with my body, and yet, paradoxically, my body is something I think about often. I never hated my body, but I never loved it either. It was merely a vessel. As a teenager I was of course aware that my skinnier friends got the bulk of attention from guys. But that didn’t bother me; it was somehow obvious that those boys weren’t worthy of my time. In my twenties, working in the fashion industry, I knew if I was thinner I would have more wardrobe options, and that was appealing. But not as much as French fries and cask wine. I just kind of… was. I lived without any sense of pride or the envy of others. And yet no self-loathing or angst…

‘We need BODY IMAGES uprising’

Rebecca’s Kiwi paradise ‘I LOVE BEING A SMALL-TOWN GIRL!’

She’s a familiar face on our screens and has been for a while now. But when Rebecca Gibney talks to the Weekly from her Dunedin home, she is shockingly real. “Oh, look at my hair,” she says flicking her blonde hair up and down. “I went to the hairdressers yesterday and I said, ‘I know I’ve got everything and I’m so lucky and grateful, but couldn’t I just have been given a bit more hair?’” she laughs. “I know that by the time I’m 80, I’m going to have three hairs left and I’ll probably dye them purple and perm them!” Rebecca, 58, is very funny. And it’s this humour and unaffected personality which shines through in her popular TVNZ 1 series Under the Vines. In its second season, the hit show about…

Rebecca’s Kiwi paradise ‘I LOVE BEING A SMALL-TOWN GIRL!’

The WISH LIST...

LATEST RELEASE At affordable furniture retailer Nöa & Nani, family is at the forefront of every new idea. From practical, sturdy beds to indispensable storage, playful designs meet functionality in each item, made with both children and adults in mind. We particularly love these colourful side tables. The round design means no sharp-edged corners and the dual shelf provides handy extra storage, making them ideal for smaller spaces. The pastel shades coordinate with modern and vintage themes, and work as a wonderful canvas for colourful ornaments, trailing plants and eye-catching table lamps. To see their huge range of family-oriented furniture and accessories, visit noaandnani.co.uk NEW COLLECTION British design house Woodchip & Magnolia has teamed up with broadcaster, author and fashionista Fearne Cotton to create a beautifully eclectic range of wallpapers and fabrics. Inspired by wild…

The WISH LIST...

CYBER WAR

Maggie Smith Assistant Professor of Public Policy United States Military Academy West Point The build up of Russian forces along Belarus’ 665-mile border with Ukraine is a physical manifestation of Russia’s intense interest in the region. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and now Russian President Valdimir Putin appears intent on pulling Ukraine under Russia’s influence and denying it a close relationship with the West. But even as Russia engages in brinksmanship from snow-covered fields in Belarus to meeting rooms in Geneva, Moscow is already at war with Kyiv – cyberwar. Russia has been waging this fight since at least 2014. In cyberspace, Russia has interfered in Ukrainian elections, targeted its power grid, defaced its government websites and spread disinformation. Strategically, Russian cyber operations are designed to undermine the Ukrainian government and private sector…

Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen): Now With Sleep Tracking

Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen): Now With Sleep Tracking

The original Nest Hub was a perfectly capable smart display, but as Google’s only model, it felt a bit lacking compared with Amazon’s Alexa-powered lineup. The second-generation Nest Hub improves on its predecessor with a feature you won’t find on any other smart display: sleep tracking. Thanks to its built-in Google Soli motion-sensing chip, the 7-inch Nest Hub can accurately track your sleep and breathing when placed on a bedside table. Though it still lacks a camera for video calls, it offers several other upgrades, including 50% more bass for improved audio, a Quick Gestures feature that lets you pause or play content by waving your hand, and a machine-learning chip that caches your common commands for faster response times. Offering tremendous value for the price, the second-generation Nest Hub…

An Introduction To IMMERSIVE AUDIO

From long-playing vinyl, eight-track cartridge and compact cassette through to CD, Minidisc and MP3, most consumer audio formats have had one thing in common: stereo. They contain two discrete audio signals, designed to be played back through two loudspeakers or earpieces. A listener positioned between these speakers hears a ‘sound stage’ or panorama, within which individual sources appear at specific positions. For example, a mono vocal at equal levels in both channels will be heard as being halfway between the two speakers, directly in the centre. This illusion is impressive, but it’s also limited. It lets us localise sources along a line between the two speakers, and as being near or far away, but it can’t convey a sense of height, or reliably convince us that sound is coming from behind…

An Introduction To IMMERSIVE AUDIO

Feed your skin

The herb vitex increases progesterone, making it especially helpful for treating acne and premenstrual syndrome. YOU know those people who are so healthy that their skin is literally glowing? Yes, good genes are one thing, and some people are just born with a naturally beautiful complexion - but there is a great deal you can do to shift the balance in your favour. 1.You’re only as good as your gut Most disease stems from one underlying common cause - poor gut health. It is becoming extremely rare these days for anyone not to have had some degree of dysbiosis (an imbalance of good and bad bacteria that live in our digestive system). If you have ever used prescription medication (especially antibiotics), over-indulged in rich, sugary or fatty foods or had too much to…

Feed your skin

60 health second swaps

Let the bare soles of your feet walk on the earth - physical contact with the ground transfers natural electrical energy to the body. Start the day right “Swap that first coffee for a glass of warm water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, because this aids energy levels and nutrient absorption,” says Fiona Tuck, health and wellbeing expert. “And pay attention to breakfast: swap toast or cereal for a protein-based meal, like eggs and spinach. Starting your day with protein maintains blood sugar levels and avoids energy slumps, plus the iron from the spinach increases vitality.” Sink into a bath “Swap watching TV on the couch for a warm bath with a cup of Epsom salts,” adds Tuck. “The salts boost magnesium levels, which are required for energy, plus they reduce stress…

60 health second swaps

HARVEST HOME

Beneath the new crescent moon the combine harvester sits dark and silent, a huge crouching shadow creature. Sylvie opens the cab and swings herself up into the seat. The dry scent of the grain mingles with the mineral smell of diesel, familiar and comforting. Soon the night will be shaken by the engine’s roar and the waving sea of barley will be pinned in the glare of the lights, but for a moment she savours the quiet, the hush of the wind in the trees that edge the fields and the bark of a deer away beyond the farm. It is a beginning and an end. A new lunar month; by the time the moon is full, the harvest will be all but over and autumn will be settling in with…

HARVEST HOME

DAVID BOWIE “ZIGGY PERIOD” SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

45s RCA 74-0605 Changes/Andy Warhol (grey label - U.S.) $30 74-0605 Changes/Andy Warhol (orange label - U.S.) $30 74-0605 Changes/Andy Warhol (yellow label - U.S. promo) $60 74-0719 Starman/Suffragette City (picture sleeve - U.S.) $20 74-0719 Starman/Suffragette City (U.S. promo) $100 74-0838 The Jean Genie/Hang On to Yourself (RCA 0 74-0838) $20 74-0838. The Jean Genie/Hang On to Yourself (U.S. promo) $60 2160 Changes/Andy Warhol (U.K. promo) $150 2160 Changes/Andy Warhol (push-out/solid centers - U.K.) $50 2199 Starman/Suffragette City (U.K. promo) $200 2199 Starman/Suffragette City (RCA 2199 - orange label, push-out/ solid centers - U.K.) $20 2199 Starman/Suffragette City (RCA 2199 - picture sleeve - U.K.) $80 2263 John, I’m Only Dancing/Hang Onto Yourself (U.K. promo) $300 2263 John, I’m Only Dancing/Hang Onto Yourself (orange label, push-out/solid centers, original version matrix…

DAVID BOWIE “ZIGGY PERIOD” SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
Comedy lovebirds Laura & Joseph WHEN TWO HEARTS BECAME ONE

Comedy lovebirds Laura & Joseph WHEN TWO HEARTS BECAME ONE

As a dazzling Laura Daniel made her way down the aisle to the tune of Jason Derulo’s It Girl, her dashing husband-to-be Joseph Moore couldn’t wipe the huge grin from his face. Quoting from the comedy Borat, he recalls, “My first thought was, ‘Wa-wa-wee-wa!’ I didn’t know what to think. She looked incredible – stunning!” Familiar faces from Jono And Ben, 7 Days and Funny Girls, the lovebirds – known together as comedy duo Two Hearts – married on 30 December 2022 at Nadia Lim’s Royalburn Farm in the Crown Ranges near Arrowtown. A-list guests, including Hilary Barry, Rose Matafeo, Chris Parker, Brynley Stent, Tom Sainsbury and Hayley Sproull, descended on the Queenstown-Lakes District for three fun-filled days of festivities. Laura laughs, “We seriously considered eloping because we felt huge pressure to have…

LEGO MASTERS Paul & Trent ‘WE BUILT OUR FUTURE IN NZ !

New Zealand is a special place for Lego Masters Australia stars Paul McCarthy and Trent Kandler, who became the first Aussie same-sex couple to legally tie the knot in Aotearoa in a ceremony that made headlines in 2013. “New Zealand welcomed us with open arms,” Paul, 50, tells Woman’s Day. “It was such a special day, particularly because, at the time, our own country was going through that horrendous same-sex marriage referendum. To be able to stand up in front of our family and friends to say, ‘I choose him,’ it was just incredible. We thought we’d never be able to get married.” With their nearest and dearest flown into Wellington for the occasion, the Newcastle pair’s big day was made even more special with the attendance of some other important guests. “We…

LEGO MASTERS Paul & Trent ‘WE BUILT OUR FUTURE IN NZ !

‘My sore ankle turned out to be TERMINAL CANCER’

When Lindy Hunt woke at night with agonising pain in her ankle two years ago, she figured she must’ve done something to it while playing with her granddaughter. But by the time it got so bad she couldn’t walk, Lindy was taken by ambulance to hospital, where doctors found an infection caused by bacteria from the gut. Shockingly, five weeks later, the then-49-year-old learnt her problems were far greater than an aching ankle. Lindy had terminal bowel cancer. “They did a CT scan and found lesions all through my lung, liver, bones, spine and pelvis,” says Lindy, now 52, who married her partner Pete in January 2020, eight months before her diagnosis. “I was on my own in hospital during Level 4 lockdown when doctors broke the news it might be cancer. I…

‘My sore ankle turned out to be TERMINAL CANCER’