Friday Feathered Friend
Louise Thomas has provided this weeks Friday Feathered Friend.
"Nature abhors a vacuum. The old adage has seen the white-fronted terns/tara (Sterna striata) move onto the Petone Wharf as a convenient perching spot for hawking (terning?) for fish. Such sleek birds, they turn on a dime, their brilliant white feathers catching the sun as they dive like professionals into the briny.
The old wharf, stretching almost 400m out into harbour, was closed (although a few foolhardy humans ignore the signs and climb the fence) in January for six weeks (hah!) for “urgent” repairs after the earthquakes over the New Year caused it to slump a bit in the middle. To be fair, the piles are infested with marine worms turning the ancient trunks into so much Swiss cheese and the bolts holding it all together are rustier than my first car, so it wouldn’t have taken much. Having seen a cross-section of a pile, I’m surprised it hasn’t collapsed before now. I am looking forward to it reopening though, I miss being able to walk so far out into the harbour – it’s where all the good stuff happens."
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
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.
Summer on the South Coast
Summer is here again! Fantastic weather beckoning all to get out and enjoy it.
So my request is, if you are cycling, running, walking on our beautiful south coast roads between Breaker Bay and Ohwiro Bay - please be courteous to all road users, even those of us stuck in cars.
The roads are scenic, but they are also narrow, with lots of blind corners. This makes it very difficult for faster moving traffic (cars) to pass slower moving traffic (cycles, walkers, runners). On a bad day this can result in frustrated cars making rash decisions to overtake - putting everyone in danger.
If you are enjoying the coast road on a cycle, and there are cars behind you, please do be considerate and pull over when you have a chance so that they can pass. "Hugging the left" does not really help on a narrow road with blindspots. Stopping is ideal.
If you are enjoying coast on foot, please be conscious of visibility and stay off the road where possible.
If you are enjoying the coast in a car, please be courteous to others - good will spreads, unfortunately so does selfishness.
Lastly - everyone watch out for penguins, they were here first but they don't read Neighbourly or road signs.
Happy and Safe summer everyone.
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