Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

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...

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...

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...

You might remember the story of Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post reporter killed in a grisly manner by operatives of the Saudi royal family.   It sounds wild, but last week a US intelligence report was released, showing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself had approved Khashoggi's murder.  The killing is the basis of a new documentary by Bryan Fogel .. who is the director of Icarus .. The...

Trapped: An Icelandic crime-drama series following a police department as they try to uncover a mystery in a fjord nearby a small Icelandic town (TVNZ OnDemand)  Last Chance U: Basketball: the latest season of this sport documentary series takes an honest and gritty look inside the world of community college basketball (Netflix).  Finding Joy: a second season of the Irish sitcom about a woman deal...

A sponge pudding brings such comfort on a cold night and I adore the flavour combo of figs with honey and ginger!    Serves 6  8-12 fresh figs, halved   90g honey  50g butter  150g softened butter  ½ cup caster sugar  2 eggs   1 tsp lemon zest  150g plain flour  1 ½ tsp baking powder  2 tsps ground ginger  Custard, cream or ice cream to serve   Preheat oven to 180 °C and grease a deep ceramic pudd...

Nomadland  A woman in her sixties who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.  Gaza (documentary)  A portrait of a people attempting to lead meaningful lives against the rubble of perennial conflict and going beyond the reach of television news reports to reveal a world rich with eloquent and resili...

Kevin Milne has discovered an old menu he kept from the legendary Wellington cafe, the Green Parrot, which he assumes is from the 1970s. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

House prices in New Zealand increased last month by more than any other month in the last 25 years. More than any other month since March, 1996. Just think about that. We’ve had a residential housing crisis for years. House prices have been rising and rising and rising. We have our borders closed, our single-biggest export industry has been turned off and shutdown overnight. And yet... with inflat...

Estelle Clifford has been listening to the new Kings of Leon album, When You See Yourself. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher and The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationships expert Steven Dromgool has been explaining the three love lessons to learn by 25. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a long time since Crowded House did a full tour, so what’s a few more days?  The band was due to reform for a tour starting this week, but the first few dates have been postponed (cheers COVID).   Devising a tour during a pandemic isn’t the only thing they’ve been working on, the band is also about to release its first album in over a decade ‘Dreamers are Waiting’.  Neil Finn has been ta...

Our resident traveller Mike Yardley has been on a city break in Palmerston North. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Campbell's Best Buy for the weekend is the Torea 2018 Pinot Noir, Martinborough $18.99.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Composting I have a new compost bin, designed and made in NZ by the Carbon Cycle people. Their idea is to make good-looking bins that are so elegant that you don’t need to “hide” your bin, somewhere in a dark corner of the garden. And that means you use it more and make it your pride and joy. I also reckon that if you have a good system and good set of bins, you can create enough carbon “credits”...

Twitter’s rolling out “Super Followers”  Imagine getting exclusive Jack Tame content via Twitter for $4.99 a month. A Jack Tame supporter badge could be added to your profile, with exclusive content, super follower only newsletters, special deals and access to the Jack Tame community. It’s a way to give back to creators you enjoy and keep those creators on the Twitter platform.  Twitter has also a...

National Treasures: Scotty and Stacey Morrison are joined by a panel of experts as they search for objects and taonga significant to New Zealand’s history (TVNZ 1, Sunday 8.30pm)  Zero Zero Zero: an Italian crime drama television series that follows the journey of a cocaine shipment, from the moment a powerful cartel of Italian criminals decides to buy it until the cargo is delivered and paid for,...

Nici’s Amazing Tomato Sauce   Hot chips and homemade tomato sauce. Does it get any better? This rich tomato sauce is absolutely fabulous and I make a batch every year, some for my pantry, some for gifts.   Makes about 2 litres  2kg fresh tomatoes, chopped roughly 400g can crushed tomatoes  2 large apples, chopped roughly 2 large onions, chopped roughly  1 cup brown sugar  1 cup white or raw sugar ...

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching Kiwi film Cousins, and new animated movie Raya and the Last Dragon. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's had a win at the dry cleaner this week. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The estate for Doctor SeussHas made a public call It’ll keep publishing his booksBut it won’t publish them all.   Six different titles  Will no longer be dispersed.  But is it a reasonable reaction? Or cancel culture at its worst? In case you missed it between the raging pandemic and urgent warnings over potential tsunamis, the second highest-earning dead celebrity has caused a few ructions this w...

Hayley Williams is the lead singer of American band Paramore, and she’s just released her second solo album, Flowers for Vases. Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been taking a listen. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Land, Simon WinchesterIn 1889, thousands of hopeful people raced southward from the Kansas state line and westward from the Arkansas boundary to stake claims on the thousands of acres of unclaimed pastures and meadows. Across the twentieth century, water was dammed and drained in Holland so that a new province, Flevoland, rose up, unchartered and requiring new thinking. In 1850, California legisla...

It’s a feathered frenzy of preening birds, theatrical mating rituals and rampant adultery. Pinned to the ocean edge of Cape Kidnappers, it’s the largest and most accessible mainland gannet colony in the world. Its very name is steeped in historic drama, stemming back to Captain Cook’s visit in 1769 and the young Tahitian he had on board the Endeavour, employed as his translator. As the young Polyn...