Poetry for Thursday
You Remind Me Of…
Early morning wakeups with the promise of spring
Hot tea and toast while the radio sings
Cheerful talk and build-ups to what the day will bring
You Remind Me Of These Things
Dark and thundery clouds bursting with the promise of rain
Staying snuggled under the blankets
Playing spotlight in the dark
You Remind Me Of These Things
You, saying you will meet me at the gate, like you did on our first date
Me, calling for a taxi leaving my heart on the floor
As you make your way back to our nest of ruffled feathers
You Remind Me Of These Things
Looking out at a star spangled milky way counting the comets
Wondering which direction our lives will take
As we put our faith in our astrology as did the Kings
You Remind Me Of These Things
Watching the life buzz around us like bees in a hive
Hoping to catch the fragility of love like a bull in a china shop
Haphazardly we step clumsily around our scattered emotions
You Remind Me Of These Things
When at last the sun does settle and winter comes to warm the hearth
And electricity lights what little spark is left in the meter
Damp quickly evaporates and the water runs wherever the path takes it
You Remind Me Of These Things
Back and forth like the hands on a clock
Hide and Show like a Jack in the Box
Murky like a slippery, dark shallow pool of oil
You Remind Me Of These Things
Talking lightly about wills and belongings
Circling like a vulture, to keep ahead of the family
Not aware that the strengths that were void to your gaze
Come back with the glow of a newly ignited fire
You Remind Me Of These Things
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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85.1% Yes
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13.8% No
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
The Ant, Bird & Hunter (Day - 1)
Dear Neighbors,
I’ve come across something I truly believe can make a positive impact, and I’m excited to share it with you! Over the next 54 days, I will be sharing a series of 54 moral stories (one a day) that encourage children to think deeply and adopt valuable life lessons. These stories are designed to instill ethics, values, and morals that will help shape a better future for our kids.
I’d love to hear your feedback along the way so we can evaluate the outcomes together and make sure this effort benefits our community in the best possible way.
Please note, this is a non-religious, non-cultural initiative. If any names (People, places etc...) in the stories seem tied to a particular belief system, feel free to adjust them to better align with your own, as the core focus is on values and positive character-building.
Looking forward to your thoughts and feedback!
📚✨ #MoralStories #BuildingValues #PositiveParenting #StrongerCommunity #BetterFutureForOurKids
The Ant, Bird & Hunter
There was an ant which fell into a river accidentally and the river was flowing rapidly.The ant would have died after getting drowned in the river, but luckily for the ant there was a bird sitting on a tree above that saw the ant. The bird plucked out a leaf from the tree, flew a short distance, and put it into the river just in time for the ant to climb onto the leaf. The ant floated on the leaf for a while and finally when the river was calm it reached land.
After it reached land, the ant dismounted the leaf, felt thankful that its life had been saved by the bird and headed off to thank the bird which saved its life. In a few hours, it reached the place where the bird was seated on the tree. The ant was about to climb the tree to thank the bird but it observed a hunter was about to shoot down the bird on the tree. The bird had not noticed the hunter.
The ant decided to take action immediately, and thereby help its friend, the bird. The ant went and began biting the feet of the hunter. The irritated hunter could not aim carefully and missed shooting his prey, the bird, as his feet had been bitten by the ant.
The moral of the story is that we may all be very small persons but we must try our best to help our friends under all circumstances. Returning a favor is as important as accepting a favor.
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.
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