Weekend social 23/01/2015

Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, January 23rd, 2015 - 39 comments
Categories: weekend social - Tags:

Christmas truce 1914Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever.

No politics, no aggro, why can’t we all just get along?

39 comments on “Weekend social 23/01/2015 ”

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  1. r0b 1
    23 January 2015 at 1:03 pm

    OK, so I know I moaned about building the glasshouse at the time. But – those tomatoes – yum!!

    • adam 1.1
      23 January 2015 at 3:10 pm

      MMMMMmmm tomato sauce.

      Blanch them for a minute to take off skins, then dig out seeds, use only the pulp. Add flavour. Malt vinegar for Ketchup fans. Chill for nutters.

    • Tracey 1.2
      23 January 2015 at 4:29 pm

      chop em up, add garlic and basil… heaps or some olive oil… teaspoon of salt and sugar. boil then simmer….

      leave it for ages (smells gorgeous) add basil at end. Toss through spaghetti. Heaven on a stick!!!

      • r0b 1.2.1
        23 January 2015 at 5:23 pm

        Thanks folks. Looks like we won’t be able to keep up with the supply for eating fresh, so recipes such as this will come in handy!

    • gsays 1.3
      24 January 2015 at 7:48 am

      or.. slice in half (around the equator), place on a cake wire over a roasting tray, dot with balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with thyme, thin sliced garlic, salt, cracked black pepper.
      into slow oven (or pizza oven after the cooking is done and its cooled a lot), for a few hours.

  2. mac1 2
    23 January 2015 at 1:15 pm

    Isn’t it grand time of year when the produce starts to come in- the early potatoes for Christmas, the asparagus, the basil and the parsley for the pesto, the cherry tomatoes, the runner beans demanding daily picking, the garlic chives in the omelette.

    We don’t have hens but my fellow gardening partner in our allotment has, and in his home garden he processes his garden waste via his hens which get to scratch over the material, adding their own, before it goes to the compost. Sort of double re-cycling.

    The allotment grows the bulk items-corn, pumpkin, onions, spuds, kumera, leeks, beans, berries now and yakon, a South American plant which grows kumera sized tubers which taste like a cross between an apple and a pear.

    Good times for friendship whilst gardening followed by a home brew on a Sunday afternoon.

  4. philip Ferguson 4
    23 January 2015 at 4:30 pm

    I’ve gotta put a plug in for my current favourite musician. If you like folk, but harder and more sinewy than the old duffel-coat brigade variety, check out Seth Lakeman, the youngest of the three very talented Lakeman brothers (the other being the oldest, Sean, and the middle one Sam).

    I wrote a review of Seth’s last two albums here: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2014/12/30/seth-lakemans-workers-lives-review-of-tales-from-the-barrelhouse-and-word-of-mouth/

    Seth comes from, and still lives in, the West Country in England. Devon to be precise. Most of his songs are about ordinary people’s lives, drawing on the history of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset etc.

    His ‘Live at the Minack Theatre’ DVD is my all-time favourite live music DVD, equal with Cream’s 1968 Royal Albert Hall gig. The Minack Theatre, by Land’s End, is a stunning venue. Check out, for instance Seth there at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwLK0rJ3keA

  5. Philip Ferguson 5
    23 January 2015 at 5:20 pm

    Some more Seth. Another of my great favourities of his: Blood Red Skies, which is his variation on the Reynardine theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glp_V–Hya8

    And here’s a song which was something of a breakthrough of his (title track of his second album, which was nominated for a prestigious Mercury Prize); it’s the story of a young servant who killed herself after being impregnated by the young master, her grave is on Dartmoor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLrOR6swYPI

    Phil

  6. Philip Ferguson 6
    23 January 2015 at 5:24 pm

    Another great favouritie of mine is Irish socialist-republican and great singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey. ‘Damo’ toured here earlier this year, just him and his guitar. Here’s a review of his Christchurch gig, which was packed out with young Irish: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2014/03/28/damo-does-the-dux-gig-review/

    The review contains a link to one of my great favourites of his – Masai.

    Phil

  7. vto 7
    23 January 2015 at 6:15 pm

    wandering along the Avon River in central Chch today, scum and oil taints on the surface, road cones on the bottom, bits of rubbish – particularly uninviting in places but lo a beauty good sized brown trout cruising right under the noses and feet of tourists in full sun, not even fazed when hands were waved, plus a decent looking eel just the other side. All within a footpath and roadway from diggers and workers and cranes and concrete. See them often. Them trout are tough ….

    …in fact, we have street cleaners washing the streets often, but rarely river-cleaners. Would be a worthy investment…

    plus, get this,, it is legal to fish along most of that Avon through the CBD though never seen someone doing so in the CBD.

    • b waghorn 7.1
      23 January 2015 at 7:14 pm

      And yet your not painting all city dwellers as destroyers of the planet?

      • vto 7.1.1
        23 January 2015 at 7:27 pm

        ha ha, yes that point arises from time to time in these such debates for sure – main counter being of course that city rivers are well on the improve with city dwellers having realised some decades ago that a city’s use of their resources had to change. Rivers in cities are improving and have been for a long time now, rivers in rural areas are still degrading, even today and in spite of that widespread knowledge, but especially over the last 10-15 years with the virus-like spread of dairy in particular.

        And remember that while I use the term “farmers” generically, it is clear that it is not intended to cover all farmers as there are clearly differences among them, as we have exchanged over recently.

        • b waghorn 7.1.1.1
          23 January 2015 at 7:37 pm

          I’ll have to take your word for it about city rivers improving faster than rural ,bit out of bounds stirring on the social . bet you couldn’t catch that trout if you tried there more cunning than Winston Peters those big browns.

          • vto 7.1.1.1.1
            23 January 2015 at 7:41 pm

            Yep, though this one swerved towards my hand-waving as if it was used to people feeding it, rather than racing for cover per usual ….

    • Murray Rawshark 7.2
      23 January 2015 at 8:20 pm

      My brother in law caught trout in the Avon when he was at university there. They’d been eating bread that people threw in the river, so he made a fly out of cotton wool. He ate one and said it was pretty tasteless.

    • ropata:rorschach 7.3
      23 January 2015 at 8:38 pm

      Before the quakes, I used to sit by the Avon at lunch time and feed ducks. Good for the soul, sitting peacefully under a tree enjoying nature’s harmony.

      Then a seagull turns up, the ducks go psycho and try to drown it! 😀

  8. Neil 8
    23 January 2015 at 6:29 pm

    I’ve just installed Windows 10 Technical Preview on my lap top & are impressed with it. Its good to see the “Start menu” is back & some other cool new features.
    I cant wait till it’s final version is released, it will have loads more cool features from what I’ve seen & read.
    Those who are currently running Windows 7/8.1 will get a free upgrade to Windows 10 if they do it in the first year after it is released to the public.

    • ropata:rorschach 8.1
      23 January 2015 at 7:46 pm

      Cool, I wouldn’t recommend windows 8 to my aged parents, it’s just too weird with all the gestures and jarring things happening — the Start Screen being the worst

      • Neil 8.1.1
        24 January 2015 at 10:32 am

        I agree about the “Start screen” but you can make it boot straight to desktop if you desire to, then just add shortcuts to desktop as you would with previous versions of Windows.

    • Ron 8.2
      24 January 2015 at 8:50 am

      Did you do an upgrade or fresh install

      • Neil 8.2.1
        24 January 2015 at 10:29 am

        Full back up of personal files, then fresh install, although you can do a upgrade if you wish to.

        • Ron 8.2.1.1
          27 January 2015 at 8:52 am

          Sorry to be late in coming back. How do you get on with installed programs. I have heaps and its a real pain to have to reinstall everytime I do a clean install of O/S. Apart from having to find the original discs and serial numbers. I know there is some software that can suck all the details out maybe I should investigate further,

          Full back up of personal files, then fresh install, although you can do a upgrade if you wish to.

  9. ropata:rorschach 9
    23 January 2015 at 7:43 pm

    Off to do the Otago Central Rail Trail next week… hope the weather holds

    • vto 9.1
      23 January 2015 at 7:56 pm

      bit of clag and kiff Monday and Tuesday brilliant Wednesday and Thursday and Friday..

      don’t light any fires

      • weka 9.1.1
        23 January 2015 at 9:14 pm

        You’ll be better off if it’s not too fine tbh.

        what vto said, DON’T LIGHT ANY FIRES (some serious shit going on in Central).

    • Ad 9.2
      23 January 2015 at 9:53 pm

      works too if you re reading The Luminaries at the same time, for historical context between the Coast and Dunedin.
      Throughout the trail you get great interpretive signage with photos of what it was like to be the gang living for years on end on the side of a hill constructing one of the great viaducts.

      Next one to do after that is the five-day Mt Cook to Oamaru one. Epic.

  10. gsays 10
    24 January 2015 at 7:56 am

    well done the nz cricket team.
    for the first time in a long time, we have depth and talent right through the batting line up, and a bowling group with the mix of guile, discipline and raw speed to challenge other teams.
    seems like every other time they play there are personal bests being achieved or world records set.

    i love summer.

  11. phillip ure 11
    24 January 2015 at 8:07 am

    that new doco on the history of pot-prohibition in nz that i reviewed the other day..

    http://whoar.co.nz/2015/commentwhoar-druglawed-review-stupendous-a-rollicking-roll-up-of-pot-prohibition/

    ..is having its’ premiere in sth ak today…

    “..Kia Ora, friends! Druglawed will finally be released on Saturday Jan24 at 4.20pm. Additional screenings at 7.10pm and Sunday at 4.20 & 7.10 – your koha will finance the Druglawed Underworld Tour to screen the film across NZ.

    We have built Druglawed a private theatre for 2 days only where you can join the cast & crew to launch the film at Unit 14, 169 Harris Rd, E Tamaki. See you this weekend!..”

    https://www.facebook.com/events/552702121531737/?ref=22

  12. Heartbleeding Liberal 12
    24 January 2015 at 6:23 pm

    Anyone have any ideas on a NZ themed birthday present for a mid twenties male kiwi expatriate?

    • Jenny Kirk 12.1
      24 January 2015 at 9:47 pm

      to HBL – a book. Plenty of those around on many different NZ subjects – depends on what his interests are.

  13. Jenny Kirk 13
    24 January 2015 at 9:50 pm

    Blissful afternoon at the beach : NO wind, NO breeze, calm waters, sunshine with no clouds covering the sun, clear cool waters – not too warm, and not too cold – and the tide was out so we could walk around to a little bay where the water is deep even with the tide out.

    And the young woman giving us the weather forecast says its going to be the same tomorrow ! This is my sort of summer.

    • Anne 13.1
      25 January 2015 at 7:21 pm

      A low of tropical origin is approaching Northland from the NE. That should bring some rain from Wed. onward but there should be a good swell coming in on the east coast beaches by later tomorrow or Tuesday. Great. That’s my choice of summer beach conditions.