Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to the new album from L.A.B.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes joins Jack Tame to share her book picks of the week.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationships expert Steven Dromgool joins Jack Tame to share his advice on managing a money hangover.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gardening expert Ruud Kleinpaste joins Jack Tame to talk about Monarch Butterflies.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rubbing shoulders with the bountiful fruit-bowl of Cromwell, sliced only by the Kawarau River and its confluence with the Clutha, Bannockburn beckons as a banger of a destination in its own right. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Stenhouse joins Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB to talk about the big tech stories making the news this week.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can't decide what TV shows you should be watching? TV critic Tara Ward joins Jack Tame to gives us her top picks for your viewing pleasure! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unity. Joe Biden, in his first official speech as the 46th President of the United States, says the thing he wants to do, perhaps more than anything else, is restore a sense of unity in the United States. But in watching everything over the last few months, from Trump’s denial of the election results to the riot at the capitol building, and in reflecting on Trump’s full term in office, I think there are two issues that require immediate attention if Americans are to be unified again. The first, is the massive slab of Americans whose working dignity and standard of living have been eroded over the last thirty years. It’s a natural expectations for all human beings that we will have a slightly higher standard of living than our parents’ generation. Just think about how your parents lived, the things they considered luxurious that perhaps we take for granted. How often would your parents have money to eat at a cafe? Would they have travelled much overseas? Progress happens slowly, and we often don’t notice it in the moment. But most of us are fortunate to have a higher standard of living that when our parents were the same age. But think about all of those millions of Americans, who grew up in the Mid-West in the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps Dad only had a high school education but back then, that was more than enough for a good manufacturing job. Mum didn’t have to work, but the family could afford healthcare and a car and a house in the suburbs. Two weeks at a lake house on vacation every year. For tens of millions of Americans, that the baseline expectation. But now they’re at the same stage of life, their own experiences are so different. As a result of all sorts of things... globalisation and the changing World, those same opportunities aren’t available any more. If you're in the mid-West, in your fifties or sixties with only a high school education, what’s the best job and the best life you could hope for? For many, the answer is low paid, low skilled, often undignified work. Maybe a job at Walmart or 7/11. Poor healthcare options. No vacation at the lakehouse. Those people and those concerns have been forgotten and ignored by politicians of all stripes for decades. It’s little wonder they were so drawn to Donald Trump’s anarchic political style and his nostalgic message, even if his leadership didn’t actually do much for them. Those people felt heard by Trump and empowered by Trump. I worry what will happen to those people and many others in an automated World in a few years when self-driving cars are the norm. What happens, then? How will they live fulfilling and dignified lives? The solution is incredibly complex... it means a total change to education and training and economic systems. I really think Biden needs to prioritise finding a way to empower those people. I also think maybe the biggest continuing threat to democracy in the U.S, and to unity, is the state of the media. I mean that in the broadest terms; traditional media forms and social media. Biden didn’t mention it in his inauguration and I haven’t heard plans for any drastic reforms, but for me... that attack on the capitol was a calcifying moment. A moment that showed us with smashing glass and gunshots just how much people’s perceptions of the World around them are being manipulated by the way we access and consume information. Is the solution to ban politicians and Presidents from Twitter? Personally, I feel uncomfortable with the idea that a few silicon valley executives can pick and choose who they want to have platforms. But we can’t stick with the status quo, either. So much media, from cable news to Facebook, thrives on a model that neatly divides people into bubbles, stoking their fears, reinforcing their opinions, and provoking them. Do we break up big tech? Regulate algorithms? I don’t know, but something has to change. Regardless of how anyone might feel about Donald Trump, Biden is right...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In her book Failosophy: A Handbook For When Things Go Wrong, Elizabeth Day brings together all the lessons she has learned, from conversations with the guests on her award-winning How to Fail podcast, from stories shared with her by readers and listeners, and from her own life, and distils them into seven principles of failure.She joined Jack Tame on the show this morning.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former broadcaster Kevin Milne joins Jack Tame to talk about a special 50 year reunion he attended during the holidays.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Film reviewer and Newstalk ZB host Francesca Rudkin joins Jack Tame to share her movie pick of the week, Penguin Bloom and Sylvie's Love.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nici Wickes joins Jack Tame to share her caramelised nectarines with homemade yoghurt curd recipe.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to Delta Goodrem's surprise Christmas album.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has some picks for sumer reading:Fiction The Evening and the Morning - Ken Follett A Tine for Mercy - John Grisham The searcher- Tana French This Tender Land - William Kent Kreuger Non- Fiction Bella - Annabel Langbien No Time Like the Future - Michael J Fox Troy - Stephen Fry A Promised Land - Barack Obama Searching for Charlie - Tom Scott LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Resident traveller Mike Yardley has been reflecting on a year of travels in Covid times.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wrap it up Doesn’t it bug you to see the mounds of plastic ribbons going into the rubbish on Christmas morning? Or make you uncomfortable to wonder just how they make wrapping paper so shiny and colourful, who made it, and where? In fact, much of that glossy stuff isn’t recyclable. The glittery and metallic papers contain plastics, so they need to go into the rubbish. But gift wrapping gives us the same challenge as dressing fashionably. You want it to look sophisticated, neat, and stylish, just without all the waste, exploitation, and environmental impact. That is not always the easiest thing to pull off. * I love the Japanese tradition of furoshiki fabric wraps. and you are now seeing some progressive stores doing this for you. And much of the material may be found already at your home * Kids art work or get the kids to paint some the material that comes into your house , like online deliveries, paper grocery bags etc. Then decorate it with string and shells, greenery from the garden, or re-purposed pacific lei. * Xmas cards can be changed to Xmas tags * Second hand store are a great start for packaging: Scarves, tea or kitchen towels, decorative brooches, vintage cards, old maps, jars and cookie tins * Mum always keep the best wrapping paper to use again in the future and we do the same. A secret to making this work is in how you wrap the paper so it is easy to salvage it again. For example, hemp string instead of cello tape overkill. Also having a special storage area saved for this purpose in your home to keep it out of the way and undamaged. we have old ribbons, cards and paper in a basket.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air traffic Control Heading towards summer there are soooo many shrubs, climbers and trees in flower, luring in pollinators and other organisms, interested in the protein of pollen and the carbohydrates of nectar. On some plants it simply is great entertainment to just sit or stand still and watch what flies there. And it all flies there without air traffic control! Pohutukawa and some of the rata species flower around Christmas and they’re usually very busy indeed. The usual suspects: honey bees (Apis mellifera) and at least two species of bumble bees: the common, large earth bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and the large Garden bumble bee (Bombus ruderatus). Their ideas are to gather nectar (it is merely sugar water, a quick energy fix with a kick) for energy and to store it as honey in the nest. They also collect pollen which is fed to the larvae (for growth) The often unseen bees: Our native bee species (27 different species in all)! They tend to be small. Most species are so-called “solitary” bees; a pair (but really... mostly the female!) digs their own, narrow tunnel in the ground; there she makes a small nest for a few off-spring, raised on nectar and especially pollen. On the food plants they stand out as active little dark-coloured bees. You’ll find them on Manuka as well. The unexpected pollinators: flies of all shapes and sizes, colours and descriptions. The idea of a free lunch is simply too good for most of these insects. Houseflies, blowflies, fleshflies and Dilophus nigrostimus, a native Bibionid fly which is black and red and has a rather long-ish head. You often find these flies feeding in large numbers on pollen of flowers along the road-sides. Bibionids are known overseas as “march flies”; we often call them Blossom Flies, which seems a lot more appropriate. Thrips: If you go to your optometrist regularly and look real close, you can even find thrips and such minute insects clambering around the pollen – it’s just part of the free-for-all. Many people think thrips are pests (and indeed, some of them are, but the majority are either predators of useful pollinators. Beetles and other invertebrates: When rata and pohutukawa leaves emerge from the buds in spring, a lot of them have small, often circular, holes in them. Blame a tiny native weevil (Neomycta rubida) for these activities. The weevil is already present inside the unfolding buds to take advantage of the freshest virgin foliage on earth. The weevils lay their eggs in the leaf stalks and the ensuing larvae mine the foliage. Of course, when the small adult weevils cruise the Metrosideros leaves, birds are quite eager to snap them up. To a silvereye, they are nothing more than convenient, bite-sized packages of protein. Some beetle species are also frequenting pohutukawa and rata flowers; that includes some ladybird beetles. Pollen and nectar provide them with the nutrients to lay eggs in amongst aphids and scale insects in your garden In the rough bark live weta, large predatory flightless beetles and native roaches. You’ll see those at night. And although they might not fly around our Christmas Trees and rata vines, they are just as much part of the Aotearoa ecosystem of early summer. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It may be time for all the Christmas treats, but Dr Bryan Betty wants us to keep our sugar intake in check.He's a GP, medical director for the College of GPs and has been talking to Jack Tame. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re going to be hearing a lot more about the hack of the US government The more details that come out, the worse this is getting. US intelligence says Russian hackers are behind this highly sophisticated attack. How’d they do it? Simply, they managed to first hack and embed malicious code in a trusted piece of software used to manage their IT networks. It was undetected, then activated and started sending data. US government agencies and branches of the military have all been infiltrated. Major Fortune 100 companies are also on the list. President Donald Trump hasn’t addressed this at all. Incoming President Joe Biden is going to need to deal with it. Speaking of hacks.. you have some items we should be adding to our holiday to-do lists + Change your passwords or even better use a password manager - 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane. At bare minimum have three passwords - your email password, a different password for important services, then a password for less important services. + Turn on 2 Factor Authentication on your email account. Remember that if someone can get into your email, they can then reset any account on any service where you use that email address. You should use 2 Factor Authentication on any service that allows it. + Make sure your files are backed up. Look into services such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox to store copies online. Get an external hard drive, fill it up, and store it somewhere secure that’s not your house. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridgerton: Shonda Rhimes’ first Netflix production is a sumptuous period drama set during the Regency era in England, as eight close-knit siblings of the powerful Bridgerton family attempt to find love (Netlfix, Christmas Day). Yellowstone: A modern-day Western about the Dutton family, who control the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. Led by patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner), the family must defend their Montana property against land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first National Park (Neon, New Years Day). Vicar of Dibley in Lockdown: a special VoD episode where Dawn French reprises her role as Britain's favourite vicar, delivering lockdown sermons to her parishioners via Zoom (New Years Eve, 7pm, TVNZ1). LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re after some new Christmas music, Delta Goodrem is here to deliver. She spent lockdown looking forward to the festive season with her family, and produced a surprise album of Christmas tunes including original song "Only Santa Knows".She's been speaking to Jack Tame.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nici Wickes has got a list of things you should have on hand this summer:Dairy Parmesan cheese Greek yoghurt Sour cream / cream cheese / creme fraiche Pantry Olive oil + sesame oil Red wine vinegar Tins of guava, salmon, tomatoes, creamed corn Sushi rice - great for sushi & for rice pudding & risotto Protein Quality sausages Frozen prawns Eggs Veges/Herbs/Fruit Bunches of parsley & coriander - I'll let you know how to store these so they last all summer long Garlic & onions or spring onions Lemons lemons lemons Tomatoes Frozen berries Fresh berries, stonefruit, watermelon Other Flat breads: wraps/tortilla/lebanese bread LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching Wonder Woman 84, A Call to Spy, Blithe Spirit, and The Thief and the Painter.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's not so sure 2020 was as bad as we're making out. He's been talking to Jack Tame about some of the good things that came out of this year.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of the nationwide pandemic lockdown, I sat down in my spare bedroom and recorded myself speaking for an hour. Maybe it sounds a bit silly, but I just figured we were living through a fascinating historical moment. I wanted to record my memories and experiences while they were fresh. I dunno; I thought it might help someone’s Year 11 History project in a few decades’ time. 2020. Yep. I was there for that. I think I’ll do the same over my summer break. Record another little spiel with my memories of 2020. Because I feel that stuff I had a great moment yesterday afternoon, luxuriating in the heat of Auckland’s summer sun in the centre of the Viaduct, with hundreds of people who’d come down to enjoy the America’s Cup. I sent a photo to friends overseas of Kiwi crowds, unmasked, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder eating ice cream and enjoying spectacular racing. ‘Summer in New Zealand!’ I said. ‘I’m so jealous.’ Said my friend in New York. ‘That looks amazing.’ Most Americans can only dream of safely moving through crowds, but even in the worst-hit country, there is reason for optimism. It turns out my friend had her own bit of news. As a frontline health worker in a Manhattan hospital, she’s scheduled to receive her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday this week. America is staring down a bleak winter, no doubt. But maybe, she said, this is the beginning of the end. So what have we learnt from this year? In what ways are we wiser than at this time last year? For me the single biggest takeaway from Covid-19 is that for many of us the pandemic brought our priorities more sharply into focus. This year has made think a little more than I did 12 months ago, about the life I actually want to live, and the people who are most important to me. I dunno about you, but when life is normal, with the normal freedom we enjoy, I get kind of caught up in the noise and momentum and inertia of working and eating and sleeping, without actually pausing to consider how I want to live my best life and if I’m prioritising the right things. I’m not saying I’m gonna dedicate myself to a monastic existence and write a book on middle-class mindfulness. It was just a shock to me to realise all of the things we take for granted. It was interesting, for example, when the World shut down and all of a sudden I wasn’t able to see them, how much I missed my family and friends… even after only a couple of days. So. How to make sure we change our behaviour, as a result of all of this? It’s actually not that easy… especially when New Zealand’s pretty mint right now. Little changes I guess. I’ve deleted Twitter off my phone. Sure it sounds silly, but I don’t know how many months of my life I’ve lost to mindlessly scrolling through people saying nasty things online. I don’t need that. I’ve started group chats with friends who live overseas, so we’re all still sharing the same in-jokes. I’ll never moan about a long-haul flight ever again! I want to think about some other things, too. Christmas and summer is a good time to take stock. To reset. And as we all bid farewell to the annus horribilis… maybe that’s a good question to ponder. What will your experience in 2020 change about the things your prioritise in 2021, and for the rest of your life?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to the Smashing Pumpkins’ eleventh studio album "Cyr".LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationships expert Steven Dromgool has some tips on cultivating gratitude in the festive season. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The dressmaker of Paris by Georgia Kaufman and Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffrey Archer.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel writer Mike Yardley has some tips for summer in Cromwell.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bag moths Ever wondered what it's like, living in a bag? There are many different species that live in bags or cases for prolonged periods of time and the cool thing is, they make those bags themselves. Silk appears to be the material of choice in the majority of bag-builders. That silk can be really strong too. One of the most obvious (up to 80 mm long) insects that shows off its bag in our garden is the native bag moth (Liothula omnivora). They are often found hanging from conifers and hebes, flaxes, tea-tree, willow, cherry, you name it. Their grey cases don’t really move much during the day, but at night the inhabitants cruise the foliage and nibble; creating holes. The bags are constructed “as they go and grow”. Crossed layers of sturdy silk: impenetrable! They also add “camouflage” to the bags: pieces of dead foliage, twigs and other locally-found materials. That can include bits of plastic bags or psychedelic coloured post-it notes (young scientists experimenting with drugs!). The cases protect the caterpillar and also do well as a pupa cocoon for metamorphosis. Their lifecycle is like most Lepidoptera, but females (when they hatch from the pupa) are wingless and flightless and are fertilised by the male moths inside their cases. Males are black and fast-flying moths that detect females via pheromone scent. But the craziest bags around (especially in the North Island) are the pieces of “dirt” that hang from walls, rocks and tree trunks at this time of the year. They are merely 20 mm long and have that untidy look that won’t get them any prizes in Fashion Week. This is the time of the year when they are most commonly seen. These silk bags are adorned with bits of dirt and lichen, wood and grains of sand. Inside, live caterpillars of an Australian moth species by the name of Cebysa leucoteles. It’s a critter that came across the ditch in the nineteen seventies or so, possibly on some agricultural machinery destined for MOTAT museum in Western Springs, Auckland. Cebysa is not like our native bag moth; it does not feed on foliage and it does not leave holes in leaves. Instead, it roams around mouldy old wood and green, algae-ridden trellises or south-facing walls and soffits, covered in slime, moss and algae. Cebysa is the living, breathing and reproducing version of “Wet and Forget”. The adult moths are around in March and they look quite amazing: males: orange brown and fully winged Females are most iridescent blue and bright orange. Their wings are “distorted” and shaped like the elytra of ladybird beetles. They can’t fly at all, but often are found walking fast over pavers, decks and garden soil. Like running jewels! And in the middle of the day! Males will track them down to mate with them. Look out for them, especially in the Auckland suburbs and further afield. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple's expensive holiday surprise It was a genuine apple surprise - the AirPod Max headphones were announced on Monday.. just in time for Christmas shopping! But the price tag is wild. Even tech's biggest geeks were shocked at needing to spend $550 on the latest gadget. That's almost the price of the iPhone 11! Don't forget the $35 cable to allow you to plug them into a 3.5mm audio jack. In true Apple style, they don't have a power button. Instead they turn off when they're not on your head and go into an ultra low power mode when in their case. The early reviews so far say they sound as good as other premium headphones.. just that they're more expensive. One reviewer said the aluminium shell looked like plastic - ouch. Cars are driving themselves in San Francisco Cruise, one of the self-driving car ventures, is now testing fully driverless cars in a dense urban environment. There's no one behind the steering wheel, but there is a safety operator in the vehicle who can press an emergency button to stop the car. There's also a team back at HQ watching a live feed who can do the same thing. It's taken over 2 million miles, five years of rigorous testing to get to this point. There are some rules though; there are only allowed to be five driverless vehicles on specified streets, and they can only go 30 mph.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

enable.me's Hannah McQueen has some tips for you, if you're going to put ‘finances’ on your New Year resolution list. If you want more personalised advice, you can get in touch with enable.me at www.enable.me LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screen Queen Tara Ward has some picks for your weekend watching:Your Honour: Bryan Cranston stars in this drama about a respected judge, who's son is involved in a hit-and-run that leads to a high-stakes game of lies, deceit and impossible choices (Soho/Neon, 15/12). ESPN Films: TVNZ OnDemand welcome a new collection of intriguing sports documentaries, produced by ESPN and following the lives of a variety of renowned athletes (TVNZ OnDemand, from 12/12) Tiny Pretty Things: Netflix’s new drama follows the world of an elite ballet academy, and charts the rise and fall of young adults who live far from their homes, each standing on the verge of greatness or ruin (Netflix 14/12). LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for something to relax with on Boxing Day, look no further than the new Pixar film Soul. Featuring Kiwi actress Rachel House, it's about a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn't quite gone the way he expected .. until he travels to another realm and discovers "what it means to have soul".The film is released in New Zealand on Disney+.Jack's been talking to Rachel House about being a Disney darling.WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching Mank, Ava and Amundsen.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turkey with kumara & sage stuffing & roasted cherries Turkey sometimes gets a bad rap and I can’t fathom why. Cooked and rested properly it’s a wonderful centrepiece for the festive table and feeds a crowd beautifully. Serves 10-12 Size 3.5-4.5 turkey 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tsp sea salt 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped roughly ½ cup red or white wine or water 2 cups fresh cherries Stuffing 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs 350g kumara, steamed and mashed 1 onion, diced fine 50g melted butter (can use olive oil) 6-8 sage leaves, shredded Handful Italian parsley, chopped roughly 1 tsp salt + ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper Gravy 1/3 cup plain flour ¼ cup red or white wine Water Salt and pepper to taste Heat oven to 200 C. Make the stuffing by mixing all the stuffing together. Prepare the turkey by patting dry cavity and skin with paper towel. Stuff cavity with half the stuffing. Roll remaining stuffing into balls and set aside. Rub oil all over turkey and sprinkle with sea salt. For even cooking, always truss the turkey by which I mean tie its legs together (this helps keep the stuffing in place too) and secure wings into the body too. We chefs have fancy ways to do this (google it if you need a visual) but use kitchen string for the legs and/or tooth picks for wings - both will be removed once cooked so don’t worry too much how neat it looks. Scatter chopped onions in a large, deep roasting dish (one with a lid is even better). Place turkey on the onions, breast side up. Pour wine/water around your bird. Cook for 30 minutes until breast is golden then cover with lid or double layer of foil and continue cooking for however long is recommended on your turkey packaging – usually about 2.5-3 hours for a turkey this size. At 2 hour mark, add in stuffing balls and cherries around the turkey, baste turkey with pan juices and continue cooking, uncovered until cooked through. If breast and tops of drumsticks look to be getting too browned, cover loosely with foil. Once cooked, carefully lift turkey, stuffing balls and cherries out of roasting dish. Rest turkey, breast side down, for at least 15 minutes during which you can make the gravy. Make the gravy; Place roasting dish over medium heat on the stove top. Sprinkle over flour and scrape up all the cooked onions and scrummy bits. I use a fish slice. Pour in wine and let sizzle and simmer for one minute. Add water (start with half a cup) and stir out any lumps as it simmers and thickens, but don’t stress you’ll pour it through a sieve later anyway. Keep adding water bit by bit to get the right consistency. It will need to simmer for at least 10 minutes to fully cook out all the flour. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Strain into a warmed jug/gravy boat to serve. Serve turkey on a large platter with stuffing, cherries and some cooked greens (asparagus of you can still find them or beans) on the side. Enjoy! Nici’s note: The key with breast meat that’s moist and delicious is half in the cooking and half in the carving. Always rest the cooked bird with the breast side down as this enables the juices to run into the breast meat. Then, when ready to carve, remove the breasts and slice across the breast, rather than lengthwise and you’ll end up with lovely tender, juicy sliced turkey. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m going to start the show this morning by crossing my fingers and very publicly knocking on wood. I’m not trying to stress you out. I’m not trying to spook anyone. But. Have you imagined what would happen if there was an unexpected outbreak of Covid-19 some time in the next week or two? EEEEE... ! I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s a prospect so hideous I hate to even mention it. But it’s a possibility, right? We know our border control measures aren’t 100% fail-proof. And just imagine if the government was forced to decide on another lockdown a few days before Christmas. Something tells me that scenario might test the public faith in the NZ elimination strategy. So for goodness sake, please, don’t get sloppy now... use the Covid app! I understand with Christmas this close why the powers-that-be want to continue our conservative approach when it comes to Covid-19. Kiwis are going to be travelling a lot internally over the next week or two. And I don’t sense that many of us have a big appetite for risk.But after Christmas and into the 2021, our leaders have to make the Trans-Tasman bubble an absolute priority. If it weren’t for Christmas and New Year, there’s little reason it shouldn’t be up and running now.I should say, I’ve been very careful with my words this year. Unlike a lot of my colleagues, I didn’t come on the radio in the early days of this pandemic and say ‘New Zealand’s being crazy... we need to open up now!’ I waited. I respected expertise. And I respected the fact we didn’t know much about Covid-19. But it’s for the same reason I really think we need to get our As into G, after New Year. Epidemiologists here and in Australia – even the more conservatively-minded ones can see little reason why a bubble shouldn’t be established. Our contact-tracing capacity is vastly improved on where it was at the start of the year. The borders are effectively closed. And having been through managed isolation, I think the systems are well established. They’re pretty solid.But it’s not rational to use all of that resource on people arriving from places where there is little or no Covid-19. My aunt has just returned from Australia and spent two weeks in managed isolation. You can’t tell me she posed a bigger threat than the people on my plane arriving from the United States. So why would we treat her the same? We’re on top of things. We are managing the risk. We have the capacity to build nuance into the system. One of the main holdups according to the Prime Minister is Australia’s definition of what qualifies as a Covid-19 hotspot. It would take a state recording 30 cases across three consecutive days for a regional travel ban to be introduced. That means if a state had 28 or 27 cases across three days... hypotethically, people could still travel to New Zealand. But there’s nothing to stop Jacinda Ardern and her advisors setting a different, tougher standard for entry into New Zealand. Why not establish a bubble with the broadly-publicised caveat, that if conditions worsen, the rules might very quickly become more strict. For example, say a state records 15 cases across 3 days... we then require anyone arriving from Australia to self-isolate. That would be part of the deal. People could travel without restrictions, but know that if things get bad, they’d be legally required to self-isolate. If an outbreak is really serious, we go one further. We pause passenger flights until there’s space for travellers coming from Australia to go through the MIQ process again.Obviously, none of these scenarios is ideal. There is risk in every restriction we choose to loosen. But if we can get through Christmas and New Year – knock on wood – it’s time to set our ambitions a little further afield.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi singer-songwriter Anna Coddington has just released her fourth studio album, Beams, and our music reviewer Estele Clifford has been taking a listen.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The Searcher by Tania French and Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has been travelling the Road to Milford, Fiordland.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Green Gift Guide Studies have shown that 25% of gifts and thrown out between Christmas and New Years’ Day, so lets give things that people can treasure and find useful. Most people already have keep cups and reusable bags in their cars, so here are some new sustainable gift ideas: * Beautiful container with lid that can sit on the kitchen countertop and you put your compost scraps straight into. * Reusable covers for bowls. Often now made with bees wax * Solar powered phone charger * Natural based lip balms, hand creams or other beauty products. * Collection of eco-cleaners. Ecostore does a gift bucket full. Start at the batch and end up using them everywhere .. people need to try to be convinced that they work as well. * Really beautiful shopping produce bags, preferably ones that can fold down and live in your bag or car.* Cookbook looking at no waste, reusing leftovers etc.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to avoid mozzies this summerGet rid of stagnant water in gutters and drains, saucers under plant pots, plastic kid’s pools, tarpaulins, dingies, canoes, drill holes in the bottom of tyre swings, and make sure weed mats don’t have ‘ponding’ happening. If you have a swimming pool, keep chlorine up-to-date. Use goldfish in your pond – they eat the mosquitoes’ wrigglers, but don't introduce gambusia (mosquito fish) - they're a terrible exotic pest. Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) granules can kill the wrigglers in ponding sites you cannot manage: use the correct quantity for the size of the water body.But mozzies aren't all badAdult males are ace pollinators. All mosquitoes are great food for: Insectivorous birds like fantails, grey warblers, and swallows; insectivorous insects like dragonflies, robber flies, water boatmen, backswimmers; and food for larval fish species and adult small fishes like frogs and lizards. The “wrigglers” also do a great job eating bacterial slime and other micro-organisms. They keep lakes and ponds clear and clean, with less pollution. Overall I reckon they do a great job and the least we can do is make the charitable donation of a few drops of our blood to fuel that whole ecosystem!LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Master of Wine Bob Campbell's Best Buy for the week is the Momo 2020 Organic Rose, Marlborough $19.99.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your car's license plate could be the next thing to go digital This has been a work in progress since 2009, but now California and Arizona are starting to adopt them. Why head down this road? + They can display messages to other cars to say "I'm stolen". + In the USA, your license plate follows you if you buy a new car, so you could very easily change it to your new one. + It could also broadcast "Amber Alerts" to alert motorists that there is a missing child. They could even broadcast other statewide important messages too, like "wear a mask" as is currently displayed on many electronic road signs today. If this catches on, you might even be able to buy your next car with built in digital plates. No more ugly add ons, they could be sleek and part of the design. Apple's self-designed processor is blazing fast This really is the next chapter of Apple's computers. The iPhone and iPad have been made possible thanks to Apple's self-made chips, and now they're coming to their computer lineup. It's impressing the tech community. The new chip delivers better processing performance than a fully tricked out $6,000 MacBook Pro using an old chip. It also runs cooler and uses less battery. The challenge is that all the software that currently runs on Macs but won't work natively on this new laptop until its been redeveloped, so it may pay to be a second or third adopter, rather than a first. It also means that iOS and Mac apps will be able to run cross-platform which will make app development more efficient. Twitter is ditching its conversations view They've been trying to make it easier to follow conversations on Twitter - because oftentimes, apart from fun memes and quippy lines, following conversations between two informed people can be super beneficial and enjoyable. But the interface they rolled out to try and do this actually made it harder. So now they're back to the drawing board. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being a God in Florida: Kirsten Dunst stars in this dark comedy drama about a minimum-wage water park employee who lies, schemes, and cons her way up the ranks of the cultish, multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme that drove her family to ruin (TVNZ OnDemand). The Wilds - Amazon Prime Video’s new drama which was filmed in and around Auckland and drops on Friday. Coronation Street diamond jubilee: TVNZ celebrate 60 glorious years of Coronation Street with a special week of Coro programming, including a variety of daytime and primetime special episodes for fans of the beloved British drama to enjoy (from Sunday 6 December, TVNZ1) LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time to accept that Christmas is well and truly on the way. What better way to embrace the spirit of the season, than with a heart-warming sequel to 'A Street Cat Named Bob' - 'A Christmas Gift From Bob'. It's the story about a world-famous street cat and his owner, James Bowen. For those unaware of their story, James was fighting a drug addiction and surviving as a busker. Then, a video of him playing with Bob on his shoulders went viral. He was approached to write a book, which sold 8 million copies. He's been speaking to Jack Tame about the journey from homeless man to best-selling books, and two movies. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Festive Wreath This dessert is always a standout at Christmas and it’s actually very easy to make! Dress it up with whatever gorgeous fruit and berries you fancy to suit your menu. Serves 10-12 7 egg whites 340g caster sugar (about 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons) 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar (can use lemon juice but I find vinegar more reliable) Topping 400mls cream, whipped 100g mascarpone 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Fruit – I used strawberries and thinly sliced mango ¼ cup almond flakes or anything else you like (I added pieces of pistachio cranberry nougat) Preheat oven to 130 C. Line a flat tray with baking paper. Draw a 28cm circle on the baking paper. Make the meringue: Beat egg whites until soft peak stage. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, beating for about 20 seconds between each addition. It’s important to not rush this phase and to keep beating after all the sugar has been incorporated until it is stiff, glossy and the sugar has dissolved. At this point add the vinegar and beat for 1 minute more. Assemble the wreath: Spoon out large tablespoons of meringue, arranging them to overlap slightly, around the drawn circle, leaving the inner area free. Aim for 12-14 large spoonfuls. Make an indent in each one with the back of the spoon as this is where the whipped cream will sit. Bake for 1.5 hours then leave in the oven to completely cool down. Do not open the oven or you risk the meringue cracking. To serve: Whip the cream with the mascarpone and vanilla and spoon this into the little indents then creative with your toppings. I used thinly sliced mango and strawberries, some flaked almonds and some Christmassy cranberry and pistachio nougat. You could use lemon curd and candied orange, stonefruit and walnut, fresh cherries and dark chocolate…the options are endless! LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francescsa Rudkin has been watching Christmas movie Happiest Season, and Miss World comedy-drama Misbehavoiur.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's worried about the damage done with 'Crate Day' every year - a day when young people get together to drink an entire crate of beer to mark the beginning of sumer. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ll take the vaccine. I’ll do it live on telly or live on the radio, if you like. I don’t care if I’m first or last in line. If the health authorities here deem it safe, I will gladly be vaccinated against Covid-19 at the first available opportunity.And you know what? I think most Kiwis will, too.I get it – there is a sense of anxiety in some quarters and in some countries about the safety of the vaccine. Not just with the usual anti-vaxxing crowds, either, but people who are all good with MMR but feel a little nervous about just how quickly the Covid-19 vaccines have been developed. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci managed to contribute to some of the anxieties around the vaccine by undermining the British health regulators who have approved it for distribution.But I feel comfortable. I feel confident. I trust that the incredibly speedy process of development and approval for the Pfizer vaccine in the UK is a product of the unprecedented urgent global demand, rather than shortcuts in the process. I might not be quite so keen to take that Russian vaccine that’s been knocking about, but if the British authorities reckon there one’s ok, that’s good enough for me. It’s clearly going to take a bit more effort in some other countries to get people to agree to be vaccinated. Even in those places hardest hit by the pandemic. Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, all say they’ll be vaccinated in public if doing so will help to make Americans more comfortable. The fact they feel that might be necessary speaks to just how much public trust in the American authorities, and trust in scientific expertise, has decayed over the last few years.That’s why I don’t see it being an issue here. Call us a nation of goodie-two-shoes or sheep or whatever you like, but for whatever reason, Kiwis have largely trusted the authorities and valued scientific expertise throughout this pandemic. And I think most of us hobnobbing at cafes this morning, or attending kids’ end-of-year school prizegivings, feel we have been rewarded for that trust.I’m in the somewhat unique position of having spent time this year in New Zealand and several weeks in the U.S as the cases numbers there spiked again. And I can tell you first-hand, that day-to-day life here is vastly more enjoyable right now than it is in the U.S.If trusting our scientists when they say a vaccine is safe, and taking it as soon as its available, means we can lock in regular life… I think most Kiwis will feel the same way I do.They’ll roll up their sleeves – ow! - and get on with it.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.