Feathered Friday Friend
This weeks contribution is from Louise Thomas.
"When I was young I didn’t like the boatsheds. To my eye they looked derelict and unkempt – a hotchpotch of too bright clashing colours, and all of them peeling to reveal bleached wood underneath. They reminded me of my Nana’s crocheted rugs with frayed threads and darned patches. I liked things shining, new, and squared away. Anything else smacked of some sort of failure, either of duty or poverty.
Now that I’m older, and not untouched by time myself, I realise that decay is inevitable, and, more importantly, there is texture and beauty in it. The sea, like life, can be a rough place. The winds carry salt and sand, storm surges leave marks and baggage piled around the high tide mark, sometimes spilling over onto the little docks. But in this flotsam, rotting seaweed, silt, and tangled tree branches are a million little bugs, fish, and crabs – a roiling primordial soup seasoned with iodine and salt and feasted on by the birds. Nothing is lost - just transformed. Sacred kingfisher/kōtare (Todiramphus sanctus) catching the light at the Hutt Estuary boatsheds, Hikoikoi Reserve, Lower Hutt."
Poll: Do you think banning gang patches is reasonable?
With the government cracking down on gangs, it is now illegal for gang members to display their insignia in public places whether through clothing or their property.
This means arrests can be made if these patches are worn in places like restaurants, shops, on public transport or ferries, and on airplanes. Arrests were made recently at a funeral.
Do you think this ban is reasonable?
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76.6% Yes
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22.1% No
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1.3% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82% Yes
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15.3% No
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2.7% Other - I'll share below
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