Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Screentime Queen Tara Ward has some picks for your weekend. This is a Robbery: The World’s Greatest Art Heist: a true crime documentary series about the events of March 18, 1990, when 13 works of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Guards admitted two men posing as police officers responding to a disturbance call, and the thieves tied the guards up and looted the museum (Netflix) The Serpent: The twisting real-life story of Charles Sobhraj, a murderer, thief and seductive master of disguise, who was a hidden darkness in the mid-70's on Asia's hippie trail (Netflix). Burden of Truth: a Canadian drama about city lawyer Joanna Hanley, who returns to her hometown to take the case of a group of girls suffering from a mysterious illness (TVNZ OnDemand). LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Father A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality. The College Admission Scandal Reenactments drive this documentary investigating the mastermind behind a scam to sneak the kids of rich and famous families into top US universities. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NEW SEASON BUTTERNUT & CHORIZO Though butternuts and other pumpkin is available year-round and we know it’s a good keeper, it’s fabulous to have it fresh out of the garden too. Serves 2-4 1 butternut pumpkin 2 tbsps olive oil 1 tsp smoked paprika 2-3 chorizo sausages 2 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths Salt & pepper to season Handful fresh coriander Dressing: ½ cup yoghurt or sour cream 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses Squeeze of lemon juice Heat oven to 200 C. Line a shallow roasting dish with baking paper. Halve butternut, scoop seeds and cut each half into 3-4 slices. Lay in dish and drizzle over oil and paprika, toss to coat and arrange in a single layer. Pinch out sausage meat from casings into walnut-sized balls and add these to dish. Scatter over spring onions and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until butternut is soft and golden. Whisk together dressing ingredients. Serve with a handful of fresh coriander and drizzle in dressing. Nici’s notes: Butternut has quite thin skin and once roasted it’s fine to eat. Substitute the chorizo for chunks of bacon, adding it when pumpkin begins to soften. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip has died peacefully, just two months shy of his 100th birthday. He lived a unique life, attending tens of thousands of events in his official capacity and in support of the Queen. Covid-19 restrictions mean the Prince will be farewelled with a small funeral service. Royal expert Robert Hartman is the author of Queen of the World and Daily Mail contributor and has been speaking to Jack Tame. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has been talking to Jack Tame about his memories of Prince Philip, after the Duke of Edinburgh's death aged 99. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justin Bieber’s new album Justice it out, it hit number one in the US this week, making him the youngest solo artist to hit eight number one albums. One of the singles is Peaches, and he’s celebrated by getting a peach tattooed on his neck, to add to his already extensive collection. Estelle Clifford has been taking a listen.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Barbizon, Paulina Bren Liberated from home and hearth by World War I, politically enfranchised and ready to work, women arrived to take their place in the dazzling new skyscrapers of Manhattan. But they did not want to stay in uncomfortable boarding houses. They wanted what men already had—exclusive residential hotels with daily maid service, cultural programs, workout rooms, and private dining.Built in 1927 at the height of the Roaring Twenties, the Barbizon Hotel was intended as a safe haven for the “Modern Woman” seeking a career in the arts. It became the place to stay for any ambitious young woman hoping for fame and fortune. Sylvia Plath fictionalized her time there in The Bell Jar, and, over the years, its almost 700 tiny rooms with matching floral curtains and bedspreads housed Titanic survivor Molly Brown; actresses Grace Kelly, Liza Minnelli, Ali MacGraw, Jaclyn Smith, Phylicia Rashad, and Cybill Shepherd; writers Joan Didion, Diane Johnson, Gael Greene, and Meg Wolitzer; and many more. Mademoiselle magazine boarded its summer interns there, as did Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School its students and the Ford Modeling Agency its young models. Before the hotel’s residents were household names, they were young women arriving at the Barbizon with a suitcase and a dream.Not everyone who passed through the Barbizon’s doors was destined for success—for some it was a story of dashed hopes—but until 1981, when men were finally let in, the Barbizon offered its residents a room of their own and a life without family obligations or expectations. It gave women a chance to remake themselves however they pleased; it was the hotel that set them free. No place had existed like it before or has since.Beautifully written and impeccably researched, The Barbizon weaves together a tale that has, until now, never been told. It is both a vivid portrait of the lives of these young women who came to New York looking for something more, and an epic history of women’s ambition.Savage Son, Jack CarrDeep in the wilds of Siberia, a woman is on the run, pursued by a man harboring secrets – a man intent on killing her.Half a world away, James Reece is recovering from brain surgery in the Montana wilderness, slowly putting his life back together with the help of investigative journalist Katie Buranek and his longtime friend and SEAL teammate Raife Hastings.Unbeknown to them, the Russian mafia has set their sights on Reece in a deadly game of cat and mouse.In his most visceral and heart-pounding thriller yet, Jack Carr explores the darkest instincts of humanity through the eyes of a man who has seen both the best and the worst of it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Strategies of Masters of Relationships: Who this group is, and some of the things they do differently.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our resident traveller Mike Yardley joined Jack Tame to talk about his recent trip to Waiheke Island.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Use of “common names” in the biological world is not very helpful. Scientists describe all species according to nomenclature rules whereby each organism gets a Genus name and a Species name. Blattella germanica is the German cockroach; “Blatella” is the genus name (with a capital letter) “germanica” is the species name (starting with a lower case letter).There are other species that belong to the Genus Blattella (Blattella orientalis is a good example) and they are closely related to each other. These scientific names are accepted and adopted by all scientist in any language – there is no doubt what we are talking about – this name is connected to one species and one species only.But I’d like to put the use of the vernacular name (common name) in a “confusion basket”: New Zealanders often ask me about Daddy Longlegs… There are three different groups of invertebrates that are commonly called “Daddy Longlegs”The Pholcids: Pholcus phalangioides aka the cellar spiders; cosmopolitan and especially in sub-tropical regions of Europe, Asia and Africa – no doubt distributed with human movement. They make messy webs in houses (human-fabricated “cellars” or nice, warm caves), especially in the corners near the ceiling. They capture a wide range of flying and crawling insects and even spiders. Contrary to public myth, they will trap and kill white-tailed spiders with ease.Another Arachnid, distantly related to the cellar spiders, is the Harvestman, Phalangium opilio. This is the time of the year when you see them a lot in the garden, especially the vegetable garden. Harvestmen are probably so named because you see them around “harvest time”. They’re predators of a wider range of insects and other invertebrate organisms. They love caterpillars, but also the eggs of white butterflies on your newly-sown cabbages. A really characteristic feature is that harvestmen have their head, thorax and abdomen fused into one body part and the coolest thing to see is that their second pair of legs is much longer that all the other legs. They use these to find their way around your garden, not unlike a blind person with a stick.And then there are the Crane flies (Tipulidae). These are those large flies that often sit on a wall, sunning themselves. Some people call them “giant mosquitoes”, but they have little in common with those biting, blood-sucking insects, apart from the fact they belong to the fly Order “Diptera”. “Di” (meaning two) and ptera (wings) indicates they just have two functional wings (not four, like most winged insects). Their hind wings have been modified to small stalks with a little knob at the end. When (crane) flies fly these so-called “Halteres” gyrate to give the fly stability and control. When you see a crane fly at rest, these halteres are easily spotted.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember the Casio G-Shock? It's back!This time though - it's a smart watch! Of course it's shock resistant and waterproof down to 200 meters. It's far more rugged than an Apple Watch, designed for outdoor activities from surfing to snowboarding. It's got a GPS, altitude sensor, heart rate monitor and a one and a half day battery. It'll run Android's Wear OS. It's not cheap though at $699 USD.We're starting to get a first look of how civilians will see spaceIf you're rich enough, or lucky enough, to be chosen to fly on Space X's Crew Dragon, you'll get an amazing view. The civilian passenger version of the space capsule will have a 360 degree view of space through a glass dome. It's taking the place of the dock which is used to connect to the Internal Space Station - because they won't be docking anywhere. Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic "SpaceShip 3" looks more like a plane and doesn't have the unobstructed views that the Space X capsule does.You can now Slack someone at a different companySlack has expanded its features to allow people to send messages outside their group/organization - called "Slack Connect". So instead of sending an email to someone, you could simply send them a DM on Slack. The future is to allow people to contact others across a private business network - so if you have vendors you work with, or clients, then they could be added to your network for seamless communication. There is one hiccup - you can send someone an unsolicited message as you 'invite them to chat' which has been flagged as a harassment concern, but this same issue exists in email. Remember though - your organization can see your messages if they want to, so before you add your friends think twice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New rules on property investmentIt feels like property investors have been up in arms, talking worst case scenarios.Hannah McQueen joins Jack Tame to talk about the ways to help manage the cash impact on your personal finances of owning an investment property that is now going to cost you more, but you want to be able to hold on to it.Visit enable.me for more information.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know what it’s like to walk into a room and wonder what on earth you’re doing there, a sudden lapse in memory. But as you get older, you'd be forgiven for starting to worry that perhaps it’s something more sinister. It’s literally brain science, so who better to look into it than The New York Times Bestselling Author and Neuroscientist Lisa Genova, who's just written a new book, Remember. She’s written several books about neurological diseases and disorders .. possibly the most well-known is Still Alice, a fictional story about dementia that was made into a movie. Lisa joins Jack Tame on the show this morning.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Irregulars: Set in Victorian London, the series follows a gang of troubled street teens who are manipulated into solving crimes for the sinister Doctor Watson and his mysterious business partner, the elusive Sherlock Holmes (Netflix)Line of Duty: with a brand new season starting on TVNZ 1 on Sunday nights, it’s a great chance to catch one of Britiain’s best police dramas (Season 6 on TVNZ1 from Sunday, seasons 1-5 on Netflix). Defending the Guilty: a British comedy about an idealistic, young barrister who is shown the ropes by a worldly mentor (TVNZ OnDemand).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lamb shoulder is such a succulent cut to use and with the sharpness of lemons and capers this is the perfect celebration dinner at Easter.Serves 6-81.5kg lamb shoulder½ cup white wine½ cup stock or waterSmall bunch rosemary, chopped fine6 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste½ tsp salt and grind of pepper1-2 lemons, skin on, thinly sliced2 tbsps capersPreheat oven to 170 C. Lay shoulder in a roasting dish. Add wine and stock (or water). Rub rosemary, crushed garlic, salt and pepper all over the shoulder then scatter over lemons slices. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1-1.5 hours.Remove foil, add capers and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, uncovered, until lamb and lemons are nicely browned and meat is falling from the bone. Remove shoulder and rest.To make a gravy, tilt the dish and skim fat, leaving only the cooking juices. Thicken these slightly with cornflour or flour and add more wine and stock/water to simmer for at least 5 minutes.Serve sliced lamb scattered with capers and drizzled with gravy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NobodyHutch Mansell fails to defend himself or his family when two thieves break into his suburban home one night. The aftermath of the incident soon strikes a match to his long-simmering rage. In a barrage of fists, gunfire and squealing tires, Hutch must now save his wife and son from a dangerous adversary -- and ensure that he will never be underestimated again.The CourierThe true story of a British businessman unwittingly recruited into one of the greatest international conflicts in history. Forming an unlikely partnership with a Soviet officer hoping to prevent a nuclear confrontation, the two men work together to provide the crucial intelligence used to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne joins Jack Tame to talk about the end of daylight saving this weekend.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was flying into Auckland on Thursday after a spending the first half of this week on Aotea Great Barrier Island.It was a wonderful trip - I’ll tell you more about that soon - and the flight back to the mainland came courtesy of a little Cessna Caravan and Great Barrier Air. If you haven’t been before, flying Great Barrier Air is wonderful. Like other regional airlines, it's pretty much just as chilled out as you might imagine. All the passengers squeeze inside a cabin space about as high and wide as in a car. If you’re in Row A you can pretty much reach out and touch the controls. There’s no fancy safety video. There’s no inflight snack. There’s not even a co-pilot! It’s fantastic. And the views across the Hauraki Gulf are astonishing.But it was coming back into Auckland, flying at a low speed and at a lower altitude than you would in a big commercial jet, that I found myself really focusing a couple of features of our biggest city.For starters, and this is probably pretty obvious, Auckland is incredibly spread out. Just ridiculously spread out. From the far-Eastern suburbs to the outer reaches of the North Shore is a vast suburban patchwork. If it were an unfamiliar city you might think it was home to five million people.Except the other thing you notice, and this might also seem prettttty obvious, is that the houses are all one-or-two-storied. And almost all have backyards.Don’t get me wrong; I love a backyard. I love gardening. I love playing backyard cricket. I think it’s really important for kids to play outside and feel dirt underneath their fingernails. But at a time when we are lamenting the ludicrous cost of housing in this country, and Auckland is top of the pops, I couldn’t separate our crisis from that very simple and obvious observation: Auckland’s houses are too spread out for the city’s population. I understand that as Kiwis, most of us have grown up with a version of the quarter-acre dream. That dream might have been sustainable when Auckland only had half a million people. Indeed, our other big cities are only just starting to experience the pressures of endless sprawl.But it seems to me that one of the most important solutions to the housing crisis is our responsibility. Not the government's responsibility. Not the Reserve Bank's. We are responsible for a collective attitude change when it comes to intensification. That doesn’t mean fifty-storey tower blocks in every neighbourhood. But it does mean smart density. It means many more town houses and terraced housing options in our cities. It means making Auckland’s neighbourhoods look a little more London and a little less Gisborne in the 1950s.Of course, when developers try and bring about these changes, they’re often challenged by existing property owners who moan that more intensive housing will affect the ‘character’ of their neighbourhoods. These are the same people who complain about 5% rates rises even as their house values increase by $150,000 a year. They are acting against the collective interests of everyone else in their wider community. Density is the pay-off for choosing to live in a big city. With the right sort of development and public transport infrastructure, there are all sorts of benefits that come with living in higher density environments. And if you don't like it, simple! Move to a town or a region where space is at less of a premium. I agree with the government on one thing… the housing crisis is going to take a require a massive set of solutions. Many of those policies lie at the feet our elected officials. But there are things the rest of us can do to help ease the crisis. For starters, stand up to the NIMBYs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to Teeks' long-awaited debut album ‘Something To Feel.’ LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Second-hand shopping like a pro Clothing is a huge part of our unnecessary consumer habits. I would have been shocked as a young person if someone bought a new outfit to wear only once (unless it was the school ball). Now it is quite common! The International Panel on Climate Change has estimated that fashion is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, as well as excessive use of water and synthetic chemicals to produce and finish textiles. Second hand clothes are an eco-answer to having the variety you need in your wardrobe. Here are some tips on how to buy well: Dress Comfortably: Wear clothes and shoes that are easy to take off. This might sound like strange advice, but if you're in and out of changing rooms, it makes a big difference to be able to try items on with ease. You can also wear clothes that you can try things on over – like leggings and a tank top. it is a good idea to know your body measurements by heart or have them stored on your phone for quick reference – and bring a tape measure. Know What You're Looking For: Because there are so many options at a thrift store, keeping an ongoing list of items you need helps to narrow down the search. (It's still a good idea, though, to keep an eye out for those unexpected gems.) Know Your Personal Style: Try saving pictures of looks you like to a private collection on Instagram or Pinterest. Reference this when in doubt about what might look good. Look for Quality: You need to develop a critical eye when shopping secondhand. Scan items for stains (particularly underarm), spots, holes, loose threads, missing buttons, broken zippers. Make sure the seams are strong and check that the material isn't worn thin in places. Sniff the item to make sure it smell fresh and clean. Ask yourself, "Would I walk out of the store wearing this?" Depending on your style, many thrifted items can actually look better than new. Think of soft graphic tees, cozy sweatshirts, and trendy ripped jeans that already look like you've put in the years of wear. Choose Natural Fibers Whenever Possible: Natural fibers, such as cotton, hemp, wool, and linen, tend to age better and pill less than synthetic and blended materials. They do not release microplastic particles when washed, and they will biodegrade at the end of their life. They're generally easier to repair, too. (Learn more about the benefits of natural fibers here.) Seek Out Children's Clothes: If you have children, secondhand is a great way to dress them. Kids grow and go through clothing so quickly that it becomes prohibitively expensive to buy new items for them. Look for clothes, outerwear, sporting gear, boots, and shoes at the thrift store, and continue the cycle by donating whatever they outgrow that's still in good condition. Go Online: You will be surprised what’s out there LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our resident traveller Mike Yardley has been on a city break in Hamilton ... and asking himself whether it's now a cool city.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading Other Peoples Houses by Kelli Hawkin and Win by Harlan Coben.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing spinachAs a kid I never really liked spinach. We had kid’s shows on tellie that were based on this vegetable, and I reckon it was to promote the green sludge to the younger generation. Popeye the Sailorman was the marketing tool – he was strong and healthy.And to be quite honest, spinach is a good source of iron and calcium, plus vitamins, protein and minerals. Good for skin, hair, nails (keratin) and calcium of course for bone health. It also contains Oxalic Acid (the stuff that makes the leaves of Rhubarb “poisonous”) and this has the habit of disrupting the uptake of iron and calcium. Cooking spinach breaks down the oxalic acid and voila! All good again. Some people believe the marketing myth of “Super Food”. Absolute rubbish! It’s just good food. I prefer it over “silverbeet”. It’s easy to grow, really. Either from seeds or from seedlings in punnets. You’ll need good, well-drained soil mixtures with plenty of compost. Seeds usually germinate within 2 weeks. Thin to about 7 cm spacing in a row; 20 cm between rows. Cover it to stop birds getting their beaks into your young leaves – netting over the rows will work nicely. Slugs and snails are also looking for good skin and health! I often go and look in the evening with a torch to pick up any molluscs heading for my crop. Beer traps are useless, by the way. Keep an eye on caterpillars too. Some loopers and “cutworm”-like caterpillars love to have a go at small, fresh leaves. There are quite a few varieties of Spinach; look at Kings Seeds catalogue and Yates’s range. I love the harvest of them. When they are young, pick the small leaves and use in salads. Because you pick individual leaves, your plant simply keeps on growing; multiple harvests! Just a reminder that when you keep on taking off leaves, the plant needs nutrient to replace them. Liquid fertilisers tend to be the way to go: every time you water, there will be some N-P-K dribbling into the root zone. A good, compost-rich soil will also sustain the plants. Continuity can be achieved by planting a Spinach row every 4 weeks or so. An alternative to spinach (that chalky feeling on your teeth!!) is cultivating the perpetual spinach. It’s not truly a “spinach”, but a chard (Beta vulgaris). Advantage: you won’t need to sow it in succession; a few plants will do you for more than a year, simply by plucking the leaves you need. They’ll re-grow. Taste a bit milder yet you can use it just like spinach. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Campbell has a Rosé to recommend for your weekend. He's been drinking Yealands 2020 Baby Doll Rosé, Marlborough $18.95.LISTEN TO HIS REVIEW ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zoom's expanding their reach They've released technology to allow developers to effectively build Zoom into their apps to create more tailored experiences instead of needing to use Zoom's app for everything. It's effectively turning Zoom into a platform. So now if you own a fitness studio, you can build you own app, with its own interface, but using Zoom's very scalable and reliable tech in the background. I'm excited to see what people build because we've got used to doing things over video now. Space X's rocket made a dramatic re-entry There were plenty of people on Twitter who though it could be a UFO.. but no, it was space junk. The disposable part of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket usually burns up in orbit, but this didn't so as it came back to earth it put on a spectacular show over Washington & Oregon. This is the bit of the rocket that guides the satellite payload into its proper spot after the booster rockets land back on earth. You can now Slack someone at a different company Slack has expanded its features to allow people to send messages outside their group/organization - called "Slack Connect". So instead of sending an email to someone, you could simply send them a DM on Slack. The future is to allow people to contact others across a private business network - so if you have vendors you work with, or clients, then they could be added to your network for seamless communication. There is one hiccup - you can send someone an unsolicited message as you 'invite them to chat' which has been flagged as a harassment concern, but this same issue exists in email. Remember though - your organization can see your messages if they want to, so before you add your friends think twice. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screentime Queen Tara Ward has been testing out some TV for your weekend. Total Control: Rachel Griffiths and Deborah Mailman star in this Australian political drama about fearless Indigenous senator Alex Irving, who finds herself at the center of media attention after a shocking event and, barely weeks into her political career in Canberra, must deal with betrayal inside the government (Acorn TV). The Gloaming: An Australian crime thriller. When an unidentified woman is found brutally murdered, Detective Molly McGee teams up with fellow cop, Alex O'Connell, with whom she shares a tragic past, to solve the crime (TVNZ OnDemand, from Sunday). Formula 1: Drive to Survive: a new season of the gripping documentary series about Formula 1 racing (Netflix).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With our relatively COVID-free status, plenty of people overseas are dreaming longingly of a life in New Zealand. One high-profile American, LA born-and-bred wellness expert Lauren Roxburgh, has been able to make that a reality. That's thanks to her Kiwi husband, producer and director Gus. She’s got a big profile in the US. Lauren is known as Gwyneth Paltrow's "Body Whisperer" and can regularly be found doing media appearances including Good Morning America and E! And if that’s sounding a bit too woo-woo for you, among her former clients is a little known basketball player called LeBron James. Lauren, Gus and their two kids have just made the move to Wanaka and she's been speaking to Jack Tame. And if you want to try her free 7-day body reset, head to this website: www.laurenroxburgh.com/body-reset-guideLISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FEIJOA & TOASTED COCONUT STRUDEL This strudel recipe uses feijoas as well as apples and adds a hint of the South Pacific with toasted coconut which makes it an even more magical dessert! Serves 2-4 1 cup feijoa flesh (scooped out of the skins), chopped small 1 granny smith apple, grated or diced very small 1 tbsp honey 2 tbsp golden raisins ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp vanilla extract ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs 2 tbsp long thread coconut, toasted Zest from ½ lemon 50g butter, melted 4 sheets filo pastry Ice cream to serve Preheat oven to 180 C. Line a tray with baking paper. Combine the feijoa, apple, honey, golden raisins, ginger and vanilla into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Cool. In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, coconut and lemon zest. Drizzle in half the melted butter and combine. To assemble the strudel: lay out the filo sheets, one on top of the other, brushing melted butter between each layer. Work quite quickly when you do this so that the sheets don’t dry out. Brush the top layer with butter too. Spoon the breadcrumb mix along the long edge of the pastry, about 10cm above the bottom edge and 3-4cm shy of either side. Pile the cooled fruit filling on top of this. Start to roll your strudel up, bringing the edge of pastry closest to you up over the filling and continue to roll, tucking in the sides/ends about halfway through. Carefully place the strudel on the lined baking tray, seam side down. Brush the top with melted butter. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm thick slices with vanilla ice cream. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching Jodi Foster's Golden Globe winning The Mauritanian and The Grizzlies. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's been remembering Colin Simon, whose funeral was last week. Colin was the man who designed the iconic logo for the Chch Commonwealth Games - where the Union Jack was made kiwi.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a slow moving disaster. And now, at it’s worst, it’s a massive intractable problem affecting millions of people. It’s the sort of situation that could have maybe been averted if people had taken action a whole lot sooner, but they didn’t. No, I’m not talking about the container ship in the Suez Canal – far and away my favourite story of the week! I’m talking about the housing crisis, and the government’s new efforts to calm down the ludicrous changes in the housing market.I know I go on about housing but apart from Covid-19 it’s surely the most immediate crisis we face. What do I think of the announcement? It’s a punt. It’s a gamble. A bet. Jacinda Ardern wouldn’t say this week what the changes to the brightline test or interest deductability will do to house prices or rents. In an interview I did with Grant Robertson that will air on Q+A tomorrow, the Finance Minister is similarly non-committal. The government introduced these changes but they don’t honestly know what the effect will be. They hope it cools the market, but they don’t know. Labour was elected three-and-a-half years ago on bold promises to sort the housing crisis. They don’t talk about transformation much any more, but our housing market has certainly transformed, just not in the way they wanted. Since taking over in 2017, the median price nationwide has increased 47%. Of course, the pandemic has played a big role in that. But keep in mind, house prices increased 26% under a Labour-led government’s watch before the pandemic. And that kind of increase wasn’t enough for Labour to push the policies we’ve seen this week. Indeed I think it’s pretty obvious these policies have been put together in a rush. Treasury hasn’t had time to do its sums. They don’t have much of the detail about exemptions and new builds. The brightline extension and deductability changes were not included in Labour’s electoral campaign less than six months ago. Again... this is a gamble. This is a punt.All that being said, from a political perspective, I think it’s a good punt. Labour is doing a much better job of reading the public mood on this, than National is in opposition. They sense that even the so-called Mum-and-Dad investors of the World with a few properties up their sleeves are probably feeling a little uncomfortable with the market’s recent growth.When it comes to broken promises, they’ve clearly misled voters on the brightline extension but from the government’s perspective, it won’t matter. Grant Robertson is taking the fall. If his ruling out the brightline extension last year was really just a case of speaking too definitively, he could have clarified his comments at the time and before people voted. But Robertson will take one for the team. If it was Jacinda Ardern who had emphatically ruled a brightline extension in the same way her Finance Minister did, there’s no way they would have introduced that change this week.From an economic perspective, is it a good punt? It depends who you listen to. Every economist has a different forecast. Maybe the changes will be successful in just getting everything to chill out for a bit. Some forecasts have a drop of up to ten percent.For me, it’s simple. This problem has been left too long. The time to act wasn’t this week. It was years ago. We needed political courage but instead, for years, successive leaders have only introduced policies they were sure were politically popular. Policy-making by opinion poll. The ambulance is officially at the bottom of the cliff. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel writer Mike Yardley has been Roaming Waikato's riches.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to TV personality Jon Batiste's new album We Are.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister and The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationship expert Steven Dromgool's looking at how your relationship can impact your child's resilience. LISTEN TO HIS TALK WITH JACK TAME ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CholesterolOur resident Doctor Bryan Betty has some tips on keeping your cholesterol in check. He's a GP, and Medical Director for the College of GPs.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The biggies of Autumn Equinox is tonight at 10.37 pm. Autumn officially here and two little rotters are the “biggies” in your garden! 1) Tomato (and potato) Psyllid These have been working quietly away in your tomato patch. Many generations have gone before them, but what you see now is the culmination of their damaging activities. Yellowing leaves, covered with fine, white crystals that actually taste quite sweet. Many tiny hopping, aphid-like sap-sucking bugs everywhere (actually they look more like tiny versions of cicadas). Your plants will be looking poorly and tomato yield will seriously decline I used to rarely get them, simply because I am fanatical about pulling up nightshade weeds. I reckon the psyllids overwinter on these weeds, so removing them meticulously helps a lot to keep your patch clean.Sprays with insecticides need to commence well before you see the first psyllids, it keeps their populations down too. I don’t grow potatoes, but if you do: only use the early varieties. Pre-Christmas! Now is really too late for control. Regular neem sprays will keep them down, aim for the newer leaves/growth on the tomato plants, especially in late spring and summer. 2) Two-spotted spider mites In a warm, dry summer, these acarids (related to arachnids) are present in massive numbers on their favourite host plants: beans, buxus, frangipani leaves – they’re everywhere!. They come in groups of lots of tiny mites, often in plenty of mite silk (gossamer). They hate wet, cold feet. A spray with cold water in the evening is not appreciated! Better still, add some fatty acids like Yates Mite Spray or Mavrik. You’ll need to do that quite a few times. Biocontrol: fast-moving red predators can control spider mites! Buy them at Bioforce (on-line). LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Instagram is exploring a kids version of the app Apparently, kids under 13 are asking their parents for Instagram accounts but giving them those are 1) against the terms of service and 2) letting them off into the discover tab with no oversight. Instagram says they want to change that.. by launching a kids app with parental controls and ways to give parents "transparency" - so I assume that means a look into what their kids are liking and following. It's still early days but FB says they'll share more later. Messenger for Kids was launched in 2017. Microsoft Powerpoint can now coach you to be a better presenter The AI robots can now watch you deliver a presentation and give you pointers on how to make it better. Speaking too fast? It'll tell you! Too many umms? It'll tell you! Are your eyes looking all over the place? It'll tell you! Reading your slides? Yep.. it'll tell you! It's been available on the web version of Powerpoint for a bit, but is now launching in the Windows and Mac apps. YouTube's trying to make a TikTok clone Save me. YouTube Shorts has launched in the USA in beta. You won't need to download a new app, it's available on your mobile YouTube app home screen. It'll have the same personalized feed like TikTok for you to get lost in, but won't have the advanced creator features like "duet". One benefit is that the videos are available across all of YouTube so can easily be shared and embedded too. The reviews haven't been hot. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Following the events of 'Avengers: Endgame,' Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities -- and their patience (Disney+). Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal: Reenactments drive this documentary investigating the mastermind behind a scam to sneak the kids of rich and famous families into top US universities (Netflix) Billy Connolly: It’s been a pleasure: a special episode celebrating Sir Billy Connolly’s 50 year career and his retirement, featuring interviews with guests like Sir Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg and Sir Paul McCartney (TVNZ1, Monday 8.30pm). LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’ve probably heard of, or even seen, Disney’s movie Soul. It's about a jazz musician, stuck in a mediocre job, who finally gets his big break. What you might not know, is the movie’s animated lead Joe is partially based on real-life jazz musician John Batiste. He’s just won a Golden Globe, and is nominated for an Oscar for his work on the screenplay. But that’s not the only thing he’s got on his plate. He’s also the bandleader and musical director at the Late Show with Stephen Colbert with his band Stay Human, and has a new album out: We Are. He's been speaking with Jack Tame. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin's been watching French Exit and Zach Snyder's Justice League.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ingredients6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on or offOlive oil2 medium red onions1 ½ tsp cinnamon1 heaped tsp ground coriander1 tsp cumin1 heaped teaspoon gingerSalt and pepper1 preserved lemon - flesh & pith removed - chopped(or use 2tbsps lemon zest & pith) 5 cups (approx.) stock, vegetable or chicken1 tbsp honey1 cup pitted prunesHandful of fresh coriander, chopped, to garnishMethodHeat the oil in a heavy-based casserole dish or saucepan (that has a lid preferably). Add the onions and spices and cook until fragrant, then add the chicken, toss to coat in the spices and cook until beginning to brown on one side. Add the preserved lemon, stock and honey.Give everything a good stir then put the lid on (or cover tightly with foil) and simmer on a low heat for about 1 hour or until the meat falls away from the bones. I check it after 45 mins and add more water if it looks like it needs it, and the prunes at this stage.Replace the lid and continue to cook. (Alternatively this dish can be cooked in the oven (170° C) for 1.5 hours).Before serving, baste the chicken well with the juices and taste to see if it needs more salt or pepper to season. Garnish with a handful of chopped coriander and serve with bread to mop up the juices. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne reckons the Wellington Regional Council proposal for commuter parking fees is nuts. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was December 17th that we first saw the America’s Cup AC75s racing in anger. Three months to the day from the first race on the Hauraki Gulf, to the race in which Emirates Team New Zealand tied up the Auld Mug.I’ve been in the viaduct for almost every single race day over those three months. So, while the powers-that-be squabble over where to host the next competition, these are my Good and Bads from the 36th America’s Cup. Let’s start with the bads: -It really hurt not having foreign tourists in Auckland for the competition. It obviously affected retailers and hospitality. Over three months, I had a lot of lunch breaks at the fantastic Pantry Cafe at the gleaming new Park Hyatt hotel (I Highly recommend the portuguese custard tarts). It’s maybe the closest cafe to the Team NZ base. But until the last few days of the cup, it didn’t come close to being full. And more than the economic side of things, no foreign visitors hurt the atmosphere of the America’s Cup. Nothing against Kiwis but we generally aren’t the most excitable or passionate sport fans. And I couldn’t help but wonder, in that last week, if getting a Trans-Tasman bubble up in time for a few Aussies to come over and party would’ve added another dimension to the event. -I think the sporting contest itself was a bit ‘meh.’ I know these are new boats and they’re only going to improve, but whether it was the port entry or the wind conditions or the relatively narrow passing lanes, a lot of the results from the Christmas Cup and the Challenger Series felt pre-determined. -My last ‘bad’ is the number of competitors. Covid-19 played a role. So too did the cost of entry. Hopefully one of the benefits of staying with AC75s for the next few America’s Cups will be an increase in the number of teams that are able to compete.As for the goods... I’ve got a few:-Even on the days when the racing was average, the boats looked incredible. I’m still beguiled by the physics. How does a 75 foot boat pop up and fly on a foil at 5 times the speed of the wind?! It’s madness.-You have to be a real misery guts to not see that as a television event being broadcast to different places around the World, the Cup was spectacular. I know the vast majority of us aren’t massive sailing fans and couldn’t explain the difference between a 49er and a Laser. I know most of the World doesn’t care either. I know that contesting the America’s Cup attracts the elite of the elite. But seeing those pictures of foiling monohulls on the Hauraki Gulf, in the shadow of Rangitoto, North Head, and Bastion point, interspersed with shots of Kiwi fans eating icecreams in the glorious sunshine, was really special. For Brand NZ Inc... the TV product makes for an awesome advertisement and even if it’s only watched by a few keen fans overseas, I think it can only have done our reputation good.-Finally... is it so bad to have something to celebrate? A lot of people love to bag on the America’s Cup but one look at the TV1 ratings will tell you, actually, it probably brought a lot of Kiwis joy at a time when things have been a bit shit. Ok.. it’s just sport. And it’s an off-broadway sport. And very few people will care about it in a few days. But when most of the World is virus-ridden, and air travel is super-difficult... it was nice to see a few Kiwis fly.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After taking his fill of Palmerston North’s urban enticements, the big backyard of Manawatu was calling Mike Yardley.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s some new research out of the US about financial mistakes. It’s not about the mistakes themselves, but the fact they all tend to start in the same decade – your 30s. Hannah McQueen from enable.me joins Jack Tame to share her advice on the issue.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before Nick Jonas was one third of the Jonas brothers, he released his own album. And now, his third solo album Spaceman is out in the world. Estelle Clifford has been taking a listen. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saving water Now we’ve looked at collecting your rainwater (more detail here) and using rainwater (more detail here) let’s look at how to use less water in the first place. Bathroom * Get tough on those who spend hours in the showers, have a timer with loud alarm so everyone in the house can hear. * Put a bucket in the shower as you wait for warm water, then use in the garden. I've been doing this for years, because when you manage your own water, and don’t rely on the council, you realise how precious it is. * The bath is a luxury. If you have one share it someone you trust to be not too dirty. I also go second. * Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth. Wet the brush, turn it off, then rinse it at the end. This may save your household up to 750 litres of water per month. * Flush your toilet on the short flush where you can. If you have an old-fashioned cistern, you can get a bottle of sand and water, and put it in. Cuts down the water used each time. Laundry * Choose machines with good water ratings, definitely a front loader, as its uses only a fraction the water of a top loader. You get a better wash too. * Only run loads when they are full. Garden * If you know me I always say: “mulch mulch and then some more mulch”. It keeps the water in the garden and the weeds out. Nature hates bare soil and will put something in it if you do not. You never see bare soil in healthy nature sites. * Water long and not often. A little water with the hose of an evening fells like you are doing good but all you are doing is training the feeding roots into the top of the soil. Then these will suffer when you go on holiday or forget for a while. Long watering, penetrating the soil, trains the roots deep and then you can do it only once a week. And while you’re at it … * Wash your car with a bucket of soapy water . Only use the hose to rinse off. Use ecostore dishwash then you can wash the car on the lawn and the detergent will feed the soil rather than poison * Check your house for leaks. Be suspicious if your water bill goes up suddenly. Some councils will even subsidise a repairman to come and fix your leaks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer, Joel Dicker In the summer of 1994, the quiet seaside town of Orphea reels from the discovery of two brutal murders. Confounding their superiors, two young police officers, Jesse Rosenberg and Derek Scott crack the case and arrest the murderer, earning themselves handsome promotions and the lasting respect of their colleagues. But twenty years later, just as he is on the point of taking early retirement, Rosenberg is approached by Stephanie Mailer, a journalist who believes he made a mistake back in 1994 and that the real murderer is still out there, perhaps ready to strike again. Before she can give any more details however, Stephanie Mailer mysteriously disappears without trace, and Rosenberg and Scott are forced to confront the awful possibility that her suspicions might have been proved horribly true. What happened to Stephanie Mailer? What did she know? And what really happened in Orphea all those years ago? The Family Doctor, Debra Oswald Paula is a dedicated suburban GP, who is devastated by the murder of a friend and her children by their estranged husband and father. Stacey and the children had been staying with her after fleeing his control, and Paula is haunted by the thought that she couldn't protect them when they most needed it. How had she missed the warning signs? How had she failed to keep them safe? Not long after, a patient with suspicious injuries brings her anxious young son into Paula's surgery. The woman admits that her husband hurts her, but she's terrified to leave for fear of escalating the violence, and defeated by the consistent failures of the law to help her. Can Paula go against everything she believes to make sure one woman is saved, one child spared? She isn't motivated by revenge. She's desperately trying to prevent a tragedy . . . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mycorrhizal fungi and planting tricks We are getting more and more information on how plants, shrubs and trees grow in association with other organisms in their ecosystem Yes: pollinators and biological control agents, as well as composters in the soil and the earthworms (earth workers) that aerate the soil and take well-produced organic matter deeper and deeper into the soil levels, where roots can pick up the nutrients. But over the past decade or more scientists have made some grand discoveries around the role of fungi, assisting plants (Watch Susan Simard’s TED talk How Trees Talk to Each other) Mycorrhizal fungi extending root zones of host trees and shrubs. They form Mycorrhizal networks that “connect” trees with each-other (sharing food, communication and warning neighbouring plants for bark beetle attacks etc). Some of the orchids would do so much better if the mycorrhiza is included in the orchid mix; The way to achieve that is by mixing in some old mix in the new mix, when replanting your orchids. When I dig native trees and shrubs (beech, rata, Pittosporum, kawakawa, etc) into the garden, I often make a short journey to a nearby native forest to grab a large bag of moist leaf-litter and humus from the top-layer of the soil. That material is likely to contain quite a few beneficial fungi, including some mycorrhiza, that would help with the establishment and subsequent growth of the native trees. It facilitates the up-take of phosphorus and Nitrogen. Trick is to get the fresh leaf-litter and use it as soon as you can: I tend to mix that biodiverse leaf-litter into the top layers of the soil where I plant the new trees. You can also use it as a moist mulch. Recent research in NZ (Ngā Kākano Whakahau) explored how to re-introduce native mycorrhizal fungi in restoration projects; replanting old paddocks with native trees is tricky!) One of the interesting findings was that – just like in forests – a succession of organisms (almost from fast-germinating “pioneers” to slower germinating later developing species) is crucial for establishment. That means that even Mycorrhiza have their time and place in the restoration and regeneration of forests! Maybe I should go to a young forest first and get some leaf-litter and humus from there before jumping straight to the old-growth forest!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.