Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

The Reluctant Beatle "Biography Of George Exploring the Fascinating Life Of The Reluctant Beatle." Step into the world of George Harrison, the quiet and introspective Beatle whose story has long been overshadowed by the charismatic presence of his bandmates. Lawrence of Arabia by Ranulph Fiennes The authoritative and illuminating biography of T. E. Lawrence - the man who inspired the iconic film Lawrence of Arabia - from "The World's Greatest Living Explorer" Ranulph Fiennes.Thomas EdwardSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

- Most wrapping paper is not recyclable, especially when it's in little pieces. - What to use instead: reusable wrapping paper, sheets, pillows, glass jars, containers, wrapping paper that you've saved throughout the year. Get crafty or find things from around the house plus second hand shops. - How to avoid it altogether: gift non-physical things. e.g. acts of service (my husband and I cleaned my parents house!), quality time (dinner voucher), or scrap gifts altogether and focus on the day together. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why I chose it: - How can they do it at this price? I guess the answer is “volume” but this wine is technically very good indeed. - Rose has become a popular choice in recent years - 2023 was a good Marlborough vintage What does it taste like? - Moderately deep-hued rose (A lot of people prefer paler Rosé but they should remember “the deeper the colour the richer the flavour” in an off-dry style with crushed raspberry and candy floss flavours. Quite intense with a refreshing cut of bright acidity and a lingering finish. A real crowd-pleaser. Why it’s a bargain: - It’s very price-friendly - I gave it a good score at a blind tasting. If I’d had to guess a price it would have been over $20 Where can you buy it? - Countdown $13 (check the vintage), Blackmarket.co.nz case of six bottles $77.94 (equ. $12.99 + Frt) Food match? - I like “pink foods” such as prawns, crayfish or scampi LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Faraway Downs: Baz Luhrmann takes his 2008 film Australia starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman and reworks it into a six-part TV series, adding new footage and music (Disney+) Time: A British drama starring Jodie Whittaker and Bella Ramsey about three women who arrive at Carlingford prison on the same day (Neon) Squid Game: The Challenge: Inspired by the hit Netflix series, this sees real-life contestants compete in a series of high-stakes children’s games in pursuit of a $4.56 million dollar cash prize (Netflix) LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plate up individual servings of this simple, elegant dish as a starter or set out a platter for people to help themselves. Serves 4-6 4 thick spears asparagus 1 small carrot, peeled 1 small zucchini 1 tsp sea salt 1 cup white wine vinegar 1/3 cup caster sugar ½ tsp mustard seeds 3cm piece lemon rind ½ cup thick Greek yoghurt or crème fraiche 200g-250g smoked salmon – I used hot smoked but cold smoked salmon will work just as well or smoke your own! 4 tablespoons good quality olive oil Ground black pepper Sprigs fresh dill Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard. Use a vegetable peeler to shave very thin strips of the asparagus stem and use a knife to cut the tips into thin slices. Cut the carrot and zucchini into very thin matchsticks. Toss together in a bowl with salt. Heat vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds and lemon rind and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Pour this over the vegetables and gently toss them in the pickling liquid. Cover and set aside until required. Note that you could do this stage up to a few days before the big day, tossing them every now and again. To serve; spoon 1-2 tablespoons of yoghurt or crème fraiche onto each plate (or all of it on the platter) and spread it with the back of a spoon. Top with salmon, dividing it evenly between the plates. Add a decent spoonful of the pickled vegetables to each plate. Just before serving drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and add springs of fresh dill. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francesca Rudkin reviews Saltburn and new remake of the Velveteen Rabbit on this mornings program with Jack Tame SALTBURN A student is invited to an eccentric classmate's estate for an exciting summer. THE VELVETEEN RABBIT When 7-year-old William receives a new favourite toy for Christmas, he discovers a lifelong friend and unlocks a world of magic. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why Can’t Winston Be More Civil? Kevin Milne Joined Jack Tame to talk about the ludicrously of media scrums. Especially when it comes to trying to get anything out of Winston Peters... “If Winston Doesn’t want to talk, why don’t journalists just pack up and go back to the office?” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We can dispute when the counter should have started – election night or the official results – but I suspect the waiting game will soon be forgotten as the new government is sworn in and the house sits in urgency. At first blush, I actually think the biggest winner of the three parties is National. Perhaps you’d expect nothing less from the highest-polling party, but there’s no doubt Christopher Luxon and his team were negotiating with a couple of wily, smart operators. And at the conclusion of negotiations, almost all of National’s policies remain on the table. They haven’t had to sacrifice their babies. Sure, there’s the foreign buyers’ tax. But given the scrutiny over the projected revenue numbers during the election campaign, I’d suggest National was none too bothered to have that policy tossed upon the bonfire. They can blame Winston Peters. Give him the win. And yes, it means a gap in revenue that will need filling, but something tells me National would much prefer that than monthly updates on how much the foreign buyer tax revenue was falling short of projections. There are some significant visable wins for NZ First: The $1.2B infrastructure fund – ka ching - the various gender and Māori language provisions, and a Covid inquiry. I think Winston Peters is a really good choice for Foreign Minister and Shane Jones is exactly where he wants to be with fisheries and regional development. NZ First will be really pleased. I think we’ll have to wait before we can properly assess the scale of ACT’s wins. There will be no Treaty referendum, and if it so chooses, it’ll be easy enough for the National Party to drops its support of a treaty principles bill straight after select committee. It’ll be interesting to see whether scrapping the Māori Health Authority, co-governance provisions, and changing various Māori names might take some of the heat out of that issue for the time being. Compared to NZ First, ACT has certainly taken on less-flashy ministerial positions. And again, we probably won’t be able to assess the true impact of the deal until we see how much regulation David Seymour can cut as the new minister, or how much Brooke van Velden can shake up workplace relations, or exactly what the new Arms Act will look like. In ACT’s coalition deal, it struck me that in many areas there are less concrete commitments, but that perhaps those commitments cover broader areas. The words explore, examine, and consider are sprinkled throughout the document. Listen to this, for example: In consultation with the relevant Minister, carry out regulation sector reviews, which could include the primary industries, the finance sector, early childhood education, and healthcare occupational licensing, in each case producing an omnibus bill for regulatory reform of laws affecting the sector. Maybe I’m being a bit of a bush lawyer here, but that theoretically has the potential to be enormously consequential. It also has the potential to change basically nothing. They haven’t even agreed with certainty what sectors will be reviewed. From Christopher Luxon’s perspective, I thought the Deputy Prime Minister split was a pretty elegant solution. But the real test of a coalition is not the detail in the deal, but the behaviour of the parties and the management of relationships when inevitably they disagree. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"After feasting on nature’s splendour in Yellowstone National Park, I was itching for a dabble with the Old West’s frontier spirit." "Cody proudly touts itself as the “Rodeo Capital of the World,” and its colourful downtown brims with cowboy apparel stores, cheap and cheerful steakhouses and effervescent, boot-tapping saloons. I adored Cody and it’s infectious, welcoming ambience." "Located at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains on the Bozeman Trail, cute little Buffalo exudes charm in spades, proudly home to one of the most acclaimed Old West hotels." "Sixty years ago, Deadwood became the only city in the United States to be named a National Historic Landmark." Check out Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow remains the last hope for his fading lineage. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow becomes alarmed when he's assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird from District 12. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and political savvy, they race against time to ultimately reveal who's a songbird and who's a snake. The Killer Solitary, cold, methodical and unencumbered by scruples or regrets, a killer waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. Yet, the longer he waits, the more he thinks he's losing his mind, if not his cool. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow remains the last hope for his fading lineage. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow becomes alarmed when he's assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird from District 12. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and political savvy, they race against time to ultimately reveal who's a songbird and who's a snake. The Killer Solitary, cold, methodical and unencumbered by scruples or regrets, a killer waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. Yet, the longer he waits, the more he thinks he's losing his mind, if not his cool. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Country icon Dolly Parton has matched her Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction with the release of her new rock album Rockstar. The 30 track album features both covers of iconic rock songs and a few original compositions, each track featuring an accompaniment from a star studded list. Rockstar is Parton's 49th studio album, and the only one of it's genre that she ever plans to do. "It's thirty songs! Why would I ever need to do another?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes If, like Kane, you're a Denied Access Area spy for the CIA, then boundaries have no meaning. Your function is to go in, do whatever is required, and get out again - by whatever means necessary. You know when to run, when to hide - and when to shoot. But some places don't play by the rules. Some places are too dangerous, even for a man of Kane's experience. The badlands where the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet are such a place - a place where violence is the only way to survive. Kane travels there to exfiltrate a man with vital information for the safety of the West - but instead he meets an adversary who will take the world to the brink of extinction. A frightening, clever, vicious man with blood on his hands and vengeance in his heart... The Drowning by Bryan Brown The body of a local teenage boy is found on the beach of a sleepy northern New South Wales town. David went for an evening swim and got into trouble . . . at least, that's what it looks like. Three weeks before, Leila, a young backpacker, didn't turn up for her shift at the local cafe. Benny, the owner, isn't worried. It happens - backpackers are always on the move. There'll be another one. One of the locals, Adrian, has been a help to Benny. He's found him a nice little sideline. Not exactly legal. Is that all Adrian is arranging on the coast? He once was a cop but has he gone bad? And in the backblocks outside town, a bikie gang is gearing up for a large consignment from South America. Murder, drugs, liaisons and lies are stirring up this small coastal town. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the middle of Movember, Dr Dougal Sutherland is joining Jack Tame to chat about the barriers men face to talking about their mental health and a few ways to get around these barriers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hannah McQueen has just returned to New Zealand after running the New York Marathon. While preparing for this event, she identified a few parallels between what it takes to run a marathon and achieving one’s financial goals. The notes: - Have a goal. - Understand your own limitations - not everyone’s a runner and not everyone is naturally inclined to make the best financial decisions (even if they know what they are). So: - Get someone who’s got experience/expertise to help you build a plan to achieve that goal. - This means the plan is tailored to you. - This means there’s an expert on hand in the event you experience a setback and the plan needs to flex or adapt to a new situation. - There’s someone to be accountable to (some of us aren’t very good at being accountable to ourselves). And if you are working with a professional: - Trust the process - others may have a different plan to you, so don’t compare yourself to others. - If you feel like you’re not ‘doing enough’ or progress has stalled, trust that your plan has been designed with you and your goals in mind and probably has a few contingencies if things don’t go to plan. You may not see the progress you’re making —or see how it’s helping you get to your end goal— but that doesn’t mean that you’re not 100% on track. - It will be uncomfortable, especially at first. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon's Starlink has competition from Amazon They're using the rockets from founder Jeff Bezos' other company Blue Origin (along with others) to launch over 3,000 LEO (low earth orbit) satellites, aiming to bring internet to every corner of the earth. They'll be between 590 and 630 kilometres above earth. Amazon's project has successfully launched its first two prototype rockets a month ago, and this week announced they're fully operational and passed all their tests with flying colours. They were able to stream 4K video and do two-way video calls over the network. These satellites have a custom electric propulsion system designed and built in-house by Amazon. They say it's a way to safely maneuverer the satellites in space in an eco-friendly way. They expect to start service by the end of next year, and have half of their constellation operational by July 2026. There are 1000 people working on the project. Windows is now an app for iPhones, iPads, Macs What a bizarre sentence that is. Microsoft wants you to use Windows on whatever device you have! The Windows app allows business users to connect to virtual PCs, running Windows in the cloud -- combining an array of services already in market (Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, and Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Services). They have plans to offer the same service to consumers too. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Award-winning Guy Montgomery knows what it takes to be a successful and iconic kiwi comedian in a challenging, small, and competitive industry. Starting out as a young teenager, trialing jokes and learning to work a room, Guy has grown into a fantastic multi-tasking stand-up comedian, podcaster, and improviser. He’s making his way round the country with his brand new 2024 standup tour ‘50,000,000 Guy Fans Can’t Be Wrong.’ Montgomery told Jack Tame that the title is based on Elvis’ second greatest hits compilation ‘50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong.’ “I’ve always loved X number of anyone can’t be wrong.” He told Tame. “I think it’s so misinformed, I like the brazen arrogance of it.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s that time of year when we can no longer deny that Christmas will be happening in about 6 weeks! Get at least this fun job ticked off - making the Christmas cake. This recipe makes a neat little cake, perfect for smaller households or as a gift. Makes one small cake (15cmx15cm) Ingredients: 650g mixed fruit – I used currants, sultanas, raisins, dried apricots 1 tbsp honey 1 grated apple ¼ cup brandy ¾ cup loosely packed brown sugar 1 scant tsp baking powder 1 ¼ cups of flour 150g butter, melted 3 small eggs, beaten Blanched almonds for top (optional) Method: 1. In a large mixing bowl put the first 4 ingredients (fruit, honey, apple, brandy) and leave overnight. 2. Preheat the oven to 150 C. Prepare a 15x15cm tin with 2 layers of newspaper followed by another 2 layers of baking paper, sides and bottom. 3. Mix the brown sugar into the fruit mix and mix thoroughly. Add the flour and baking powder and give it another good mix. Now add the melted butter and finally the beaten eggs. Make sure all is mixed well - strong arms are needed! 4. Tip this all into your prepared tin and decorate with the almonds – any shape you like but if it’s a gift I'm inclined to shape them into a heart. 5. Place cake tin on a magazine in the middle rack of the oven and bake until a skewer comes out clean - about 1 ¾ - 2 hours. Leave to cool. 6. Wrap cake well in foil and store in a cool place in an airtight container until needed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The winner of this year's Bird of the Century competition comes as no surprise. Backed by an international campaign run by British-American comedian John Oliver, the pūteketeke swept the competition with a total of 290,374 votes, decimating its closest competition by over 270,000 votes. With the intense international involvement weighting the competition, Kevin Milne is wondering whether the Bird of the Year should be geo-restricted for following years. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I love Christmas cake. Not any Christmas cake. Not every Christmas cake. But my mum’s Christmas cake, for whatever reason, gives me so much joy. It’s not that her cakes are crazy-fancy or anything. She uses store-bought mixed fruit. They’re not iced and there’s no surprising secret ingredient, but for whatever reason Mum has mastered the perfect Christmas fruit cake. They’re moist. They’re dense. They’re heavy. They’re a highlight of a Tame family Christmas. Perhaps it all just comes down to practice. She used to make ten or twelve every year and give them as gifts. But the moment I get home every summer, Mum has a couple of cakes waiting on the bench, and I carve off big hunks to eat while standing in the kitchen. Sometimes Dad eats it with blue cheese. But however well Christmas fruit cakes hit my taste buds, they also hit my stomach. Is it a PH thing? I dunno. Maybe the mixed fruit starts to ferment or sour in my gut? It doesn’t happen to anyone else. Not another soul. All I know is there is a direct correlation between my eating mum’s fruit cake and no one wanting to be within a twenty metre radius. “Oh GOD! What IS that?! Is something dead?” “Get the children! Ahh!” “Burn our clothes! Burn our clothes!” I don’t know exactly what happens, but somewhere deep inside me there is a chemical reaction of sorts. I’m the first to admit... it’s just awful. Putrid. The smell will curl your ears. The moment a bit of cake hits my stomach it’s like that scene from Titanic. “Are there any survivors?” Call it the Christmas Cake Curse. My mum flogs herself with Christmas baking. Mince pies, shortbread, mars bar slice, Russian fudge. It’s too much! We can’t fit all the baking in the cupboards. We’ve had to establish a Tame family Christmas baking spillover zone. And yet for all the abundance, all of that choice, my favourite Christmas treat just happens to be the one that’ll end up peeling the paint off the walls. Baking is an act of love. Baking, when you know how it affects your son, is an even greater act of love. But the greatest act of love this summer will be my noble decision to take a piece of fruit cake and politely excuse myself, outside. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Franti’s new album with Spearhead was released last week. ‘Big Big Love’ is a seventeen-song album to accompany you through the “highs and lows of life”, as Franti puts it. In the post announcing its release Franti said the central theme of the album was “togetherness.” “Togetherness is the central theme in all the songs on this record. How do we get that feeling of togetherness, that feeling of closeness, that we so often overlooked and took for granted, but now has become so important? Not only just in terms of how we interact with each other in our neighborhoods or our personal relationships, but on a worldwide scale. How do we bridge these gaps so that people can feel close to one another again? There are forces in the world that use our division to achieve their greedy goals, their political aims, or just to divide people because they want to try to take advantage of it. I want to really use my music and my time in my life to bring closeness to people and help them feel like they’re not alone in this world.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happiness is what arguably motivates you to do just about anything, Arthur Brooks is a Harvard University lecturer American author and public speaker, and he’s just about cracked the code when it comes to living a happy life. He just about lives and breathes the subject, Arthur’s written in the Atlantic's ‘How to Build a Life’ column, hosted the podcast ‘How to Build a Happy Life’, and now he’s teaming up with Oprah Winfrey to co-write a book. Arthur Brooks joined Jack Tame to chat about his work. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has opinions on culture. The Hoity-toity Hall of Fame is what Kevin calls the things people are expected to like but simply couldn’t care less about, such as the art of “influential” Kiwi artist Francis Hodgkins. He’s also wondering if he’s the only one feeling awkward because he's never read a Katherine Mansfield book. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Marvels Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. However, unintended consequences see her shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with two other superheroes to form the Marvels. Nyad Sixty-four-year-old marathon swimmer Diana Nyad attempts to become the first person ever to swim from Cuba to Florida. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robbie Williams A four-part documentary series featuring 30 years of never-before-seen archive footage about the British singer’s controversial rise to fame (Netflix). The Buccaneers This new historical drama set in the 1870s follows a group of wealthy American women as they travel to London for the debutante season (Apple TV+). 007: Road to a Million Succession’s Brian Cox stars as The Controller in this fun British adventure series that sees contestants compete in a series of Bond-inspired challenges around the world to win one million pounds (Prime Video). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Frozen River - Ariel Lawhon Maine, 1789: The Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice. Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As the local midwife and healer, Martha is good at keeping secrets. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, every murder and debacle that unfolds in the town of Hallowell. In that diary she also documented the details of an alleged rape that occurred four months earlier. Now, one of the men accused of that heinous attack has been found dead in the ice. While Martha is certain she knows what happened the night of the assault, she suspects that the two crimes are linked, and that there is more to both cases than meets the eye. Over the course of one long, hard winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha’s diary lands at the centre of the scandal and threatens to tear both her family and her community apart. Resurrection Walk - Michael Connelly Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller enlists the help of his half-brother, Harry Bosch, to prove the innocence of a woman convicted of killing her ex-husband. Defence attorney Mickey Haller is back, taking the long shot cases, where the chances of winning are one in a million. After getting a wrongfully convicted man out of prison, he is inundated with pleas from incarcerated people claiming innocence. He enlists his half-brother, retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, to weed through the letters, knowing most claims will be false. Bosch pulls a needle from the haystack: a woman in prison for killing her ex-husband, a sheriff’s deputy, but who still maintains her innocence. Bosch reviews the case and sees elements that don’t add up, and a sheriff’s department intent on bringing quick justice in the killing of one of its own. Now Haller has an uphill battle in court, a David fighting Goliaths to vindicate his client. The path for both lawyer and investigator is fraught with danger from those who don’t want the case reopened and will stop at nothing to keep the Haller-Bosch dream team from finding the truth. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Over 150 years old, it was an act of incredibly bold foresight to preserve Yellowstone all those years ago, when Americans were so busy “conquering” the West. A fusion of land and water, forest and field, wildlife and geothermal wizardry, it’s a large unspoiled canvas of the American West. Anchored by a huge supervolcano, that last erupted 600,000 years ago, there is no place quite like Yellowstone National Park. Like a colossal kettle on the boil, this wild land of fire and brimstone froths, bubbles and belches at every turn. The supervolcano feeds the world’s largest group of hydrothermal features, from hot springs and geysers to fumaroles and mudpots. It’s like Rotorua writ large." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summer's almost upon us which means it's time to break out the sunblock. There are a lot of options out there, but what one is best for you and the environment? Kate 'Ethically Kate' Hall joined Jack Tame to give a few suggestions and tips on how to pick the best choice. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s breeding time for birds! As a bird nut (and a registered bird bander) I have a nest box for little owls. Further down in the Quarry, my Bird mate Peter and I are looking after other owl boxes and monitoring their success. So far one female on four white eggs. Photo / Supplied These introduced little owls came from Europe and are well established in the South Island, especially around Christchurch. I love hearing them call at night – it’s so special! And although you may not realise it: there are likely some other bird species making nests and breeding in dense bushes in your garden I have noticed so far: 2 blackbird nests, 2 Song thrushes. I’m still looking for a Dunnock nest (hedge sparrows)... Tricky!! And, at neighbours, a swallow nest as well. Nests under cover. Made from clay, filled with feathers… and underneath an enormous heap of poo – yes it can be seriously messy. When the chicks are big enough, I’ll band them with some “bling”. I also suspect a sneaky bellbird (which has become very, very quiet all of a sudden) but haven’t found its nest yet. Silvereyes will always be at my place (I feed them in winter, so they are used to my garden; the juveniles are real little punks). Silvereye nestlings. Photo / Supplied Code of Conduct around nests: If you do stumble across a nest in some shrubbery (while pruning, for instance), have a quick look to see if there are any eggs or young birds in it (It could be an old nest from last year!); if so: back out and conceal the nest as much as possible. Put branches back in their position asap; that gives them privacy from preying eyes of predators (including harriers!). Most bird species can cope with a bit of disturbance – depends on how far in the brood-cycle they are. Usually when they have young in the nest, parents will keep on feeding them; eggs are a “rather new” investment for the parent birds, and they may sometimes pull the plug on that nest. Blackbirds (and thrushes) are often quite touchy: I noticed that as soon as the nest has been “discovered” and their privacy is breached, the young will fledge far too early and before they can actually fly away from cats and dogs! This puts them in a much more vulnerable situation. During the breeding season (which can go on till late summer for some species! Multiple broods for parent birds if the season is “good”) the young birds sometimes do silly things, like fly clumsily into your windows. If you find those stunned mullets on the ground, carefully pick them up and put them in a dark card-board box for an hour or so. Out of the light and no interaction; No Feeding; nor Watering, no Handling. Keep them quiet for a while and you’ll be surprised how they recover from such a knock! If your patient is a rare/endangered bird, please contact a local vet and organise some professional hospital care! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What issues can arise on a long haul flight? The main complaints tend to be irritating more than anything Becoming dehydrated – can lead to headaches, dry mouth, dry nose Not being able to sleep, ankle swelling Cramped conditions, especially in economy class seats! More serious: deep vein thrombosis – leg clots due to not moving around. How do we improve comfort? Really important to stay hydrated - plenty of fluid. Wear loose fitting clothes – you want to be comfortable. Carry lip balm or nasal spray to moisten nasal passages if dry - for comfort. Don’t drink alcohol or overdrink alcohol – it can worsen dehydration, headache and interfere with sleep. Are there issues with food and taste? At 30,000 feet your taste buds don’t’ work as well and food tastes ‘bland’. Also, your nose can dry out which affects taste. Airlines tend to produce stronger flavoured food such as curries to compensate. Up to 30% more sugar and salt in food to add to taste. Don’t overeat as we tend to bloat as gas forms in abdomen, which can cause abdominal discomfort. And sleep? Carry eye shade and ear plugs, and a neck pillow is a really good idea. Best thing to do is work out the sleep time at your destination before you go and try and sleep at that time on the flight. Some use melatonin, a ‘sleep hormone’ How do we avoid blood clots? Two key things – stay hydrated and get up and move around every 3-4 hours to get blood circulating. Failing that wiggle toes and bend knees in your seat frequently. Some choose to wear compression of flight stockings which encourage blood to circulate. They also reduce ankle swelling! If you have persistent leg swelling, chest pain or SOB in weeks after a long-haul flight – see your GP! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could your mobile phone be a thing of the past? A new company has launched a product to let you go hands-free. It's the Humane AI Pin, a voice and gesture activated wearable that can do many of the things your phone can do: send messages, read emails, make calls, get directions, play music, take photos and video, translate to other languages, and more. It's not always on, it's not listening for a wake word - it's got trust and privacy built in from the beginning. It has a light on the device so others know when it's activated. But it's powered by AI and even in its demo, it got facts wrong. If you can't see a screen or make direct inputs then you need to trust that you're getting and sending what you think you are. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To celebrate the abundance of asparagus available right now, make this simple tasty tart. Serve 4-6 Ingredients: 2 bunches (or about 20) medium thickness asparagus spears 1 sheet puff pastry 1 egg, beaten with a fork 150g sour cream or crème fraiche 100g blue cheese, crumbled 2 tablespoons caramelised onion chutney (store-bought is fine) ½ teaspoon sea salt + decent grind black pepper Drizzle of olive oil Method: Heat oven to 200 C. Trim or snap the tough ends off the asparagus spears. Line a tray with the pastry, twisting and pinching up the edges to form a rim if you need to. Brush the edges with the beaten egg. Whisk together the remaining egg with sour cream (or crème fraiche), ¾ of the blue cheese and onion. Spread this over the pastry. Lay the trimmed asparagus on top, season with salt and pepper and drizzle over olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and cooked on the base too. To serve, grind over some more pepper and crumble over remaining blue cheese. Make it yours: You could add chopped, crispy bacon or flakes of smoked salmon to this tart if you fancy it! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift has re-recorded her 2014 album "1989".The superstar has been re-recording her back catalogue so she can own the rights to her own music rather than her record label. Swift owning her own version would allow her to control what happens to her music and how it is streamed and bought.Music reviewer Estelle Clifford talked to Jack Tame about the album and the story behind the new album.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Secret – Lee Child and Andrew Child Jack Reacher has returned in yet another novel from Lee and Andrew Child. ‘The Secret’ is the 28th book in the series and was released only a few months before the second season of the TV show is set to be released in December. The Woman in Me - Britney Spears Britney Spears’ hotly anticipated memoir The Woman In Me has finally hit shelves after already topping bestseller charts. It’s Spears’ first official memoir, though she has already written two books with her mother Lynne. She reportedly started writing it shortly after her 13-year conservatorship ended. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flanked by jagged mountain spires scratching at the sky and slashed by the crystal waters of the mighty Snake River, the valley of Jackson Hole sets the stage for some wild Wyoming adventures, where the spirit of the West sings out loud. Early fur trappers used the term “hole” to describe a valley entirely encased by mountains, which perfectly sums up Jackson Hole’s terrain. Thickly forested mountains are carpeted in fir, spruce and Lodgepole pine trees. Lodgepole trunks served as trusty tipi poles for Native Americans. Then there’s the lush alpine meadows and the silvery-gray-green sagebrush flats - all guarded by the Tetons’ towering peaks, that are part of the Rockies. Crossing over into Wyoming from Idaho, the vertigo-inducing Teton Pass, at an elevation of 2500 metres, served up my first eagle’s perspective of Jackson Hole. It’s a mesmerising perspective and searing reminder that this is a land of rugged adventurers and stoic settlers. This sprawling valley not only plays host to hordes of wildlife, but the Grand Teton National Park and the ebullient town of Jackson. As the warm autumn sunshine bathed the bucolic landscape in a soft glow, I was staggered how many road-trippers were out in force, well past the summer peak. But nature’s towering glories, whether you’re magnetised by the ski slopes, the hiking trails or serendipitous wildlife encounters, underpins Jackson Hole’s year-round pulling power. Travel correspondent Mike Yardley talked to Jack Tame on the best things to do in Jackson Hole in Wyoming.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is ADHD? Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms include difficulty focusing attention -often cant’s keep focused on something but sometimes get “hyperfocused” on something and can’t move off it when need to; acting suddenly without thinking (impulsivity); being really disorganised; fidgety, restless, can’t sit still for long; changing jobs a lot, messy and disorganised, misses deadlines, often seen as unreliable; can affect friendships Why is it an issue in the workplace Historically ADHD was thought to only exist in children and that they would grow out of it Now know that about 2/3 of people with ADHD as a child continue to have symptoms and signs as an adult Lots of people missed being diagnosed in childhood but now realising that they might have it – so lots more people getting diagnosed as adults Also increasing number of women being diagnosed in adulthood who were likely overlooked during childhood How to support at work Recognising it’s ADHD is a good start rather than assuming someone is “lazy” or it’s something to do with their personality Adjusting work environment to reduce distractions Figuring out with the person how best they work – sometimes having tight deadlines is really useful as it creates positive pressure to get a job done. A number of journalists have commented to me that they think they have ADHD and news media is a great place for them to work as the content is constantly changing and the deadlines are tight and quick LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wine: Nautilus 2023 Albarino, Marlborough $30 Why I chose it: - Exciting new (to New Zealand) grape variety with a great future in this part of the world - Nautilus makes my favourite Albarino - Great summer wine – crisp, refreshing with mouth-watering acidity What does it taste like? - A delicious albarino with classic citrus/mandarin/orange flavours. A kiss of sweetness is perfectly balanced by fruity, mouthwatering acidity that leaves a refreshing finish. Memorable wine that makes perfect summer drinking. Why it’s a bargain: - High quality wine at a reasonable price Where can you buy it? - Wine Freedom, Otago $24.99; Whiskeyonline, Auckland $25.99; Society Liquor, Wellington $25.99 - More likely to find it at fine wine stores rather than on supermarket shelves Food match? - Most seafood, my favourite is scampi seared on the BBQ Will it keep? - Drink it up LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spring: everything wakes up. All sorts of creepy crawlies are gunning for your crops and sometimes we need to be ahead of the game. Apples have stopped flowering and the smallest beginnings of the fruit are on your trees. Those tiny fruitlets are known in English as “Codlings” Hence the name for the moth who’s caterpillars love to invade these codlings: Codling moth Parents (moths) are now laying eggs on these codlings, so let’s avoid the caterpillars tunnelling into your tiny, developing fruit! MADEX is the spray to use from now on; every two weeks or so until February. Madex is a codling moth granulosis virus that will affect the small brutes before they enter the apple. Only works on Codling moth species (Cydia pomonella); and the virus will not harm us either. Noticed the black sooty mould on your lemon tree leaves? That stuff grows on all sorts of citrus! That’s a fungus that grows on the excrement of sap-sucking insects, especially scale insects, mealybugs and citrus whitefly. Those tiny whitefly have really become the bigger pest on citrus, especially north of Christchurch. Trying to remove the black, sooty mould is literally useless, as the sap-suckers will continue to drop their sweet poos; So: we need to control those whitefly etc., right now by giving them a weekly dose of Neem Oil. Aim for the top-side of the leaves and the bottom-side of the leaves. The regularity of spraying halts the egg-laying part of the life cycle, simply by killing the susceptible juveniles before they become adults. Lemon tree borer is another troublesome critter on citrus; this one grows its babies (rather large beetle grubs) in tunnels in branches, twigs and trunks of citrus trees. The female beetle lays her eggs on freshly-made pruning cuts, so the very first thing we must not do is prune our citrus in spring and summer. To remove the grub from its tunnel is tricky, but can be achieved with a “hypodermic needle” filled with insecticide. You can literally squirt that stuff into the grub’s tunnel by access in the “toilet hole” from the outside. That way you won’t cause any extra damage to the branch but still halt the destruction inside the branch Clever, eh? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

YouTube is cracking own on ad-blockers If you have an ad-blocker you'll likely get a warning that using it violates their terms of service. It's been a slow road here - they previously had allowed you to watch one video before blocking you, but no more. The big streamers are doing the same, but with account sharing - everyone is focused on profitability at the moment and are tightening up where they can. Apple really wants you to buy a new laptop They released their new M3 chips on Tuesday and put those into MacBook Pros and the iMac. They referenced multiple times that 'Intel-based' Macs were slow, and that it's a great time to upgrade! They also did their "scary fast" event at a new time - 8pm in the East, 5pm in the West - I imagine hoping to get in front of consumers rather than industry folks.The trouble is that most people don't have a need for these more powerful chips right now.. and the sales reflect that with Q3 of 2023 was down 34% compared to Q3 of last year -- they did $7.6 billion in sales. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All the Light We Cannot See: Adapted from the novel by Anthony Doerr, this tells the story of a blind French teenager who crosses paths with a German soldier as they both try and survive the devastation of World War 2. (Netflix) The Gilded Age: The return of Julian Fellowes’ sumptuous costume drama about a young woman who moves to New York to live with her aunts, and is exposed to an exciting new world on the brink of the modern age (Neon) Wolf: A British drama where anything goes. Set in an isolated house in the country, a family find themselves the victims of a terrifying psychopath’s cruel games (TVNZ+) LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The term ‘MasterChef’ Is not a term to be taken lightly. Yes, it comes with all the TV star glory but it’s also about incredible talent and skill. Starting out as a young boy running an Auckland takeaway shop and local dairy, Sam Low has gone from strength to strength making a name for himself in the food industry as an award-winning barista and latte art champion. He took the crown in last year's MasterChef New Zealand. Now he’s combined a collection of delicious recipes in his new cookbook - “Modern Chinese”. Sam Low spoke to Jack Tame about it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Week returns in November 2023. Over a week NZ ice cream, gelato and sorbet makers will celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the country’s growing industry and encourage Kiwis to buy and enjoy locally made. The week kicks off with Ice Cream & Gelato Sundae on Sunday 5 November 2023 – with specials in scoop shops across the country. NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Week is from Sunday 5 until Sunday 12 November 2023 with ice cream and gelato stores featuring; tastings, competitions and special promotions. Kiwis can head to www.nzicecreamandgelato.co.nz to vote for their favourite NZ Ice Cream or Gelato maker AND your favourite NZ Scoop Store – and go into the draw to win ice cream & gelato Affogato! This is the perfect little sweet treat pick me up; ice cream drowned in espresso coffee and topped with toasted, crushed hazelnuts. Add a shot of liqueur if you fancy. Bellissimo! Makes 4 ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped 1 cup very strong espresso coffee 4 big scoops good quality ice cream 4 tablespoons amaretto, Kahlúa or other liqueur (optional) Scoop vanilla ice cream into small, pre-chilled glasses or cups. Pour over ¼ cup hot espresso over the top and top with hazelnuts. Add a shot of liqueur (optional) and serve immediately. Nici’s note: For kids, use decaf coffee or hot chocolate and leave out the liqueur. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francesca Rudkin reviews Kiwi comedian Tom Sainsbury's new horror film Loop Track and Till, about the search for justice following the lynching of African American teenager Emmett Till in 1955. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's top swimmer, Lewis Clareburt, is having to move to Auckland and find a new coach because he can't get consistent training time at Wellington city council's top pool. Why? Because their community pools are "heavily used" by swimmers and other water sports. Kevin Milne talked to Jack Tame about it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The results are in. Not the final, final results. The super-dooper recounted and not-subject-to-further-legal-challenge results. But as final as results are going to be for a bit longer. And on the numbers released by the Electoral Commission yesterday, I think we can reasonably dub the 2023 General Election the ABL-Vote. ABL. Anyone. But. Labour. The left has gone more left. The right has gone more right. Winston Peters and New Zealand First have hoovered up whatever remains, and we wait to see what kind of deal might be struck between the governing parties. These are the things that stand out to me: 1) Labour’s vote has almost halved on the result three years ago. Maybe it’s the polling or just the general widespread sense of dissatisfaction with the government, but I still think we haven’t paused and considered the scale of that reversal, enough. They received 50% of the party vote in 2020. I get it. It was an extraordinary result for an extraordinary political moment. But in just three years they’ve shed almost half of that support Almost a quarter of all New Zealand voters have left them. And as if that weren’t painful enough for the party’s members, what is there to show for that historic majority government? 2) With just over 38% of the vote, by National’s traditional standards, this is not an impressive election result. It was enough. And it only needed to be enough. But if you take out the 2020 drubbing, this year’s result was the lowest party vote result for National for more than 20 years. But for 2020, the last time they were lower than 39% was the 2002 election. 3) Both the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are celebrating their largest-ever caucuses. A big part of their success is surely the ABL factor. Anyone but Labour. But I also think they ran the two best campaigns of the election. The Greens were super-disciplined. They put out well-constructed policies early in the campaign, soaking up a lot of political discourse before the other parties switched into campaign mode. Te Pāti Māori understood better than any other party except for maybe New Zealand first, how to mobilise their supporters. 4) I think ACT will be a bit disappointed by their final numbers. Of course, the result is great by the party’s traditional standards and winning the Tamaki electorate was a huge boon symbolically, but compared to where they were polling a few months ago, it’s a notable drop. 5) New Zealand First’s result marks a masterful sprint to the electoral finish line for our most experienced and seasoned politician. Winston Peters saw the space opened up by National’s dithering and seized it. The party didn’t confirm its policy platform until well after voting had already opened but their supporters don’t care. New Zealand First might have been largely absent from politicial discourse for most of this parliamentary term, but their result goes to show how important timing and momentum are in a political campaign. So what happens now? Negotiations will be fascinating. My impression is that David Seymour will be intensely focused on achieving policy concessions. I suspect New Zealand First will be less interested in big, meaty, high-workload Cabinet portfolios, but I could be wrong. I think the triumphant reaction from the Greens, while understandable at one level, shows they’re completely focused on themselves and are deluded about the constraints of opposition. No one seems to note that a record election result for the party isn’t actually worth that much if you’re languishing in opposition, and the governing parties are pledging to restart oil and gas exploration, delay emissions pricing on farms, and even scrap the Zero Carbon Act. I think Labour’s totally adrift. And I think the new Prime Minister has his work cut out. The ABL factor will give him a honeymoon glow for a bit, but this is still an incredibly tricky economic and political moment, and if this election has shown us anything it’s how quickly voter sentiment can change. Three’s a crowd and managing relationships between ACT and New Zealand First is potentially complex. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the next government will know they can only trade on being Anyone But Labour for so long. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They’ve been described as the Beetles for kids. And now after more than a decade of spreading joy to generations of children, the Wiggles – Anthony, Murray, Greg, and Jeff have reunited on screen to tell how the magic happened. It wasn’t all upbeat and colourful skivvies, as the film sheds light on some of the struggles they faced as individuals. Yellow Wiggle Greg Page and Purple Wiggle Jeff Fatt joined Jack Tame to chat about the documentary, the history, and the success of the Wiggles. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Wellington City Council committed to complete earthquake strengthening and renovations of Wellington Town Hall, approving an eyewatering $328 million budget. The reason they’ve committed to this figure is because if they closed the site and demolished the building, it would allegedly cost about the same amount. Kevin Milne is struggling to wrap his head around this fact. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour The cultural phenomenon continues as pop icon Taylor Swift performs hit songs in a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience. Ms Information As the nation plunges into pandemic, Gwen Isaac’s observational documentary delves into the trenches with Siouxsie Wiles, the fuchsia-haired microbiologist who emerged as a national hero and a satanic witch in the minds of a divided New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the Party Robyn Malcolm stars in this New Zealand drama about a woman whose world implodes after she accuses her husband of a sex crime but nobody believes her (TVNZ1 from Sunday, and TVNZ+). Last Stop Larrimah An HBO true crime documentary series about the Australian outback town of Larrimah, population 11, and the mysterious disappearance of one of the residents that turned everyone else into suspects (Netflix). Hot Potato: Story of the Wiggles A documentary about the incredible story of The Wiggles, who sang and danced their way into the hearts of millions of people around the globe (Prime Video). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Exchange – John Grisham What became of Mitch and Abby McDeere after they exposed the crimes of Memphis law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke and fled the country? It is now fifteen years later, and Mitch and Abby are living in Manhattan, where Mitch is a partner at the largest law firm in the world. When a mentor in Rome asks him for a favor that will take him far from home, Mitch finds himself at the center of a sinister plot that has worldwide implications—and once again endangers his colleagues, friends, and family. Mitch has become a master at staying one step ahead of his adversaries, but this time there’s nowhere to hide. Lola in the Mirror – Trent Dalton A girl and her mother have been on the run for sixteen years, from police and the monster they left in their kitchen with a knife in his throat. They've found themselves a home inside a van with four flat tyres parked in a scrapyard by the edge of the Brisbane River. The girl has no name because names are dangerous when you're on the run. But the girl has a dream. A vision of a life as an artist of international acclaim. A life outside the grip of the Brisbane underworld drug queen 'Lady' Flora Box. A life of love with the boy who's waiting for her on the bridge that stretches across a flooding, deadly river. A life beyond the bullet that has her name on it. And now that the storm clouds are rising, there's only one person who can help make her dreams come true. That person is Lola and she carries all the answers. But to find Lola, the girl with no name must first do one of the hardest things we can ever do. She must look in the mirror. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.