Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Tara Ward joined Jack Tame and shared her picks for this week:The Beatles: Get Back: Directed and produced by Peter Jackson, this three-part documentary season follows The Beatles as they made their 1970 album Let It Be, using hours of unseen material and footage (Amazon Prime Video). Annika: A new detective series about the sharp, witty and enigmatic DI Annika Strandhed, as she heads up a new specialist Marine Homicide Unit (MHU tasked with investigating the unexplained and brutal murders around the Scottish coast (Vibe, from Tuesday). The Great: a second season of the satirical comedy-drama about Catherine the Great, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult (Neon) LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lush is bailing on social media They've deleted all their content from Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok saying they'll stay off those social media channels globally until the platforms ensure a safer environment for their users. They're saying goodbye to strong marketing channels with 659,000 Instagram followers, 275,000 Twitter fans and more than 1 million Facebook followers. They say their products - like the bath bomb - are designed to help people switch off and relax - which is the opposite to what social media does. Samsung to start making chips in Texas They'll be spending $17 billion on a new factory spanning five million square meters and creating 2,000 jobs - it's a big project! They'll be making advanced logic semiconductors, which are used in phones and computers. It's an effort by Samsung to diversify the supply chain for desperately needed chips, which are largely produced in Asia. Biden's administration will be happy with this news because they're focusing on bringing more critical manufacturing closer to these shores - the supply chain holes are so glaring it's becoming a national security risk. This will be Samsung's biggest investment in the USA so far, and should be producing components from late 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Which is the most eco and healthiest of the milks (and yummiest)? We live in a world where the old milk aisle at the supermarket now also has soy, almond, rice, oat, coconut and even hemp milks. Macadamia milk seems to have come and gone at my local. Many people are changing for health reasons, mainly lactose intolerant and others because of the revolt against peak cow ruining the environment. So, what are the facts here? Let’s look at good old dairy, the product that some would say, made our nation great. Cow's milk is a good source of high-quality protein and is naturally rich in calcium, B vitamins and many minerals. But, the protein in diary is a common allergen and about 65% of the population have difficulty digesting lactose, a type of sugar in the cow's milk. And Dairy emissions per glass are 0.63 kg, land use is 1.79 square metres and it takes 125.6 litres of water to produce that one glass of milk. From now on, I will use this as a comparison rather than give you lots of figures. Also, we are so used to the taste and texture of milk we kind of use this as a standard. It took me a long time to find something else to put in my latte. Coconut milk This is squeezed from the white flesh of a coconut and is safe if you have a nut allergy. It has a third the calories of milk, but no protein and half the amount of fats. These fats however have been linked to heart health benefits. They have an eight of the emissions of milk and also have the benefit of storing carbon as the tree grows. They need very little water. Can be a sweet distinctive taste that not everyone loves. Soy This was the first major alternative and has been around for decades. This comes closest to cows milk as they have a complete protein and its nutritional profile closely resembles that of diary. Controversy has come about as so much soy is genetically modified and also soy isoflavones can bind to estogen receptors in the body. This is still not completely understood but does put many off it. It has one third the emissions of dairy, 14 times less land needed and 22 times less water needed. Almond This is made by soaking almonds in water then blending them and staining away the solids. Unsweetened almond milk is low in calories and much lower in carbs than dairy but also low in protein. Beware that many brands have added sugar in them so check the labels. Also, many brands use carrageenan to thicken and stop separation. Lab tests have shown carrageenan to promote intestinal inflammation and damage. It has a third the emissions of dairy and also captures carbon as the tree grows. It uses one sixth the land but over 7 times the water usage of the other plant-based milks. Only dairy uses about 30% more again. Oat Oat milk is naturally sweet and high in carbs. Its soluble fibre makes it creamer and also absorbs water and turns in to a gel which slows digestion and keeps you full longer. This fibre may also reduce your cholesterol levels. It has about a quarter the protein of dairy which make it second here, behind soy. It has a third the emission of dairy, uses eleven times less land and thirteen times less water is needed. Plus, it can be grown easily here in New Zealand. And this has been the winner for me. I buy a local brand called Otis which grows its oats here in New Zealand and makes a damn fine latte too. In fact, in the UK nearly 50% of the population have now changed to oats in their café coffees because it froths so well in the expresso machines; again, that magic fibre it contains. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching a Netflix film called Passing and a French film called Petite Maman. "Passing" is set in 1920's New York and is filmed in black and white. Rudkin said it's a very subtly charged social drama. "Petite Maman" was filmed in France in lockdown and is on at the cinemas. Rudkin said it's very intimate and it's a film you want to just pass over you.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here are some refreshing non-alcoholic drinks to get you through the silly season. The only thing you’ll feel the next morning is smug. Raspberry shrub Shrubs are fruity vinegar drinks and they’re amazing! Standard recipe is equal parts fruit, sugar and viengar but you can adjust these to your taste. Makes 200mls syrup 450g fresh raspberries 1 cup caster sugar ½ cup red wine vinegar Soda water to serve Ice to serve In a bowl, toss fruit with sugar, cover with a breathable cloth and leave to sit for 48 hours, stirring every now and again. In very warm weather, do this stage in the fridge. Drain the syrup (saving the fruit for ice cream, smoothiesetc)adn stir in red wine vinegar. Pour into sterilised bottle or jar and seal for 3 days before tasting. To make the shrubs, pour syrup into glasses and top with soda water and ice. I use a ration of 1:4 syrup to soda water but make them to your taste.Mojito/Faux-jito Makes 1 L ½ cup brown ¼ cup water Big handful of mint leaves + extra 2 teaspoons raw sugar 1 L Soda water ¼ cup lime juice Plenty of ice Make a sugar syrup by simmering brown sugar with water for 6-8 minutes. Leave to cool. Smash the mint with the raw sugar in a mortar and pestle. In a jug (or divide between individual glasses) swizzle together sugar syrup, smashed mint/sugar, soda, lime and ice. Serve with more fresh lime and wedges of lime. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has been reminiscing about radio, as the medium hits a 100 year milestone in New Zealand. He told Jack Tame he wasn't always a fan of radio - when he was little he couldn't get changed in any room that had a radio in it. "I used to love Sports Round-up on the radio on the weekends."He said his fondest memory of radio as a kid was the Sunday request session which his family would listen to sitting down to Sunday lunch.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With our biggest city in its third month of lockdown, hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders still effectively barred from entering the country, inflation running at 5%, and hundreds of new infections being recorded every day, the decisions made by our government deserve the scrutiny of a coherent and effective opposition. And while ACT has done an extremely good job in the last year, our political system is naturally inclined to a centre-left/centre-right cycle.National’s leadership fiasco coincided with the most significant legislation of 2021 being passed through the house under urgency. The law will limit the freedoms of hundreds of thousands of Kiwis. No legal drafts were published. There were no select committees. No scrutiny. We are all better served by a good opposition.I’m not going to try to guess the new leader. But in the spirit of democracy, here are five silver linings to the National Party’s leadership spill.1) First of all, it’s done. Since the election in October last year, pundits have been speculating on the future of Judith Collins’ leadership. It’s been tiresome. Every political poll has resulted in the same debate. Anytime a political pundit has been short on ideas for a column, a few phone calls to Collins’ caucus foes was enough to stir it up again. In recent months, the debate has been one of ‘when’ rather than ‘if.’ Kua mutu. It’s done. We have certainty. National can move on.2) The timing suits. The house is about to rise for the year. The new leadership will have the summer to get organised and develop a few big policies to begin the new year. A clean slate for 2022. And unless a new leader makes egregious errors, it’s unlikely (Although never say never!) that anyone will contest the party leadership before the next election.3) Whoever is leader, it will be a unity ticket. Simon Bridges’ biggest mistake as leader the first time was promoting his mates and demoting the MPs who hadn’t supported his leadership bid. Regardless of who is leader, all of National’s MPs can see the importance of uniting the different caucus factions. Their individual futures depend on it. Although the Judith Collins spill was messy and awful, in the two days since, National MPs have maintained discipline across the board.4) The public and the caucus have little appetite for any politicking that appears overly cynical or vindictive. This is another lesson the new leaders need not learn the hard way. Collins pushed Todd Muller out. She demoted Chris Bishop, probably the single best-performing National MP this term. And regardless of Judith Collins’ intentions, the hit on Simon Bridges had the appearance of someone using Me Too and the attention on workplace bullying for profoundly cynical and self-serving reasons. This behaviour won’t fly.5) Even if the government doesn’t appear particularly vulnerable right now, Covid-19 makes for an environment where political fortunes can change very quickly. Yesterday, Sir Brian Roche’s latest report laid out stark shortcomings in New Zealand’s preparations for theDelta variant. Over the next two years, there will be many more opportunities for a good opposition to land a few blows. And hey, we don’t even know if Jacinda Ardern will run for a third term! In a World with Covid-19, the only certainty is uncertainty. And uncertainty makes for political opportunity.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our music reviewer Estelle Clifford shares her thoughts on Adele's highly-anticipated new album, '30'.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has been busy reading Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Michael Connelly's The Dark Hours. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley's been walking the trails around Arrowtown and drinking wine in Gibbston Valley...the life! He shares his tips for the area with Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationship expert Steven Dromgool tells Jack Tame how to get your partner what they actually want for Christmas instead of guessing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mental health and Gardening exerciseI have often wondered what it is like to live on the 16th floor.As a child, my parents always had a garden – that’s where I learned the “Manual of Outside Life”.As students in the Netherlands we lived (with a baby!) in an old city house without a garden, literally in the centre of Wageningen. The remedy: a jungle of pot plants and vines (Hoya, Stephanotis, Monstera) climbing through all rooms.Of course, my study topics and work were mostly outside in forests and parks, along river habitats and in national parks...and we had an allotment!What are your options on the 16th floor?Grow on balcony – many different ways to surround yourself with nature, flowers and even vegetables and fruit. Large container culture is becoming quite manageable.Do we still have allotments?Contact with the soil, plants, trees and shrubs has been shown to be great for mental and physical health. Listening to bird sounds and insect-buzzing adds to that and the smell of flowers and foliage nicely complements the whole experience.Other Options?Walk in local park – go to nearby forests such as the Waitakeres, Hunuas, town belt, dunes, beach.For gardeners with a small piece to grow stuff, ask yourself what would work there - how do you find out?The mere fact that you do research on that issue helps you to get outside too.Visit your local garden centre to see what works well. Better still, your local botanic garden is likely to have some great displays of local horticultural opportunities.Auckland botanic gardens have fabulous rows of hedges, endemic rarities, possible colour combinations that work in your area – it's all about INSPIRATION. There is Hagley Park, Wellington Botanic Gardens, Dunedin, Pukekura Park - there are so many great parks in Aotearoa cities and towns!If you are interested in planting some native specimens that will work in your area, make a day trip to your regional or national park. The reason I live in Christchurch is not because of the concrete and glass city, but because within an hour you’re somewhere really interesting.There’s a continuous park from Kahurangi to south Fiordland – just saying – with plenty of inspiration around what to plant and what comes feeding in your garden.For beginning gardeners, who really want to start their own little paradise, this is the best advice I can give: Go for a walk around the block and see other people’s gardens. See what grows well, see what you like.You might not know all the names of plants but here’s even a suggestion of how to find out - knock on the door or ring the bell and ask the owner.More often than not you’ll strike a garden-proud owner who will tell you what it is and chances will be pretty good that you end up meeting new local gardeners and walking away with some cuttings…You don’t have to be Dutch to appreciate that (but that helps too!). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Bryan Betty gives Jack Tame the lowdown on eczema and shares his tips on how to help soothe it.Bryan Betty is a GP and medical director for the College of GPs. He’s also on the Covid-19 advisory committee. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple will let you fix your iPhone at home They're even going to send you the parts! Huge news! Apple is creating the "Self Service Repair" program in early 2022 for those in the US, to fix iPhone 12's and 13s with things like broken screens, dead batteries and busted cameras. You'll be able to buy more than 200 parts and tools to make the repairs. Even better is these repairs won't void the warranty of your device, although if you damage it during the repair process it may. Making it easier for Americans to reach emergency mental health services The FCC has approved the use of 988 as a fast and memorable way to reach suicide prevention services. 6,000 people a day call Lifeline in the USA. This goes into effect next year. Unlike the 911 service, this number also supports text messaging - great for younger people or those who are hard of hearing or deaf. Crypto goes mainstream The Staples Center in LA, home to the Lakers & Clippers, is getting a new name: Cypto.com Stadium. The mobile wallet company paid $700 million to secure the naming rights for the next 20 years. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tara Ward joined Jack Tame and shared her picks for this week:Yellowjackets: Melanie Lynskey stars in Neon’s new psychological thriller "Yellowjackets" about a team of wildly talented high-school girls soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to warring, cannibalistic clans, while also tracking the lives they have attempted to piece back together. The Wheel of Time: Set in a high fantasy world where magic exists but only some can access it, a woman named Moiraine crosses paths with five young men and women, sparking a dangerous journey that spans the world. Based on the book series by Robert Jordan. (Amazon Prime Video) Adele: One Night Only: Adele is back with an intimate concert performance, and speaks exclusively with Oprah Winfrey about life after divorce, weight loss and raising her son (TVNZ OnDemand and TVNZ 2, Monday 22 November)LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi favourites Sol3 Mio have released their fourth studio album called Coming Home. It's their most stripped back to date, featuring a mix of contemporary hits and well-known classics. The trio speak to Jack Tame about making the album and how the pandemic has played into it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re feeling stuck in a rut with your cooking, try shopping somewhere new like an Indian spice shop or Asian style supermarket, your local butcher or grocer instead of a supermarket. These crisp little chick pea shells are popular in India and I love to fill them with spiced potatoes, a tangy tamarind chutney and cooling yoghurt sauce. They’re so delightful to eat – they collapse divinely in your mouth. Spiced potato panipuri Makes about 15-20 300g Agria potatoes, peeled and diced 1cm pieces 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ teaspoon each cumin seeds, yellow and black mustard seeds 1 teaspoon ground turmeric ½ teaspoon ground garam masala Sea salt and ground pepper ½ cup store-bought tamarind chutney Panipuri shells, or can use crisped pappadums Yoghurt sauce Decent handful mint leave, chopped 1/3 cup thick plain yoghurt Pinch chilli flakes 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until just cooked but not falling apart, about 4-5 minutes. Drain well. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the spices for 30 seconds then add the potatoes and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until potatoes are cooked through. Smash about half the potatoes with a fork to give a chunky texture. Cool. Combine the yoghurt dressing ingredients. Gently tap the top of the panipuri with the back of a teaspoon to make an opening for the filling. Place a spoonful of the cooled potato in each shell. Top with a little tamarind chutney then a spoonful of yoghurt sauce. Serve immediately.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francesca Rudkin gives her take on The Rescue - the edge-of-your-seat account of the rescue of 12 Thai school boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave system in 2018.She says the film is so remarkable because it's gripping, emotional, inspirational and horrifying at times.She's also been watching the romantic comedy, Falling for Figaro, which is more enjoyable than she thought it would be."It is very predictable, but hits all the predictable beats of cinema romantic comedy."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's been reading, A Record of the Life of the Great Te Rauparaha. Kevin says he's quite a hero in Ngati Toa country, Kapiti, where he lives. It's lead him to wonder about the use of Te Rauparaha's haka, Ka Mate, by the All Blacks and other national teams.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I spent yesterday afternoon with a couple of doctors from Papakura Marae, going door-to-door visiting whānau who have tested positive for Covid-19. They were testing vital signs and oxygen saturation.The story will be on Q+A tomorrow. It was a good reminder of just how different our pandemic experiences are. My biggest day-to-day gripe is not being able to go to a restaurant. These doctors are working 12 or 13 hour days, risking their own health to try and help patients, many of whom are really seriously unwell.The dye has now been set for reopening. In a fortnight we’ll be in the traffic light system. Covid-19 will be spreading everywhere. That’ll be it. And my experience spoke to the two groups of New Zealanders who I think have the greatest reasons to feel let down by New Zealand’s pandemic response. When all is said and done and we look back at Covid-19 in years to come, these are the two groups of Kiwis that won’t forget.The first group is Māori. I’ve been harping on about this for months, but the early stages of the vaccine rollout left Māori behind and we’ve been playing catch up ever since. Despite all the millions of dollars pumped into community providers, the efforts to support remote communities, and the social media campaigns, the damage of those early failures cannot be undone. Māori health experts were ignored at the start of the vaccine rollout. Young Māori were left to Group 4. Community groups were sidelined. And when the Government made that pivotal decision to start relaxing the toughest restrictions in Auckland, Māori vaccination rates were more than 26% behind those of the general population.When I confronted the Prime Minister about this last month, Jacinda Ardern responded sharply, which indicates just how sensitive the Government is to this criticism. It’s true that from a pragmatic perspective, she and her Cabinet colleagues simply cannot wait to relax restrictions until Māori vaccination rates are equal to those of the general population. The anger and antagonism would be damaging for Māori and politically devastating for the Government. Jacinda Ardern has to govern for the whole population. But there is no changing the facts. Māori will soon make up more than half of all the Delta infections ever recorded in Aotearoa. In the face of a deadly pandemic, despite warnings from Māori public health experts, this Government made the two most critical decisions – the shift down from Level 4 and the impending opening of Auckland’s borders – when Māori vaccination rates were miles behind those of the general population. Those two decisions alone have more or less guaranteed Te Pāti Māori another term in Government. I think there will be Treaty implications. Waitangi next year could be very interesting indeed.The second group to feel an enduring sense of abandonment is New Zealanders overseas. Yesterday, Jacinda Ardern confirmed she won’t be changing MIQ until next year. But in going door-to-door, visiting positive cases, I was again reminded of the ongoing double-standards with our system. There is simply no scientific justification why a double-vaccinated person with a negative test, travelling from a comparable country, somehow presents more of a risk self-isolating at home than the thousands of people who are already self-isolating having tested positive the virus. Dr Michael Baker even says as much! Every week we are confronted with stories of Kiwis who want to visit dying loved ones and are being denied. I was recently in contact with a young doctor, double-jabbed, with multiple negative tests, who was granted an emergency MIQ spot, but then denied an exemption to leave and visit her dying grandad. He was the man who raised her. Every night, watching the news from MIQ, she would be reminded of the hundreds of positive cases who were isolating at home. She wasn’t granted the same level of trust. She wasn’t granted compassion. Her grandad died and was buried while she sat...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to the new album from Silk Sonic, an American R&B super-duo consisting of recording artists Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lemon treesThey love a warm, sheltered spot in full sun – protected from wind; usually not good with heavy frosts. (Meyer lemons possibly a few degrees below zero); protect the trees from heavy frosts with frost-cloth….…or grow them in a large pot that can be moved under frost shelter!Most citrus varieties are gross feeders – honestly: they’ll reward you with lots of fruit if you fertilise at least THREE TIMES per growing season (Oct – Dec – March); general fertiliser perhaps with some added sulfate of POTASH; “little and often” is the mantra.Good MULCH (past the drip-line), keep watered; they hate drought!They’re not good with root competition/crowding; (shallow rooters); keep grass away, especially Kikuyu.Pollination is usually not a problem; most varieties are “self-fertile”, but watch Meyer Lemons: when they are grown nearby a “seedless” orange, there will be pips – often heaps of them!Fruit maintenance: Don’t let young trees set too many fruit – prune some off to let the frame-work develop; next year let a few more grow as the tree strengthens its branch system.(Meyer) Lemons have a habit of fruiting well every second year (usually in winter and spring months); therefore it’s best to plant two or three lemon trees to have a continuous supply of lemons!Pruning regime: if you need to shape your tree, do it in period March-early September when lemon tree borer are not around to lay eggs on the pruned surfaces. Use Sharp, clean secateurs.Remove branches from within the bush/shrub/tree – let wind go through it – dries out – less rot.Pruning cuts don’t need a sealant, but if you’ve had history of die-back (fungal attack) then it will not harm to seal the wound...Disinfect secateurs from time to time – bleach or janola.Sooty Mould; If you have sooty mould (fungi growing on sap sucking insect’s excrement) now’s the time to use some spraying oil (Conqueror Oil) to get rid of the cause: scale/mealybug/whitefly)Neem Oil is often a good, organic suffocator of small sap-sucking insects. Use the Oils frequently (every two weeks or so) and spray both sides of leaves and branches.There are some root rots (Phytophthora) that can kill a citrus tree very quickly, in a matter of six to eight weeks the leaves go yellow, droop, turn brown and…fall off!Phytophthora is often spread through ground water (the spot is too wet for too long!).Dig the tree out and don’t plant another citrus in the same spot.Maybe put a plum in your Campari?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eco-man Malcolm Rands updates Jack Tame on how the COP26 Summit is going. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance expert Hannah McQueen takes Jack Tame through the new bank lending legislation.The new credit contracts and consumer finance amendment is resulting in the banks going through your spending with a fine tooth comb and often declining lending you’d expect to be able to get because you earn a good salary, based on the way you spend.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel expert Mike Yardley talks about the portside delights in Lyttelton, Christchurch. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Instagram's trying to prevent overloadSpending too much time on Instagram scrolling through pics or Reels? You could soon get a warning to take a break. But, the first step though is to choose you actually want one. A new feature being tested will ask users if they want a reminder to put the device down after 10, 20 or 30 minutes. The designs so far just show it appearing in your feed, so it seems to be pretty easy to swipe away. Apple's app time limit is a lot more of a blocker.Love a moment in a show, Amazon Prime wants you to share itMobile apps like Netflix actually prevent you from sharing anything from a show - even screenshots, but Amazon Prime wants to change that. Starting with some of their newer shows, they'll now let 30 second clips be shared. Just pause, and then select the moment you want to send to a friend. It's free marketing! They say more shows on the app will allow this soon.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tara Ward joined Jack Tame and shared her picks for this week: Dopesick: Starring and executive produced by Michael Keaton, “Dopesick” examines how one company triggered the worst drug epidemic in American history. The series takes viewers to the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction, from the boardrooms of Big Pharma, to a distressed Virginia mining community, to the hallways of the DEA (Disney+). Belgravia: This six part limited series by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes is a story of secrets and scandals amongst the upper echelon of London society in the 19th Century (TVNZ OnDemand, from Monday). Old People’s Home for Four Year Olds: A feel good Australian documentary series about a group of pensioners living in retirement homes, who get together with preschool children and engage in a number of interactive activities (Netflix). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ruby Wax is the larger-than-life comedian, TV writer and performer, whose career has spanned stage and screen with comedy favourites like Girls on Top and Absolutely Fabulous. She’s since turned her hand to mindfulness and mental health and gained a Master’s degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in 2013.Ruby joins Jack Tame to talk about her new book, A Mindfulness Guide for Survival.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grilled pineapple with basil & honey sesame sauceDon’t limit your bbq cooking to savoury food – grilled fruit can be a real winner. Served with ice cream, it’s the most delicious way to finish a BBQ meal.Serves 4-6One fresh pineapple2 big tablespoons of honey2 teaspoons sesame seedsSmall handful of basil leavesIce cream to serveSkewers to serve1. Peel pineapple and cut in half lengthwise. Cut into wedges, then cut these in half lengthwise too, removing the tough core of each. Cook on a grill until browned on at least one side – it gets such a lovely caramel flavour.2. Make a little boat out of foil and spoon the honey into it. Pop this on the BBQ and heat until it’s bubbling and foaming. Remove very carefully!3. To serve; Skewer each piece of pineapple with a wooden stick and arrange on a platter with balls of ice cream. Drizzle the whole lot with warmed honey and a sprinkle of sesame seeds and basil leaves. Eat up!LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francesca Rudkin has been watching Red Notice and Finch, a sci-fi thriller starring Tom Hanks. She said Red Notice is meant to be two hours of endless fun and is mindless entertainment.Rudkin said Tom Hanks' Finch is set in a post-apocalyptic world and aims for a bit of subtlety but is quite predictable. "It's not quite as deep an complicated as it wants to be."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne predicts we're about to see the greatest sports injury story since Beaver won us the 2011 Rugby World Cup with the drama of cricketer Devon Conway's broken hand.He says a movie may well be made of this. "Our chances of winning are now less... What an extraordinarily driven sportsman Devon Conway must be."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I got up at 5am. It seemed a good compromise. I missed the first innings but I was well set up for the business end of the World Cup semi-final as the Black Caps clawed their way on an awkward wicket towards England’s total.You know what happened next. The game waxed and waned. But in the end, the Black Caps were triumphant. They confirmed their spot in the T-20 World Cup final: Three formats. Three finals. Three good reasons the Black Caps can call themselves the best all-round men’s cricket team in the World.Just a few years ago, this would have been unthinkable.I’m too young to remember the 80's and the other golden patch in Black Caps history. I grew up and grew to love the game in the nineties and aughts when supporting the Caps was a bit more... testing.Our’s was a team of scrappers. Every now and then they’d pull a surprise performance out of the bag. But the joy of those wins was pretty regularly offset by the pain of underwhelming performances and choking on the big stage.I distinctly remember attending a game at Lancaster Park in which New Zealand was so soundly, comprehensively outclassed by the Australian team, some nearby drunken fans began burning an effigy of Shane Warne just to entertain itself. What Black Caps fan could ever forget Tuffey’s 14-ball over? Or the time we were bowled out for 45? The path to World domination has been paved with bricks of mental fragility and athletic inadequacy, squandered potential and all-round inadequacy.That’s why I’m determined to be present for this golden moment in New Zealand cricket. I want to soak up every second, every success, in the knowledge that nothing lasts forever. It’s like when you injure yourself or find yourself with a throbbing headache, and you promise yourself that when you feel better, you won’t take good health or comfort for granted, ever again. But then of course, you do. We cannot let the same thing happen. Because when, inevitably, the men’s cricketing World order rearranges itself again, it could be decades or even centuries before the Black Caps are back on top.One final thought. I was watching the other night when Darryl Mitchel bumped into Adil Rashid, got into a bit of a pickle, and turned down the subsequent single with his batting partner. In one sense, it was a pretty minor little exchange. But it was a run that at that late stage of the game would have been particularly valuable. I’ve got to be honest, as a fan, my impulse was ‘Take the run! Take the run! Are you kidding me?!’But they didn’t. Just as the Black Caps didn’t bleat and moan after the ODI World Cup Final, which they lost on an obscure technicality, they prioritised the spirit of the game above winning the game. This time it paid off.In a sport with big egos, where it’s perfectly normal and acceptable to slag off and unsettle your opponents, the Black Caps have proved that nice guys don’t always finish last.And compare that with our closest neighbours, our opponents in the T-20 World Cup final. In the same period the Black Caps have developed a reputation as the nice guys of World Cricket, Australia has seen its captain banned from the sport for cheating.There’s just so much to be said for NOT being dicks.With all that in mind I’m waiting keenly for the T-20 World Cup Final. Maybe we’ll win. Maybe we’ll lose. Either way I’ll savour being there. The first ball’s at 3am on Monday morning. This time there will be no compromise. I’ve already set the alarm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford has been listening to Kiwi artist Hollie Smith's new album, Coming in from the Dark. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading Dave Grohl's memoir, The Storyteller. Jack Reacher is also in Better Off Dead by Lee Child and his younger brother, Andrew Child. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steven Dromgool speaks to Jack Tame about how you can help a partner who has an addiction. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has some travel tips for the best little seaside town of Kaikoura.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our wine expert Bob Campbell has been sipping on a 2019 Piqueras Black Label from Spain - a perfect accompaniment to your summer BBQ dishes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scolypopa australis is quite a charming name for an Aussie bugger in the garden. This hopper is extremely common in the northern warmer parts of the North Island but has been known to be a problem as far south as Nelson and Marlborough. The overwintered eggs hatch in spring (October-November) as tiny little "fluffybums", a name which describes exactly what they look like: small, frog-like bug nymphs with an ornate tuft of "nylon" tail fibres, implanted in their bottom. If you look at them under the microscope, you'll suddenly see that these fluffybums have a somewhat melancholic look on their faces; the inherent sadness of an Australian, out-of-place, in a foreign country. As soon as the little nymphs hatch they will suck plant material through their tubular mouth parts. The phloem is where it's all at: sweet nutritious sap that courses through the veins of the host plant. Of course the excreta of the fluffybums is that sweet sticky honeydew, an unmistakable diagnostic symptom of so many sap-sucking insects. From late January onwards the nymphs go through their final moult and turn into adult insects (passionvine hoppers), complete with wings. You can find these adults well into May. The adult hoppers are a wee bit more mobile than in their larval stages: not only can they still jump, but they now also have the power of sustained flight, albeit feebly. The damage caused by both the fluffybums and the adult hoppers can be substantial. Distorted growth of the plants they attack is merely one result of their mainlining activities, the deposit of honeydew and secondary sooty mould causes severe headaches to growers of export produce. It is unclear as to whether the bugs transmit virus diseases from plant to plant, but the possibility can as yet not be ruled out. When they feed on the poisonous sap of the native tutu (Coriaria arborea), they literally pass on the toxic substances and add it to the honeydew. Bees that may forage on this honeydew incorporate it in the honey stored at the hive, and although the tutu sap is not toxic to either passionvine hoppers or bees, it is pretty dangerous to humans! CONTROL/PREVENTION It’s almost impossible to “spray” the passionvine hopper in summer – they simply avoid the spray by “flicking and flying” away. But in the early weeks of development the nymphs are so small, that no-one really notices them, yet this is the time when chemical or even organic control would work the best. A simple misty spray with Pyrethrum or even synthetic pyrethroids would control the majority of the very small, and still susceptible nymphs. When you try to spray them at a later, larger stage, you'll notice that they try to escape the toxic clouds by simply jumping away from the danger zone. So, have a look at your plants that are usually covered with passionvine hoppers and see if they need treatment; Now is the time to do it! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Google is getting NYC ready for self-driving cars Their autonomous vehicle company Waymo is sending a fleet of cars to the big apple equipped with high tech sensors and cameras to start capturing detailed street information. NYC is a concrete jungle full of construction, double parked delivery trucks, terribly maintained roads, heavy rain, snow and poor signage - so it's going to be a challenge. These cars will be driven by humans to prepare for driverless services in the future. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here are Tara Ward's three picks for the week: Bloodlands: James Nesbitt stars as Northern Irish police officer DCI Tom Brannick, who connects a kidnapping with an infamous cold case with enormous personal significance (TVNZ OnDemand, from 7 November). Chapelwaite: In the gothic-horror starring Adrien Brody, Captain Charles Boone relocates his family to their rundown ancestral home in Maine, where he must fight a darkness that has plagued the Boones for generations. Based on Stephen King's short story Jerusalem's Lot (TVNZ OnDemand) The Long Call: Detective Inspector Matthew Venn returns to his small hometown in North Devon to lead a shocking murder investigation that casts a shadow of doubt over the whole community. Based on the novel by Ann Cleeves (TVNZ OnDemand). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iconic Kiwi artist Dick Frizzell has created some of New Zealand’s most recognisable artwork over the years and there’s no slowing down for the 78-year-old just yet. Jack Tame catches up with Dick to hear how he's getting on in lockdown and what he's been working on lately. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been eyeing up some movies included in this year's New Zealand International Film Festival. She speaks to Jack Tame about Night Raiders, the documentary The Return: Life After ISIS, and Sisters with Transistors. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time (actually we’re a bit late this year) to make the Christmas cake. We’re going gluten free because why not?Here’s other ways to serve Christmas cake:· Warmed with custard· Fried in butter and served with fresh blueberries and yoghurt· Alongside decent aged cheddar (like Eccles cakes)· Crumbled and stirred through softened vanilla ice creamOvernight soak:1 ½ kg mixed fruit½ cup sherry or brandy or whatever1 apple, grated1 tbsp honey or golden syrup1 cup firmly packed brown sugarCake:1 ¾ cup gluten free flour1 tsp baking powder1 tsp mixed spice½ cup orange juice4 medium-sized eggs, beaten lightly250g melted butterAlmonds for decorating1. Set the oven at 130 C. Line base and sides of a 20-23cm square cake tin, first with a few layers of newspaper then two layers of baking paper.2. Soak fruit, liquid, honey/syrup and apple in a large bowl over overnight.3. Add sifted flour, baking powder and mixed spice to soaked fruit and mix well. Stir in eggs and orange juice. Lastly, add in the melted butter and mix to combine. After mixing, let it sit for 5 minutes and should the mixture be a little stiff add a bit more orange juice. You’re aiming for a sloppy batter as gluten free flour absorbs more liquid than regular. Scrape into the prepared tin. Decorate top with almonds.4. Place cake in oven on a magazine (it won’t burn at this temperature) and bake for 3 ½ hours with a piece of baking paper loosely covering it to stop it burning on the top but uncovering it for the last 30 minutes.5. Allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before removing to cool fully on a cake rack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a milestone in the Milne household this weekend - Kevin Milne tells Jack Tame his wife becomes a pensioner this Sunday. "The issue I'm grappling with is what is it going to be like sharing the bed with a pensioner?""I'm not sure I'm psychologically up for it."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is it with comebacks?What does it say about us as audiences? What does it say about the authors and musicians, the creators and artists we love, when after a decade or four in solitude, they decide to triumphantly come back and try to nurse cold embers into a blazing fire?Most of the time it’s for money. And most of the time, it’s a flop.My Dad is a huge fan of the band, Cream. Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker. We grew up with their music blasting around the house. Apparently I’m named after Jack Bruce!But Cream broke up in 1968. Dad never saw them live. So when the band announced a reunion concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 2005, we all assumed Dad would do anything to go.‘Go on!’ We said. ‘We’ll remortgage the house, if that’s what it takes.’But Dad decided not to go. And whether or not this is true, he gave me a really interesting reason.‘I don’t want to spoil the image I have of my favourite band.’I think about Harper Lee. She published To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the most loved and influential novels of the 20th Century. And then she went quiet. For the best part of 55 years she said she wouldn’t publish another book. That was, at least, until 2015, when her publisher announced to fanfare that it would soon release Harper Lee’s ‘Go Set a Watchman.’To be fair, this wasn’t a pure comeback as such. The official line was that the book was a previously undiscovered manuscript, although that seemed a bit cute. Some people reckoned Harper Lee had been manipulated or taken advantage of. Either way, Go Set a Watchman was no Mockingbird. It seemed a shame.Why am I telling you this? Well, I’ve just endured ABBA’s new album. Their first in forty years. And although I’m very much of the opinion that any one person’s music tastes are as legitimate as anyone else, ABBA’s Voyage is... awful. Just awful. You’re free to make up your own mind but I really cannot foresee even the most die-hard fans truly preferring ‘When You Danced With Me’ to ‘Dancing Queen,’ or preferring ‘I Can Be That Woman’ to ‘Man After Midnight.’This is the problem with comebacks. They give you a rush of nostalgia when they’re first announced, but they almost never recreate the magic, the je ne sais quoi of the past. I can only think of one recent example of a production that’s turned out better than the original. Funnier, smarter, more authentic.Bravo, Celebrity Treasure Island.It might be the best reality television New Zealand has ever made.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

House borer has been with us humans from the day we made our dwellings from dead timber. Before that time, the insects concerned themselves solely with tunnelling into (and recycling) fallen logs in the forests. A very useful occupation, I’d say.Untreated timbers are still perceived by pregnant adult borer beetles as a very suitable fodder for the larvae, especially when there is a wee bit of moisture and yeast around to aid in the digestion of all that cellulose.She will lay her eggs in old nail holes, exit holes, or cracks in the wood, and particularly loves the end grain of a piece of timber. The larvae emerge and bore straight into the wood; their entrance holes are too small to be noticed by a mortal human being.Inside they subsist on a very boring diet for at least two years (if the timber is very suitable) – in some cases they’ll take four years to complete their life cycle. It probably pays to stress the fact that bone-dry and yeast-free (or fungus-free) timbers are not great food sources for these destructive beetles. Relatively wet timbers on the south side of the house or in the vicinity of bathrooms are a different story!When they are ready to pupate, usually in autumn time, they tend to tunnel towards the surface of the timber, so that their exit in spring can be swift and effortless. In November the adult beetles (small dark brown, about 4 - 5 mm long beetles) start chewing their way out, leaving the characteristic, small but visible borer holes behind. Emergence can take place from November until well into summer.Although the beetles do not feed, they may live for four weeks, in which they find a partner and ensure that preparations are well under way to create a new Generation of domestic borer larvae. Often you can find the beetles in large numbers, dead on a windowsill after they have forcefully tried to exit through a closed window.Control is tricky. Injection of borer fluids into the exit holes is absolutely useless: the borers have already left and only few exit holes will be used as oviposition sites by the gravid females.The idea is to cover at risk timber (untreated, non-tanalised timber) with a residual material that kills either the emerging beetles and egg laying females, or the hatching first instar grubs of the borer. But since DDT went out of fashion, this is not easily achieved.Perhaps a good soaking with diesel is exactly the lethal barrier you might be looking for, although the stench will wear anybody down, after a while.If you can be bothered, a “borer bomb” could cover most surfaces with a residue, but you’ll need to use a number of them for your average house size to get a good deposit. These days those borer bombs are basically aerosol cans that self-discharge after triggering.A permethrin aerosol can, used to residually treat airplanes will work quite well too (contact Safeworx); aim at the exposed timber and spray the surfaceRemember to start your first treatment on 31 October, so that the first emerging borer will literally hit the ground running (or flying) on the 1st of November. Often a second deposit may be necessary in early December to cover the total emergence period.The idea here is to let the emerging beetles come in contact with this lethal substance, be it permethrin or the active ingredient of the bomb.Of course, you can always call in the professional pest control operator, but you now know to book them at the right time.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford gives Ed Sheeran's new album '=' a rating. She says it sounds like Ed is more "settled" in this album. "In this one, he's in love, he's a dad and he's lost some people - it's all here. It's a love album to his wife."LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facebook is now MetaFacebook, the company, is now going to be known as Meta Platforms Inc or Meta for short. Why? Because it's now thinking of itself as a 'metaverse first' company, building immersive social platforms. Zuck says it has nothing to do with the bad news in the press or his intentions to step away from the 'big blue' app. The 'family of apps' including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Oculus will now be brands under Meta. Reality Labs will be the name for the 'future' focused segment of business. What I took away from interviews was that Facebook is seen now as the old person's app. They want to be doing things that are innovative, with users who are open to change and new experiences - which are 18-25's. Their expectations about what to expect on the internet are very different. This move better positions Meta to be a company offering a range of 'social' solutions for the internet.What is the metaverse? It's a virtual reality and or augmented reality space where there's a digital version of you. You can hang your digital art in your digital living room, interact with friends, visit new worlds, do business. Facebook is building the foundations for this new experience - the software and the headsets, motion sensors and more.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has been reading The Judge's List by John Grisham and Billy Connolly's autobiography, Windswept and Interesting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel expert Mike Yardley has been in Kaikōura and shares his tips to get the best out of the seaside town with Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.