Resources for everyone at home for an extended period

LIBRARY SERVICES YOU CAN ACCESS FROM HOME

Although the Halswell Library Te Hāpua is now closed for the next month at least,there are still many resources that you can access with your library card online.  AND you can also get a library card if you don't already have one!

• Choose from over 50,000 titles that you can read or listen to on your tablet, smartphone of laptop for free. Explore popular eBooks, eMagazines and eAudiobooks.
• Take a free course to sharpen your skills with Lynda.com. Over 6,300 courses and 267,000 tutorials on software, technology, creative and business skills are available. Check out other free eLearning resources.
• Choose from 10,000 epic films and documentaries through video streaming service Kanopy.
• Study one of 60 popular languages from basic right through to advanced levels with Mango Languages.
• Tamariki can check out fun games, animated stories and other eResources for kids. This page also has loads of fun learning tools.  
• Family history buff? Get started on your family tree with online eResources.

You’ll need a library card and PIN number to access most of the eResources. No card? No problem, sign up online now.

If you need help, use the online chat service, LiveOnline, or call 03 941 7923. 

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WORKING OUT WITH AN ONLINE CLASS

Christchurch City council sport and recreation have a number of online classes available to help you work out at home.  Scroll down this page to check out the different options and if you like these you might like to join in real time each day.


https://youtu.be/gHUVJKkjmSY   dance exercise ______________

LISTEN TO A PODCAST

Check out thousands of podcasts on every imaginable topic here
and listen to a few of them.


Here are some interesting sites sent in by Sylvia Lukey 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/eating-fried-chicken  

https://thespinoff.co.nz/podcasts/business-is-boring-callaghan/27-03-2020/how-nanogirl-built-a-lockdown-ready-online-learning-platform-in-three-days/
 
Te Papa Museum 

Christchurch Art Gallery

Guggenheim Art Gallery

Tate gallery London

New South Wales Art Gallery

Learn about our night sky from these websites:

https://www.space.com/skywatching

World wide telescope
 
Skillshare  and Creative Live both offer a range of options for trying new stuff and learning how to do new things some free and some paid.  ‎  
 
 An article from Consumer on self–isolation and how to survive using technology. Good tips!

 
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LEARN SOMETHING NEW

Sign up free with Duolingo  or other language learning platforms and try learning a new language

www.coursera.org Some of the world’s leading Universities and organisations offer nearly 4000 free courses on science, arts, engineering, health, languages and more (including these new ones on COVID-19). Taught by enthusiastic lecturers who like to teach, they go from beginner through to degree level. 
Hint – most courses are free, but even the courses with a fee can be taken for free by selecting the ‘audit’ option at the enroll page.

Free on line learning at MIT-  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
 
Harvard University – some interesting free courses.


From a Stanford University experiment

here are some links to music 

NZ musicians 

Documentary about Cellist YoY o Ma. A wonderful documentation of what music is all about. 

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FIND MOVIES

Like movies?  Check out this website here and search for any movie to find out where you can get it and what it will cost.  

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WATCH OR LISTEN TO A TED TALK

Thousands of topics and speakers to choose from here

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Check out these craft projects  

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HARAKEKE (FLAX) CARE AND USES

By Giarne Harrison

In Halswell, we are blessed with a lot of harakeke that is Council planted and maintained as well as lots in our own gardens. Harakeke is like any plant; in that it can become overgrown if not attended to properly. It can also be challenging when planted right by pathways or where it spreads into or falls over mowing areas.

Harakeke is a really useful plant - the leaves can be used for weaving; and the korari (stems) can be used to make tī rakau - for playing stick games. The council has a great website that gives some info: https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/harakeke/ 

If you'd like to keep the bushes near you in tidy condition here are a few tips.

• always say a karakia (a short one is given in this article)
• never cut the middle three leaves, they keep the bush alive
• start cutting close to the middle leaves and cut as straight down to the ground as possible (this helps rain flow off the cut area)
• treat the plant and leaves with respect as they represent our tipuna/ancestors
• always wash your hands after handling (harakeke can have a laxative impact)
• do not cut at night, in the rain, or whilst menstruating
• proper cutting prevents pooling rain, mould and diseases setting in and allows air and sun to circulate

In the article there is a pic showing a well cut back plant (photo taken by Giarne Harrison of some Halswell harakeke) and a graphic from the Council website showing the parts of the plant (sourced from the link provided above). 

All parts of the harakeke plant need to be disposed as general, red waste as the fibre content means it doesn't break down well as compost. It can be cut into pieces and used as a mulch and weed suppressant. We used to put waste back under the plants but that can sometimes spread disease so that's not common anymore.

If you'd like some help cutting back your plant, I'm happy to help if I have time. You can contact me by email - giarne@gmail.com  I'm a local weaver and always happy to help when I can. If you have concerns about the harakeke on council land you can snap, send, solve or call the Council to let them know an area needs a tidy up - 941 8999.

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10 Reasons Why You Should Consider Buying Second Hand Furniture.

Huge quantities of furniture are being imported into New Zealand and consumers are buying it up, but there are many things that the buyer should be aware of.

1. Imported furniture often breaks quickly.
It has been designed to be light so that shipping costs are low and therefore is usually not strong.

2.  It is often poorly constructed
Take a closer look before you buy furniture from overseas. Do the  cupboards and drawers shut smoothly?  Have they  been squarely cut?  Are the joints tight?

3.  Overseas timbers  live in a different climate.
The timbers are used to more humid environments than the New Zealand one and as such moisture seeks to make its way out. This may cause buckling and loosening of the joints and can be rather difficult and time consuming to rectify.

 4. Second hand furniture stores are not located in expensive areas.  High overheads in any business are passed onto the consumer. 

 5. Quality second hand furniture is strong and has been built with solid construction techniques making it built to last. There may be wear and tear, but with  some tender loving care by yourself or a furniture restorer,  a piece of furniture can be  brought back to its former glory, or creatively upcycled.

6.   Fashion is fickle.
  Today's latest trends   disappear very quickly and your home becomes dated by your purchases.  Some consumers are embarrassed when they don't have the latest styles and feel compelled to update. Updating your furniture several times is much more expensive than keeping  a more unique piece for longer. Furthermore, if you follow fashion,  in the back of your mind, you always know that you have been tricked and seduced by clever marketing.

 7. Second hand furniture was made when things were made slowly. 
The work and craftsmanship and attention to detail can be  remarkable.  It feels good to have something that has been made with pride, and if you restore it, it feels good to have treated it with the respect it deserves.

8. Your creativity can run wild.
Second hand furniture  has more character  and you do not have to be locked in to buying something from one time period.  You can mix it all up, and more importantly, find pieces that you genuinely  love  and will generate  interesting discussion when you have company over.

9.  Buying local furniture,  puts money into the pockets of everyday New Zealanders.
Local buying means investing in your local area.  Healthy local businesses spend locally, whether it is in the form of  sponsorship or personal spending. If local businesses do well, it has a spiralling upward effect, on the community around it.  Everybody wins.

10.  Environmental benefits.
Upcycling, recycling, restoration, zero waste,  whatever you call it, means a better planet and future for the generations to come.  You can sleep better at night, knowing that you are not contributing to the enormous piles of furniture being thrown into the landfills every day.

Deb Harding Browne
No Boundaries Furniture
Halswell

Halswell Creative Talent

There are many creative people in our Halswell Community doing work that they enjoy wholeheartedly.  This month,  the Halswell Newsletter interviewed four of them.

Nick Hawes and Pauline Dellow of Cats in Your Face

Nick and Pauline are fairly surprised by the creative hobby they have begun in the last year or so as they are also rather busy with their graphic design business, Yellow Pencil.
Painting brightly coloured terracotta pots with vivacious looking black and white cats, had a surprising beginning: from volunteer fundraising for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter at local rural A and P shows. The pair had enjoyed working there so much that when it was over they began to wonder what they could do at a regular market.  After some thought, they decided to combine Pauline's love of painting, Nick’s graphic design skills and their mutual love of cats. It's a concept that is working as they are selling well, and the couple have enjoyed seeing faces light up as they head over to their stall. Many have suggested that they could develop their hobby into a business. However, the last thing they want is “for it to turn into another busy job."  The Halswell Market has been their home and they love meeting customers but also the regular community developing around the market.  "You get to catch up with everyone once a month without all the trouble of organising dinner parties," says Nick cheekily.  Having been married for 38 years, with  kids grown and left home; their newfound hobby has also been something nice to do together.

If you would like to see Cats in Your Face products, you can find them at the Halswell Market, which is every fourth Sunday in the St John of God gardens 12 - 3pm. If you wish to contact Nick and Pauline, see their Facebook page or website www.catsinyourface.co.nz


Paul Harding Browne of No Boundaries Furniture

 As is often the case with creative people,  Paul's interest in all things woodworking began as a child.  He grew up in a family that didn't watch television.  " We were always busy building something."  His father's reply to the question " Can we buy a...?"  was always "Let's see if we can make it. "    Paul began making projects at the age of eight or nine and   one of his first pieces was a "funky round TV cabinet."  People's first reactions were "You're mad."  "Why are you making something so complicated?" and   "Why don't you just make it a square?" However, orders eventually began to come in from family and friends for cots, tables, bedroom furniture, bookshelves and wall units.  Realising that he liked new creative challenges, he set up a custom made furniture business ten years ago. 

No Boundaries Furniture creates any piece of furniture in a wood and metal combination, but primarily with wood. Teaming up with local upholsterer, Brian Roper of WPS Upholstery, Paul  is able to  fulfil client  requests for designs that require cushions and upholstery.  Paul loves to fulfil client expectations because "they have often found a design that they are really excited about." Furthermore,  "bringing life to an old piece of furniture is also very rewarding." Other aspects of the business are in-house cabinetry,  furniture alterations and designer furniture.  Not wanting to waste the beautiful wood offcuts lying around the workshop, Paul has created several artistic  pieces of furniture. For a more in-depth look at Paul's work please go to

www.noboundariesfurniture.co.nz




Lynette Brass of Wedding Flowers by Lynette

Floristy was an early “calling” for Lynette as she had made up her mind that she wanted to be a florist at the early age of five. She also  recalls getting in trouble after school because she had  collected bunches of flowers from people's gardens  on the way home.  In a similar way, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana revealed an early interest. Lynette can remember  everyone was talking about the dress, except for  her because she couldn't wait to see the bridal bouquet!

On leaving school, Lynette worked in an Interfloral flower shop and trained as a florist. About the same time, she began to arrange  bridal flowers for  weddings of friends and relatives, and has continued to do this for the past 25 years. Lynette also works part-time in the dental health department of the CDHB. It wasn't until  2012 that she began Wedding Flowers by Lynette and formalised what she had already been doing for many years.

Lynette's business has taken off and is hectic during  the wedding months. Regular posts on Facebook  and her website show beautiful attention to detail in an array of various flowers and styles. Clearly evident is Lynette's pride and joy  in her work, shown through the quality of her arrangements and the beautiful photographs that she takes or posts. Going beyond what the client expects in  creative ways is also an a part of Lynette's business style  and something that she really enjoys doing.   In her spare time, Lynette can be found in her garden, or studying the floral fashions of Europe and celebrity weddings.

To find Wedding Flowers by Lynette go to www.christchurchweddingflowers.co.nz

Halswell Youth Achievement:The Adventures of Jasper and Sharkcrock in Magictopia

While most children at age six are learning to read, Jasper Harrison was writing a book. His book "The Adventures of Jasper and Sharkcrock in Magictopia" has now been published, and arrived as a lovely Christmas surprise.  Jasper opened his Christmas parcel and discovered his own book!

Japser's story is set in the magical world of Magictopia where the sky is red, the grass blue and houses are made of dragonfruit.     Magictopia is in civil war and Jasper Kungbear's parents, the King and Queen, have gone missing.  Jasper and his friends embark on an exciting journey to find the map that will lead them to his parents.  They encounter challenges such as vicious giant bombardier beetles, Ninja robots and the evil villain, Dr Poisoning Pirate.  The story is full of twists and turns because in Magictopia, the kingdom where one thousand witches and wizards reside, anything can happen. It is a delightful, humorous, original, action packed story that any primary school student would love to read. 

 Jasper loved putting all his creative ideas into one story.   Justin, Jasper's dad, said he “loved seeing the unbridled imagination of a six year old.  'Magictopia' is Jasper's world and it was a lot of fun to play around in a sandbox world and edit the story together."   They are currently writing Jasper's second book and plan to write more.

 A love of reading and a well-developed imagination have been nurtured in Jasper by his parents, Justin and Lisa, who began reading to him even before he was born.  He had had so many stories read to him that at age four and a half, he would happily read books by himself.  Furthermore, Jasper of his own accord, decided to read movie subtitles. "He did this for two and a half years and increased his reading speed considerably," notes Lisa.   "He reads up to ten hours a week, especially when he has discovered a new series that he loves."

Further confirming his writing talents, Jasper achieved a High Distinction in the writing ICAS exam, which is only achieved by the top 1% of students entered from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

Other influences are his writing Granny and a writing Dad. His Granny, Tui Harrison, wrote for a regional newspaper and still enjoys writing the occasional poem and short story.   Her son, Justin, is a member of the Christchurch Writers Guild and reviews New Zealand books for "Takahe", a nationwide literary magazine.   Justin also loves to write fiction.  He, in fact, wrote his own first 20,000 word story when he was still at school and has written his own 120,000 word novel: "The Eye of Torrbey" which he hopes to get published soon.  Recently, too, he wrote its prequel: The Mage Wars.  Jasper credits "The Eye of Torrbey" as being an inspiration for his own writing.  

"The adventures of Jasper and Sharkcrock  in Magictopia" by Jasper and Justin Harrison can be purchased on Amazon, Fishpond or by emailing :  HarrisonFamilyPress@gmail.com   Look out also for  Jasper and Justin's next book in the Magictopia series that is coming out in November 2016.