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Sunday, August 30, 2015

banana shortage





http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/food-news/71394763/banana-shortage-may-be-shortlived

 Banana shortage may be short-lived , the boys in the family are feeling the shortage.

 

Relief is in sight for New Zealand's banana-short shops.
ANDREW QUILTY/AFR
Relief is in sight for New Zealand's banana-short shops.
New Zealand is facing a possible banana shortage but probably not for long.
The country's two major supermarket chains, Foodstuffs and Progressive, say a ship from Ecuador carrying bananas broke down a couple of week sago and is expected to affect the banana supply.
"Stock levels should be back to normal the week after next," said Progressive, which owns Countdown and Fresh Choice.
"Our supply from the Philippines remains unaffected."
A spokeswoman for Foodstuffs, which owns the supermarkets New World and Pak'nSave, said: "We are working with our suppliers to ensure supply is managed until full supply resumes in a couple of weeks."
The last time New Zealand had a banana shortage was March last year when bad weather affected growing conditions in the Philippines.
According to 2013, the Philippines supplies about 70 per cent of New Zealand's bananas and Ecuador supplies the rest, save a few domestically grown, non-commercial crops in Northland.
It was also the nation's favourite fruit that year, with New Zealanders spending $143 million on bananas, $37m more than apples.
Leigh Catley, a spokesperson for Horticulture New Zealand, said domestic fruit growers would no doubt be hoping that consumers would turn their eyes to locally grown applies and citrus if they couldn't buy bananas.
In Wellington, Ajay Jina, managing director of Jina's World of Fresh Produce, said he did not expect to have a problem with banana shortages.
"We have a different supply chain so we're pretty much unaffected."
Moreover, they were not the most popular fruit in his store.
"It depends on the time of the year. In the summer time, bananas fall way down the list, certainly when all the summer fruit's around, and even this time of the year when we have New Zealand easy-peel mandarins and awesome New Zealand apples.
"In supermarkets, it's a bit different, because people tend to see a banana as a grocery item as opposed to a fruit...But in our shop because we only sell fruit and vegetables, they have such great variety to choose from."
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 - Stuff


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Help the Harknesses get to the UK!




Main image

Sharee was the worship director at Mt Albert Baptist Church for four years.
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/harkness/


Coram Deo was at MABC on Sunday 30th August at 9am & 11am services . Their debut worship album ‘Daybreak’ was available for sale. Part of the proceeds went to the Harknesses.

Help the Harknesses get to the UK!

 

Brendon is a civil engineer where his speciality is water. He is passionate about helping the marginalised improve their quality of life through sustainable community projects – a dream which began back in university in 1996.
Brendon has been involved in rural and urban water supply and sanitation schemes in NZ and Samoa. He loves helping provide technical input and build technical and governance capacity of communities - and he has presented conference papers on these community focused projects.
During 2012-14 he also led two teams of adults from Mt Albert Baptist, to build a preschool building and water supply in Krey Mo Kee, a remote village in the hills of North Thailand.
This year (2015), Brendon has been accepted to study a Masters in Engineering for Sustainable Development at Cambridge University in the UK. It’s a 12-month course starting 1 October 2015 and they will all be going as a family.
But this is where they need YOUR help! If you could give a little, they'd be able to put this towards flights and visa costs at a total of $21,000 NZD for the 5 of them!
We really appreciate you considering giving to this wonderful family - helping them to help others.
Thank you!

The Harknesses are a much loved family in our community. We have seen first hand Brendon's skillful leadership, dedication, and technical expertise. We're behind them all the way!

All funds raised benefit:


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Auckland
Funds will be paid to a verified bank account of Brendon Harkness.

 

 

Saturday, August 29, 2015

coram deo









https://www.facebook.com/CoramDeoWorship

Members: James Ensor, Katie Brasell, Jonny Harrison, Jono King, James Englehardt Hurlock, Tim Adams and Otis Dickens
Genre: Praise and Worship
Hometown: Auckland, NZ




Coram Deo played at Mt Albert Baptist Church, MABC, this Sunday in worship. Their debut worship album ‘Daybreak’ was available for sale after the services - $20 each or $30 for two.

They contributed to our previous worship director,supporting and  honouring the Harkness family in their step of faith in moving to the UK by donating $5 from each CD sale on the day to them.

I had a brief talk with Jono and Sarah. Thanks, team.

Friday, August 28, 2015

Women's refuge centre





I am a public speaker and a topic that my audience like is the role of women. I tell of the paternalist society where Chinese women are subjected to men and treated as second class citizen. I wrote this boom.

Yesterday, I went back to my Alma mater, Auckland University. I saw this cake stand raising money for Mangere women's refuge. I have visited a refuge centre before. While I wrote different scenarios of abused women, I count my blessings that I have studied in three universities and I can write and give these abus women a voice.

A counselor has read my book and felt the scenarios were so life like that she would use the book in her work.
 

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Sarikei houses.




When the bottom house was constructed, Father moved from the top house at Repok Road to this house off Repok Road next to the Sarikei Fire station. It too has an upstairs setting. The domestic worker stayed downstairs.

Among the civil servants, my dad must have (almost) most number of children, 9 kids . Had most girls, 6 girls, and stayed in 3 class four quarters, 1 class three and 2 class two. He must have moved also the most number of times.


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

alphabe Thursday: Letter O for old

 You have to imagine this is an old wooden stove.

When I was young, Dad was a civil servant and we moved houses when he got a promotion. We lived in two houses, class 4, an exact old wooden house like the above, we lived for 7 years. It's on stilts but you can't see the stilts here hidden by the scrub. We were there in the old days in 1959 to 1966.

In the old days, we used firewood to cook our food. I took the first photo, because it looked like a wood fire stove we used. Just imagine the bottom tier was used to store fire wood, and the upper tier, where we cooked our food.

At the bottom left corner, was a metal container where mum had some rubber soaked in kerosene. That in the old days were used to start fire.

I must have been in primary 4 and 5 when I have learn somewhere that water puts out fire. I was doing an experiment and wonder if the liquid kerosene would act like water, and put out fire. I dropped a match into this box of volatile kerosene and rubber combo.

"Whoosh!" a curtain of fire came up.

It scared the hell out of me. I must have screamed. I tried to put it out with a cup of water, it made it even worst.

Dad got mum to soak a blanket to cover the container. The fire was put out, the whole kitchen was black.

I crounched in the corner, waiting to be punished. But the punishment never came. 

Dad said, " She was just doing an experiment."  As I write this, I am wonder if Dad read about Thomas Edison and his experiments. 

We moved away to another house, and I didn't go back to the old house. I left the country for Canada, New Zealand and Singapore.

In 1995, My sister and her husband, Kallang asked if I wanted to go back. So I went back, all the houses were there except my house. The people told me it was burned down. 

It survived my little fire, it could not survive a big fire. I was quite emotional seeing an empty space.



search/label/Alphabe-Thursday





Saturday, August 22, 2015

My special girl friends from Indonesia.

 Wiwiknaomi and me today.

I have a special rapport with friends from Indonesia.
May be where I am from,
Sarawak, is part of Kilimantan.

I remember my friend Monica Indrawan.
We were both young mothers,
adapting to New Zealand when our husbands were grad students.

I remember especially late Leni Buddy.
We were mothers of teens.

The girl in the boutique said,
"You must be her very special friend for her to buy such an expensive top."

I remember Martha,
She like me faced afflictions.
I was glad I could be a big sister to her.

Now in Auckland,
I have befriended Wiwiknaomi and Silva.

Happy Indonesian Independence Day, on Aug 17th.


Farewell my friend Leni.

Friday, August 21, 2015

PhotoHunt is 'Beard'


My niece Emily and her husband Morgan.They are talented musicians.

Saturday PhotoHunt is 'Beard'

http://whistlestopphotohunt.blogspot.co.nz/

Thursday, August 20, 2015

"ORGANIZED" , Thursday Challenge

https://www.roalddahl.com/

These Roald Dahl books came in a box, keeping them organised should be easy.  I am not an organised person, can't show you my cupboards.


"ORGANIZED" (Methodical, Orderly, Neat: Tools, Books, Cloths, Houses,...)

http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html

Friday, August 14, 2015

Thursday challenge, house



"PLACE; final week" (House, Cabin, Apartment, Tent, Workshop, Office,...)"PLACE; final week" (House, Cabin, Apartment, Tent, Workshop, Office,...)

You cannot really see how little this Marae is except you can see my sister Elizabeth's head. In fact it was a play house of some little girl. When the Marae of the Ngati Whatua o Orakei people was burnt down, a rich man gave his daughter's play house to the tribe as their Marae. It is now located next to the Marae.

Ngarimu told me about this replica and I am so privileged when he told me this story. The little girl was very lucky to have such a special play house, and Ka Pai to her for being so generous.

They used the little building as their Marae until they built their present one.

I wrote about the Maoris in my Mail Order bride Book.



http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html

Photohunt Kid ; slack lining.





Kid:  This is my big kid, he has found a new hobby, slack lining.

http://whistlestopphotohunt.blogspot.co.nz/

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Orbit 360° Dining, Sky Tower, tripadvisor


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eating from high up in the sky tower, view the sun set and feel like you are on top of the world.


 New Zealand's only rotating restaurant offering 360-degree views, it’s an unforgettable experience that never ceases to delight.

at the top of Auckland's Sky Tower, the dining room rotates once every hour, providing a truly unique experience with amazing 360° panoramas of the city, the Hauraki Gulf and beyond.