Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Fearing love lost, the Australian singer wears his heart on his sleeve over the 45-minute runtime. London-born and Sydney-raised, Ruel (real name: Ruel Vincent van Dijk) got his first break at the young age of 14 after his father shared one of his demos to Grammy Award-winning producer M-Phazes. Ever since, his profile has burgeoned. Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here. Six years later, the singer looks back at the whirlwind of his adolescent relationships as he wrestles with self-sabotage and a broken heart on 4TH WALL. Introspective with a cinematic swell, Ruel brings together some of his best tracks to date. Live Nation & Secret Sounds is excited to announce that five-time platinum artist Ruel will be touring New Zealand throughout April 2023. Playing his first ever headline Arena show, the hugely anticipated tour will see the Australian trailblazer light up stages in Auckland & Wellington, hot off the release of his debut album 4TH WALL, out Friday 3 March. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Messenger – Megan Davis Wealthy and privileged, Alex has an easy path to success in the Parisian elite his father mingles with. But the two have never seen eye to eye. Desperate to escape the increasingly suffocating atmosphere of their apartment, Alex seeks freedom on the streets of Paris where his new-found friend Sami teaches him how to survive. But everything has a price - and one night of rebellion changes their lives forever. A simple plan to steal money takes a sinister turn when Alex's father is found dead. Despite protesting their innocence, both boys are imprisoned for murder. Seven years later Alex is released from prison with a single purpose: to discover who really killed his father. Yet as he searches for answers and atones for the sins of his past, Alex uncovers a disturbing truth with far-reaching consequences. Unscripted – James B Stewart and Rachel Abrams The shocking inside story of the struggle for power and control at Paramount Global, the multibillion-dollar entertainment empire controlled by the Redstone family, and the dysfunction, misconduct, and deceit that threatened the future of the company, from the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists who first broke the news. In 2016, the fate of Paramount Global—the multibillion-dollar entertainment empire that includes Paramount, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Showtime, and Simon & Schuster—hung precariously in the balance. Its founder and head, ninety-three-year-old Sumner M. Redstone, was facing a very public lawsuit brought by a former romantic companion, Manuela Herzer—a lawsuit that placed Sumner’s deteriorating health and questionable judgment under a harsh light. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long-haul travel does come with the risk of travel fatigue, aka jet lag. IATA believes flying through just 2 time zones opens you up to jet lag. The best thing you can do is adjust lightning-fast to your new time zone. How should you go about managing sleep time? Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, is probably the best thing you can do. Do you take magnesium or melatonin to help induce sleep? What about sleeping pills on a flight? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What systems work best? What questions should couples ask when talking about money? What does money mean for you? What is your safety number? What is debt ratio number? How do you need to be taken care of in relation to money? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Spider time! Autumn – everybody is looking for a place to hibernate and those that are not hibernating will be looking for a place to find a mate. This is the time of the year to go outside after sunset, with a head-torch on, spotting our clever arachnid friends. Jumping Spiders (aptly named Salticidae – reminding me of Salto Mortale, the deadly jump) are everywhere inside our homes, on the plants outside and on the window sills where it’s nice and warm. Warmth means good conditions for flies and other prey – so that’s where these spiders perform their daring jumps Outside the windows you often find messy websites, inhabited by Badumna the grey house spider. Ironically, the white-tailed spider preys on Badumna and are therefore often found on the kitchen windows in the evening. A rather large and rather common dark spider is currently also on the move: it’s Uliodon, the “Vagrant” spider (therefore aptly named, as it is of no fixed abode) that is knocking on doors to find a girlfriend or boyfriend. Now this is a species that can cause the trouble often erroneously linked to white-tails and their bites. And then there are the master-builders of silken contraptions; these are often found in Native bush, or gardens with a good amount of large trees, especially trees with holes and other nooks and crannies in them: the Horizontal sheetweb spiders Cambridgea. That sheetweb can be huge and the spider hangs on the underside of that trampoline, waiting for a moth to make the tiny mistake of falling onto that web; a very quick move by the owner sees that moth being impaled by two sizeable fangs full of toxins that dissolve the insides of that prey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hannah McQueen has been running enable.me for more than 15 years, and in that time has seen a huge change in the number of people who own shares. The sharesies/hatch/DIY investor revolution means many people have a portfolio when previously it was only those who had significant wealth, or a personal passion, who did. The problem is there are more and more people randomly selecting shares, rather than investing strategically, or in a diversified way. FMA research shows a decent number of people invest due to FOMO or because someone said it was a good idea, without doing any research themselves – and our observations echo that. As a learning mechanism, or a bit of fun – great – but for most people the margin for error to land them where they need to be for retirement is too small to invest too much that way. It’s not a dig at investment platforms – just a warning that there are risks to directing too much of your investment funds in a scattergun approach. I liken it to picking the route before you’ve identified the destination – who knows where you’ll end up. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple is now a bank It's offering a savings account earning an extremely competitive interest rate! Their Apple Card partner Goldman Sacks is also powering this savings account. It's tough to define these days what "Apple" is as a company - they make devices, offer cloud services, create TV shows, sell apps, and now offer a savings account. Goodbye Twitter's blue checkmarks After many many false starts, the blue checkmarks people had for being 'notable' have disappeared. The only way to get a blue checkmark now is to pay for Twitter Blue - which requires you to verify your phone number. Elon Musk tweeted that he is paying for some of the Twitter Blue accounts personally - like that of Lebron James. Others have a blue checkmark and want to get rid of it because they seem embarrassed for paying for Twitter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Diplomat: Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell star in this political thriller about a career diplomat who has to juggle her new high-profile role as an ambassador with her turbulent marriage to a political star (Netflix). Drops of God: A sleek thriller about a woman who discovers the world’s greatest wine collection has been left to her by her estranged father, but she must compete against a Japanese man to claim the inheritance (Apple TV+). Quantum Leap: a reboot of the classic 1990s drama about a scientist who finds himself able to travel through space and time (Neon). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liam Neeson’s career has spanned 47 years, over 100 films- and too many iconic roles to count. From Oskar Schidler, to Qui-Gon Jinn, to Ra’s al Ghul, to everyone’s favourite retired CIA operative Bryan Mills to brooding private detective Philip Marlowe in the 2022 release Marlowe. Liam Neeson theorised with ZB’s Jack Tame that a character like Philip Marlowe has managed to keep readers and viewers intrigued over a century after his creation because people are drawn to noble protagonists who care about seeking justice. “Here’s this guy, kind of down on his luck I suppose, carving out a not very lucrative career and seeking some kind of justice for a murder or some crime that’s been committed and doing it in his own way. Sometimes he works for the bad guys, sometimes with the good guys. Something about that, there’s a rebel in there and there’s also an Arthurian knight of the Round Table in there.” Marlowe holds the unique distinction of being Liam Neeson’s 100th film, but he remains modest about his accomplishments on stage or the screen. Even when Jack pressed further, Neeson still wouldn’t name any personal highlights. “Seriously, I can’t. A lot of that is just luck, Lady Luck.” The theme of seeking justice and avenging crimes is clearly timeless, as it’s a driving force behind another iconic role filled by Neeson- retired CIA operative turned father figure Bryan Mills from the 2008 hit Taken. Surprisingly enough, Liam Neeson never actually imagined Taken being a hit- or eventually a meme. As he explained to Jack Tame, he assumed this was going to be dismissed as direct to video-grade cheesiness. “It’s funny, when I first read that script (Taken) I thought- this is so corny. I heard this or feel like I’ve seen this in so many movies.” “I thought it would be straight to video. Like straight to video. But I wanted to do it because of all the fighting and I loved being with the stunt guys, doing all that stuff. And it was three months in Paris, how bad could it be?” Liam Neeson explained to Jack Tame that Taken was the start of the point in his career where he became an action star, as he later featured in The A-Team, The Grey, Wrath of the Titans and all the Taken sequels. “If I had five cents for every time I said, you know, I have a particular set of skills, I will find you… I’d be a very rich man. Because my kids would always say- Dad, would you leave a message for my friend?”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is this the ultimate ANZAC scone? I’m marrying up our favourite fruit – feijoas – with Aussie’s favourite scone – pumpkin! And it’s a winner. Makes 10 large scones ¾ cup pumpkin pulp (see note) ½ cup chopped feijoas 3/4 cup plain yoghurt (or use ½ cup milk + ¼ cup cream) 3 cups self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 60g butter, chilled ½ tsp sea salt 2 rashers of bacon, diced 75g parmesan, grated Preheat oven to 200 C. Line a tray with baking paper. Whisk pumpkin pulp with yoghurt (or milk & cream) until incorporated. Stir in the chopped feijoas. In a large bowl combine flour and baking powder and grate in chilled butter. Pour in pumpkin mixture, season and stir to combine with a butter knife. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly and gently until it comes together in a smooth dough. Press out to form a 3cm-thick rectangle. Cut into 10 pieces and transfer each to the tray. Toss the bacon and parmesan together and sprinkle over each scone bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm slathered with butter. Nici’s note: For ¾ cup pumpkin pulp, halve a small butternut pumpkin lengthwise, scoop out seeds and discard. Roast halves, cut side up, until soft. Scoop cooked flesh from skin and puree with a stick blender or mash well with a fork. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paper Spiders Starring NZ- American actress Stefania Lavie Owen. A teen makes a series of tough choices as her mother's paranoid delusions threaten to destroy their loving relationship. Shackleton: The Greatest Story of Survival The true story of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance. 28 lost adventurers must fight for their lives after their only lifeline is destroyed in the most uninhabitable place on Earth – Antarctica. The story's told by the only man ever to have repeated their incredible feat - explorer and adventurer Tim Jarvis. Following in the beset crew’s footsteps, Tim reveals the enduring legacy of Shackleton's crisis leadership in the face of impossible odds - a lesson more relevant to us now than ever before. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has been reading about King Charles III with his coronation imminent. He's come across some fascinating and curious facts about him, such as, he travels with his own supply of blood. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Credit where credit’s due. Our government hasn’t wasted a minute under the Australian Prime Ministership of Anthony Albanese to dramatically improve the relationship with our closest neighbour. With Scott Morrison out, and two governments closely aligned on the ideological front, in less than a year several major policies have been changed for New Zealanders’ benefit. Application of the 501 deportations was significantly pared back, and now New Zealanders in Australia have a more direct path to citizenship. It restores something akin to reciprocity for the first time in more than twenty years. But while the policy is excellent news for New Zealanders in Australia, it may not be so good for New Zealand. The more complicated path to citizenship was one of the few deterrents remaining for Kiwis considering moving to Australia. “New Zealanders who leave for Australia raise the I.Q of both.” It made for a cute quote, you’re kidding yourself if these days you agree with Rob Muldoon’s famous line. If you’re a young, ambitious New Zealander today, why would you choose to stay? I texted my friend in Melbourne this morning to ask about the changes. He was delighted – he moved over after the Christchurch earthquake and has been waiting for these changes to apply for Australian citizenship. “Out of interest,” I said. “What would it take for you to move home? I know you miss your family, but what more would you need?” He sent me a three symbol reply. “$$$” “Our household income over here is roughly 400K,” he told me. “We’d be super lucky to get two thirds of that in NZ even before we accounted for the exchange rate, and there are way fewer jobs in our fields.” I think all of us have bright, successful, friends and family members who could be contributing to New Zealand’s society and economy but have moved over and haven’t come back. There are roughly ten times more New Zealanders – almost 700,000 – living in Australia than Australians living here. There’s every likelihood this change will contribute even more to the bleed. And it isn’t just Kiwis like my mate, working in corporate and IT jobs. It’s every sector. When my sister worked as a teacher in Western Australia she earned roughly $40,000 more every year than she would have in New Zealand at the same time. At the start of this month, The Guardian reported that 5000 New Zealand nurses have registered to work in Australia since August of last year. It’s only three hours away. When you compare pay, conditions, and lifestyle, the rational question isn’t why a young person would consider moving to Oz. It’s why wouldn’t they? We’re always going to struggle to compete economically with Australia. The nature and make up of their economy means we can only get so close. I don’t begrudge the tens or hundreds of thousands of Kiwis who will benefit from these changes. But as Australia gives New Zealanders an even better deal, it’s a prime opportunity to pause and ask ourselves what more we should be doing to stop them leaving in the first place?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ideal Home Noise - Vera Ellen Ideal Home Noise is a record unearthed from much introspection and an attempt to find some comedy and lightness in an otherwise dark period for Vera Ellen. With two "voices” battling throughout the album, the instrumentation is sometimes light — featuring synths and electronic drums — and sometimes heavy — with ballad-like piano and raw vocals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Those Mothers – Megan Nicol Reed When a local father is convicted of the possession and distribution of child pornography, the tight-knit, middle-class community is quick to unravel. He is granted permanent name suppression, and soon friend turns on friend, neighbour delivers up neighbour, and hysteria rapidly engulfs them all. Who among them was capable of such moral trespass?Bridget, Roz and Lucy have been friends forever. Their lives revolve around their children, their community, each other. With their husbands and kids, they holiday together every year. Every year, until last summer, when everything went so terribly wrong. Strange Sally Diamond - Liz Nugent Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died. Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past of which she has no memory. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don't always mean what they say. But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally's life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sustainability commentator Kate Hall joined Jack this morning to chat about kombucha, and tell us her method for making it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Autumn can be busy! It might be getting cooler and days shorter, but some vegetable crops can be planted right now. Use the warmth that is still in the soil to germinate the seeds or to give small punnet-seedlings a better start for growing through the late Autumn/Early winter months. Fresh Peas: Easy peasy, as the seeds of those peas (the peas themselves!!) have enough reserves inside them to make them grow. Nice, friable soil that can drain the winter rains away. Good nutritious compost in there as well Broad beans: Similar gig! Plenty of growth potential and they might ripen quite early too. These are good greens for the winter (if you like them). Broccoli: Another suitable winter vegetable that can be planted now —there’s still some warmth in the soil they’ll grow well in the next month— even if they slow down afterwards, you’ve got a month’s worth of advance before they start taking it easy. Slow ripening means that they don’t all ripen at once, so pick the biggest ones as they mature Most other cabbage varieties will also grow from now on Carrot seedlings: These will also germinate at lower temperatures. Remember to create a soil that is free of lumps and stones, so that the carrots keep straight and do not “fork”. An extra handful of Phosphate will give them the impetus to grow nice roots Egyptian Walking Onions: These are my favourite onions and they’ll be quite happy to be planted (the small bulbils that form at the top of the mature plants). I tend to give them a bed on their own, so they can “walk” anywhere they like and right throughout the year; a raised bed with a regular dose of compost/mulch plus some seafood soup (liquid fertiliser) will sustain them ad infinitum. Maybe now is a good time to prepare a new bad for your garlic. (Garlic should really not be grown in the same bed, year after year. To avoid getting hammered by onion rust, I plant my garlic in early May to be at least a month ahead of the mythical and prescribed planting routine (shortest day) and harvest time (longest day). I’ve noticed many people struggle with these dates due to debilitating rust. Go early!! And Julie reminds me of the bulbs that need planting this autumn, so that we can look forward to some colour and cheer in spring: Narcissus, Tulips, Ranunculus and the wonderful smelling Freesias. Honestly, grab a catalogue (Wildflower world, Palmers, Oderings, etc) and spoil yourself; Good well-drained soils are often essential.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Bryan Betty joined the show today to chat about Rheumatoid Arthritis; what it is, it’s symptoms, and how to deal with it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Stenhouse joined Jack Tame to chime in on Montana banning TikTok, Coachella being livestreamed, and LinkedIn’s new verification services. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Last Thing He Told Me Hannah must forge a relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter, Bailey, to find the truth behind why her husband has mysteriously disappeared. Transatlantic An American journalist, during 13 months spent in France in 1940-41, manages to arrange safe passage out of France and on to the US for more than 2000 refugees who are in danger of losing their lives. Blow Up The new Warner Bros Discovery series Blow Up challenges contestants to create giant inflatable works of art in a bid to be crowned New Zealand’s greatest balloon artist, and win $25k.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The longest running classical crossover act in the world, The Ten Tenors has performed over three thousand times all across the world since their creation in 1995. The group was formed in Queensland Australia, but features a couple of Kiwis in their lineup as well. Cameron Barclay and newcomer Andrew Papas joined Jack Tame to chat about performing and what it’s like to be part of the group. Jack was also treated to a performance from the entirety of the Ten Tenors, as they kick off their Greatest Hits NZ Tour. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Autumn is the season for pumpkins and nuts so here I’m combining them both to bring you this incredible dish! Serve it as a main course or as a side to go with a chop, some roast lamb or a piece of grilled salmon. It’s lovely! Ingredients: 3-6 wedges of pumpkin, skin on 2 tablespoons olive oil + extra 1 teaspoon sea salt Decent pinch freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup of sour cream Juice from half an orange or lemon ¼ cup toasted seeds and nut (I used sunflower and pumpkin seeds + almonds) 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses or honey Method: Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a tray with baking paper. Brush pumpkin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 40-50 minutes until tender and browned a little. Whisk sour cream with orange juice and an extra splash of olive oil. Spoon half of this dressing onto a serving plate. To serve, place pumpkin onto sour cream base, sprinkle over plenty of the seed/nut mix and then drizzle over the remaining sour cream dressing. Top with pomegranate molasses or honey, serve and enjoy! Variations: Add a tsp of mustard to the sour cream. Scatter over fresh parsley or coriander leaves to serve. Use hazelnuts or walnuts. Mix cashew butter, lime, sesame oil and chilli flakes to make a different creamy dressing. Add some juicy grapes to the final dish. In the final 15 minutes, roast some button mushrooms (toss with oil first) with the pumpkin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Navalny Detailing the 2020 assassination attempt of Russian opposition leader and former presidential candidate Alexei Navalny, in which he was poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent. A House Made of Splinters In war-torn eastern Ukraine, a group of women run a home where they manage to create a warm place for children placed out of home due to violence or alcohol abuse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After suddenly losing power on amid Easter Sunday preparations, Kevin Milne pays tribute to the people who have the technical know-how to solve the maintenance problems the rest of us can’t. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If I’m ever in a job interview and they ask me what my weaknesses are, I won’t hesitate in my answer. No, I won’t say I work too hard or that I care too much. I’ll be honest and say that I’m impatient. For me, that was a big part of the reason I was so excited when TV streaming services finally got good. Instead of waiting for episodes to be drip-fed to the audience, week by week, I could turn on telly and watch a whole series in a night if I so chose. To be honest, bingeing twelve hours of television at a time is not really my style. But in the first few years of streaming, we were told repeatedly by Netflix and co why getting a whole series at once was such a good idea. It changes storytelling for the better, they told us. You don’t have to worry about weak cliff-hangers. Writers don’t have to shoehorn a whole story arc into exactly twenty-three minutes. It’s more organic. More nuanced. More thoughtful. We should’ve known better. But instead, we fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. The streamers played us like drug dealers play addicts. They published full season of bingeable TV upon full season of bingeable TV, niche shows, big-budget dramas, the best programmes in the history of television, and when subscriptions were near an absolute maximum across the board, they cut down on the supply. If you think about it, the economics are simple. Why have your audience bingeing TV, watching a month’s worth of telly in four days and then pausing their subscriptions? It’s much smarter to have them pay you the same amount but only give them one episode ever week. There’s another downside to the drip-drip-drip model that I only appreciated this week. For almost five years I’ve been watching Succession, one of the best programmes on TV. Right now, Succession is broadcasting it’s fourth and final series. It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s surprising. It’s observant. It critiques our culture and reminds me of my twenties in New York. And given it’s the last season, the pièce de resistance, I’ve been deliberately waiting for a gap in my schedule to sit down and properly enjoy it. Between Easter, work, and everything else, I’ve been tempering my impatience and waiting for a moment when I can properly savour ever second of the final season glory. To be fair I think Succession has always been a weekly episodic. HBO never went to the Netflix full binge model. But there’s a difference in the way that audiences behave between the two different styles. When full series are published all at once, no one gives up spoilers. It’s generally accepted that as a viewer, you won’t necessarily watch a whole series on the day it becomes available. You might, but most people will probably spread out a series a little bit. How many of us have talked about TV, and asked our friends – carefully – what episode they were up to? But a show like Succession is different. There are millions of viewers around the world, waiting for the hour every week in which they know a new episode will become available. And because that’s the way they’re watching the show, the presume everyone is doing the same thing. You can see where this is going. This week, Succession delivered its biggest plot twist in five wonderful years of storytelling. A huge twist. A massive shock. A Shakespearean dynamic-changer. But I didn’t see it for myself. Having carefully, deliberately waited, I read it on Twitter. Twice. Then I saw it again in a newspaper headline. Maybe streaming ruined TV-watching etiquette. And maybe impatience isn’t such a bad thing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The third studio album from Matt Corby, ‘Everything’s Fine’ is the official follow-up to 2018’s ‘Rainbow Valley’. Matt Corby has always been a musician’s musician. Every note he plays and every lyric he sings is both considered and intellectual – and with his third album Everything’s Fine he continues this reputation while developing his sound for today’s listener. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I Will Find You, Harlan Coben From the # 1 author and creator of the hit Netflix drama Stay Close, a page-turning thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page. The new Harlan Coben blockbuster has arrived. Go as a River, Shelly Read From the publishers of THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS, ONCE UPON A RIVER and GREAT CIRCLE, a soaring, heartstopping debut novel of female resilience and becoming, for fans of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Savouring exotic flavours and iconic dishes is one of travel’s great rewards. But some of the most popular dishes do not originate from where you would think. Let’s start with a Caesar Salad. What about a Japanese Curry? Take a cruise in Alaska and Baked Alaska is sure to feature on the dessert menu. Is it Alaskan? How about Chicken Tikka Masala? One of the most deceptively named dishes would have to be Mongolian Beef. One of the most popular dishes in Peru is Lomo Saltado. Strips of beef with onion and tomato. But is it Peruvian? Speaking of Peru - Pisco Sour. Is the national drink actually Peruvian? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is it so hard to talk about the 'big' topics with our significant other? What happens if we just avoid it? Is there a secret to making it easier? Relationship expert Steven Dromgool joins Jack Tame to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an early warning for the coming month; You’ve heard me saying this once, you’ve heard me talk about it a thousand times: Those fallen leaves are worth their weight in gold. No matter if we are talking about deciduous trees (those that lose their leaves in autumn) or “ever-green” trees, they all need to replace these green factories that turn Carbon di-oxide and minerals into sugars and Oxygen. And the power plant that makes it happen is current sunlight (not fossil sunlight!) The old leaves return a lot of chemistry to the mother tree before they drop off (it’ll be used again to make new leaves next spring). But what the old leaves contain, as they float down to the ground, is mostly carbon. You may have heard about “climate disruption” or “climate change”?, a problem that is summed up by the fact that we have too much carbon in the air and not enough in the soil. Nature’s technique is to get that carbon back into the soil via trees and growing things called “leaves”. So here’s the best tip for the Planet and your garden: Build one or more chicken-wire cages (1 meter by 1 meter and – say – one meter tall; Use some sturdy stakes to keep it all in shape. Now, when the leaves come floating down gather them up and chuck them in that cage and leave them there for a year or so. They turn into leaf mold, full of carbon and light in weight This stuff is the best compound to make seed raising mix (add some light, friable compost) Leaf mold also makes potting mix (with compost and fine bark) It also makes a perfect mulch on the flower beds (weed control) Leaf mold is a key ingredient for vegetable garden soil (add compost, mineral soil and fertiliser) It rejuvenates old beds that need some “time out” (keep it fallow) Leaf mold is perfect to make heavy, wet clay into a much better draining soil (increasing spaces in the soil) It even does the opposite: making free-draining sandy soils a lot better at holding on to moisture (reducing spaces in the sandy soil).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wine: 2021 Te Kairanga Rosé, Martinborough $25.99 Why I chose it: Versatile, suits warm weather and cooler weather Was a stand-out wine in a recent blind tasting From a top vintage (buy now while stocks last) Who doesn’t like Rosé? (A winemaker recently told me that more men buy Rosé than women in NZ) What does it taste like? Reasonably pale, gently aromatic rose with raspberry sherbet, crushed strawberry and watermelon flavours. Dry, refreshing wine with good flavour intensity and a lingering finish. Why it’s a bargain: High quality wine at a middle-of-the-road price. Where can you buy it? Foley Wine Club are selling it for $20.99 if you buy six bottles for $125.95 Food match? You can enhance the pleasure by serving the wine with pink-tinted foods such as prawn cocktails or salmon sushi – it really gives it a lift. Will it keep? No, drink up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India is getting its first Apple Store I'm shocked that they don't already have one! The store will be over 2,000 sqm. It won't be The Apple Careers website has given some clues that this will be the first of many stores as Apple is hiring for team members for "various locations". It's online store opened to India in 2020 and iPhone are manufactured in India. Twitter's latest fight is with newsletter platform Substack Any tweet that contains a link to a Substack has had its reply, retweet and quote tweet function disabled because it throws as error to the user. This comes after Twitter blocked embeds of Tweets into Substacks. Substack says this is why writers deserve an independent platform which supports their work. Twitter has made changes to their API recently, and Substack has launched a feature to Twitter called "Notes" which are small posts (like Tweets). Twitter and NPR (National Public Radio) are also in a dispute about a label on their profile calling NPR "a state affiliated media outlet", which it isn't. NPR has stopped publishing on Twitter. NPR says it gets less than 1% of its finding from federal sources - lots comes from donations. Elon Musk shared a screenshot of the label and commented "seems accurate". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nolly: Helena Bonham Carter teams up with It’s a Sin writer Russell T Davies for this biopic about the rise and fall of British soap star Noelle Gordon (TVNZ1, from Sunday night) Boom Boom!: A two-part documentary series about the controversial life and career of tennis champion Boris Becker (Apple TV+) Tiny Beautiful Things: Grab your tissues for this emotional drama starring Kathryn Hahn and based on the book by Cheryl Strayed (Wild), about a woman coming to terms with the death of her mother decades before (Disney+) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The band’s made up of three brothers – Jayden, Jesse, Johnny – and their mate, Rick. They started from humble beginnings in Blenheim before heading to the bright lights of Auckland. The band’s debut album Venus Ate Mars was released in 2020 and did exceptionally well. They backed it up with touring the festival circuit both here and in Australia. The boys have just released a new EP called Slush Honey: Side A and Jack Tame caught up with two of the brothers –Jayden and Jesse - this week. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air Sonny Vaccaro and Nike pursue basketball rookie Michael Jordan, creating a partnership that revolutionizes the world of sports and contemporary culture. Directed by Ben Affleck, starring Matt Damon. The Pope’s Exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth, chief exorcist for the Vatican, battles Satan and innocent-possessing demons. A detailed portrait of a priest who performed more than 100,000 exorcisms in his lifetime. Starring Russell Crowe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne joins Jack Tame to chat about the irony of our interisland ferries' mechanical problems just when Bluebridge and Interisland ferries were finally offering first-class on-board service. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all done it. Every last one of us in a group chat or on a team email or instant messaging platform. Let he who hath not accidentally texted someone when saying something ill-advised or nasty throw the first stone. I’ve got friends who in a rage have sent the most awful messages slagging off their flatmate and calling them a slob, only to have the flatmate in question walk into the room and hold up their phone. “I don’t think you meant to send this to me.” Eurgh.. you don’t say. I’ve got friends who’ve accidentally texted their crush, confessing their love. Friends who’ve done similar things when they’ve been considering break-ups. There was a rumour at my work about a message that was accidentally sent to a colleague via instant messaging on our office computer network. The sender begged and pleaded and bribed IT staff with chocolate and wine to come in on a weekend and delete the message before the receiver logged into their computer on Monday morning. I dunno if it’s true but the scenario sounds believable enough. The problem is that sometimes the impulse to be professional is exceeded by the impulse to be a human being. We can be nasty, gossipy beasts. And in the digital age, you’re only ever a big red button from disaster… Green MP Elizabeth Kerekere has learnt all of this the hard way, after being caught out for allegedly calling her colleague Chloe Swarbrick a “crybaby” in a message that was sent to the wrong group chat. Most of the coverage of this little whoopsie has focused on the word “crybaby” and the high-school drama of the whole thing. But I saw something else in it. For me, the real takeaway from was not that Elizabeth Kerekere was slagging off one of her colleagues. It wasn’t that she apparently doesn’t like Chloe Swarbrick, or that she used a petty term. The really interesting thing was the context in which she did it. Kerekere sent the message literally as Chloe Swarbrick was speaking, arguing in the house in favour of an alcohol bill which could have had massive impacts on social harm in our country. Kerekere’s own profile on the Green Party website says she’s dedicated her life to issues of health, mental health, violence prevention and youth development, all of which would be directly affected by Swarbrick’s proposed changes. And yet, at the critical moment in the bill’s progression, Elizabeth Kerekere appeared only to view the bill through the lens of her personal ambitions. She didn’t care about affecting change, she cared about what the publicity around the bill would do for party list rankings. So much for health, mental health, violence prevention and youth development, all those issues which she claims to care so much about. What’s the point in helping to make positive change if doesn’t help Elizabeth Kerekere? Kerekere’s text was revealing, not because it publicised her beef with Chloe Swarbrick, but because it revealed hypocrisy. In an extremely rare moment this parliamentary term when a Green Party bill was debated in the house, Kerekere didn’t put the kaupapa first. She didn’t put first the communities she purports to represent. She didn’t put first violence prevention, health, or social harm. In that moment, she put Elizabeth Kerekere first. I think that says a lot about character. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fall Out Boy ALBUM: So Much (For) Stardust Fall Out Boy's new album, So Much (For) Stardust, is a return to some of the band's familiar sound and style of writing. It's the first album that the pop punk band has released in five years. The last one, Mania, was full of experimentation in sound that some fans didn't love. Wentz and Stump know how polarizing the album was. So Much (For) Stardust is a more recognizable sound. It's also a show of the maturity and experience that the band members have garnered in the two decades working together – and some of the absurdity that has prevailed. LISTEN ABPVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Last Days of Joy – Anne Tiernan A stunning novel about a family reeling in the wake of a devastating act. Sharply funny, intensely moving, and with a cast of unforgettable characters, The Last Days of Joy will make you laugh out loud even as it moves you to tears. Wanderlust - Reid Mitenbuler The mesmerizing, larger-than-life tale of an eccentric adventurer who traversed some of the greatest frontiers of the twentieth century, from uncharted Arctic wastelands to the underground resistance networks of World War II. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley is once again the envy of us all with his travels to the Sunshine Coast. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sustainability expert Ethically Kate has some ideas for sustainable ways to celebrate Easter without boycotting it altogether like alternatives for less wasteful Easter baskets for the kids. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pretty flowers in autumn – some are huge and some have really deep colours. Varieties are numerous in all sorts of colours and shapes and sizes; small ones, huge ones; (doubles, singles, “waterlilies”, breeders have been pretty active in this field, especially Dr Keith Hammett – ex DSIR in Auckland) NOW’s the time to scout around finding what you might like yourself. Café au Lait Le Baron Kennemer Land You can buy them as plants (often cuttings) or, more commonly, as “tubers” (root structures, long-ish “bulbs”) from which the plants grow; Planting in Spring after frosty times have stopped; (established plants in the soil the tubers are reasonably protected from frosts, but newly planted tubers need frost protection!!) Where to plant those Tubers? Well-drained soil to avoid rotting; alternative: raise the bed to create a well-drained medium. Healthy soil with decent amount of compost, rock phosphate and lime – general fertiliser N-P-K. It pays to cover the plants with a good layer of compost (3 inches thick at least). It really sets them up for decent growth in spring and summer and it keeps weeds at bay; it also keeps moisture in the soil during hot, dry summers They do need a bit of space (almost a meter), so they can expand and keep sunlight on their leaves. Pick flowers late Summer – Autumn… with a bit of luck they’ll provide colour for a long time! Insects and fugal problems can be a pain in the in bum: Powdery mildew (a real autumn fungus on the leaves) can be slowed down by spraying copper sprays on the leaves when nights are getting cooler and dew settles on the leaves. Copper stops the fungal spores from starting their dastardly journey Katydids often go undetected as they emerge later in afternoon and evening, making a ZZdits sound; they chew the flowers petals making the symmetrical look slightly less symmetrical Earwigs hide inside the flower heads and chew whole petals, shredding the flowers and creating a very grumpy Julie; Mind you, those earwigs do a fabulous job in all other months of the year by being predators of aphids and such real plant pests!!! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The downsizing dilemma – it’s a natural progression to downsize the family home when the kids fly the nest and you head into retirement, but people usually expect it to release more cash than it does. If you find yourself in that situation you can end up in a pickle. Why does it not provide as much of your retirement savings as people expect? Why does timing become important? Does moving to a cheaper area solve all that? How do you avoid having an over reliance on your home, and what do you do if you are reliant on it? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TikTok's sister app is about to launch in the US It's called Lemon8. Think of it as Instagram - with its focus on text and images - but powered by the TikTok algorithm, and focused on fashion, beauty and lifestyle. It seems to be heavily skewed towards shoppable experiences. It launched in Japan in 2020. Bytedance has been reaching out to content creators to get them to start posting on the app offering up stipends, placements and more. Lemon8 is available to download from the app stores, but it has not been formally launched in the US. It is available in the UK, Singapore and Indonesia. ChatGPT has been blocked in Italy They are investigating privacy concerns that break GDPR rules. There’s no age verification for minors to use the tool, which collects their data. There’s also concern about the data sources used to train the tool, and how Italian citizens can control the data held about them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rabbit Hole: Kiefer Sutherland stars in this action-packed thriller about a corporate spy who discovers everything he’s been fighting for is built soon a web of lies (TVNZ+). The Power: Based on Naomi Alderman’s bestselling novel, Toni Collette and John Leguizamo star in this sci-fi drama about a world where teenage girls mysteriously start shooting electricity out of their hands (Prime Video). Wellmania: An Australian comedy that sees Celeste Barber plays human tornado Liv, a woman forced to rethink her hectic lifestyle after a major health scare (Netflix). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most will by now be familiar with the name Melanie Bracewell. The Kiwi comedian has found success on screen, on stage and online... She’s written for 7 Days and Wellington Paranormal – featured on Have You Been Paying Attention – won the Billy T Award and went viral around the world with her impressions of former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. And now, Mel’s taken the leap across the ditch to try and crack the Aussies. But it won’t be long before she’s back on our home shores to tour her show Forget Me Not and host the Best Foods International Comedy Gala next month. Melanie Bracewell joined Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Look out for eggplants right now in grocers and farmer’s markets – they can get as low as $3-$4 each and they make for a really hearty meatless meal. Try this recipe for meltingly soft, richly flavoured and utterly scrumptious eggplant and feta fans. Makes 4 2 eggplants 4-6 medium tomatoes, thickly sliced 100g feta 2-3 tbsps capers 2 tbsps each fresh thyme & oregano Salt & pepper to season ¼ cup olive oil Parsley to garnish Heat oven to 180 C and line a shallow baking tray with baking paper. Trim stalks from eggplants and halve lengthwise. Make four or five thick cuts in each half, leaving each intact at the stalk end. Tuck tomato slices and feta into each cut, sprinkle over capers, herbs and salt and pepper. Drizzle generously with olive oil and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil then continue baking until soft and collapsed – about another 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle over fresh parsley and serve alongside a simple salad and/or bread. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dungeons and Dragons A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a long lost relic, but their charming adventure goes dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. The Portable Door A man lands an internship at a mysterious London firm with unconventional employees, including the charismatic CEO who is incorporating modern corporate strategy into ancient magical practices. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne recently took a walk round the zoo with his daughter. An idea crossed his mind as to how we could help fund our deteriorating health system. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the start of this year, my girlfriend decided to sell her old dunga’. It was a good decision. Her car was a big, old, fat 2.6L sedan with blind spots the size of a bouncy castle, and the only thing it loved more than chewing through vast quantities of petrol was being as difficult as possible to wedge into parallel parks. ‘Good news!’ she said to me, one day. ‘I sold my car for three thousand dollars!’ ‘That’s fantastic! I replied. And so, what are you thinking now? ‘Well, I’ve got your car,’ she said. …. I don’t think I truly appreciated New Zealand’s lagging mathematics achievement until I noted the laxness of my girlfriend’s attitude to the situation. ‘I can give you the three thousand if you really want it,’ said my girlfriend. ‘But my car’s worth ten thousand dollars.’ I said. Welcome to love. The reason I’m telling you this is not actually anything to do with cars. It’s about what I decided to do next. Because, faced with a carless future, I did nothing. Three months ago, my girlfriend and I decided to become a one-car couple. Between us, living in two different houses, in different suburbs, with her son and various jobs to balance, we decided to see if we could get by with just the one vehicle. The theory was pretty simple. Whenever I could, I would ride my bike. She would walk more and use public transport. Both of us would have to be a bit thoughtful about our requirements in advance. I thought of it as Corolla coordination, as we tried to plan out our weeks as best we could. If it was raining, or we had stuff to carry, or we were running late for an important meeting, we wouldn’t guilt ourselves about spending money on Ubers. I figured whatever we spent on Ubers would be more than covered by our savings on a new car, insurance, and petrol. Today is April 1st, three months into 2023. Three months since we made the switch. The thing that has surprised me most is how easy the whole thing has been. Now, I get it. We’re not on a farm. We’re not running separate glazing businesses. We don’t have eight kids. And we live in a city. But we do have some complications. We are balancing a lot. And anyone who’s paid attention to the news will know there’s been a fair bit of rain in the upper North Island this year. Still, if I was to break it down, I’d say that 90% of my journeys have been by bike. The only slight issue I’ve had was an incident where I had to excuse myself from a book launch party after zipping across Auckland on a particularly humid evening, only to find myself with sweat literally dripping onto some of the other guests. On a few occasions, my girlfriend and I have been going to the same event. With our Corolla coordination, she’ll take the car and I’ll take the bike, and I’ll beat her there through the rush hour traffic. And as for Ubers and public transport? I’ve spent about $170 in three months. That’s a whole lot less than a car, insurance, and running costs would’ve set me back over the same period. I know this setup won’t suit everyone. I’m not suggesting it will. But New Zealand has one of the highest car-ownership rates in the world. And I reckon I’m not the only one who might be surprised at how easy it is to downsize. Call it Corolla Coordination. Or Mitsubishi Marshalling. Or Hilux Harmonising. Outlander Ordering. Maybe if you’re getting rid of an old dunga, set yourself a challenge, too. Sure, it’s handy to have one car. But ask yourself, do you really need two?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.