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Saturday, October 25, 2014

Photohunt: Funny.


This is our robot vacuum cleaner. It is funny when he tries to get to his home. It is our little pet puppy, and my husband talks to him.

The PhotoHunt for Today is 'Funny'

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

Friday, October 24, 2014

watery wednesday: Muriwai



http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/
The water brought in these star fish at Muriwai Beach in West Auckland.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Friday Finds mushroom




Welcome to Friday Finds….. 
Let’s celebrate what we have found, discovered….. uncovered…this past week.
If you are new to this space….
Welcome….. so glad you are here….
Please say hello….share your finds below.
What is Friday Finds ?…. You ask….
Friday Finds is a place to gather and share your finds with fellow creatives….
So many find possibilities…..unique treasures…… special moments….. life lessons……little things…..big things too…… nature’s beauty….. heart shaped stones, a special cup…..a pretty flower….wise words….
Endless…..
To play along… post your find on flickr or your blog… share the story behind your find…link up to Friday Finds  (grab the button or share the link)…..then pop over here to link up.
Simply put….. you are invited to post a fabulous find of any kind…..
My wish for Friday Finds…..that we stop …. pause…..simply…. cherish life’s simple pleasures……
Share the Friday Finds Button on Your Blog

Kim Klassen dot com

Thursday Challenge: The Alberton






This romantic timber mansion began as a farmhouse in 1863 and was later expanded to 18 rooms, with fairy-tale decorative verandahs and towers. It was owned by the Kerr Taylors, a leading family in Mount Albert, until it was left to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1972. Allan Kerr Taylor was a landowner, investor and provincial and local body politician. His wife Sophia was an outspoken advocate of the vote for women, as well as a singer, gardener and mother of 10.
Alberton was famous in the 19th century for its balls, hunts, garden parties and music. It contains a wealth of original family furniture and other possessions, and several rooms retain their 19th century wallpapers.

It is used as a wedding venue. You may tour the gardens for free, or if you wish to enter the house, the entrance fee is $7.50.

I did not enter the house, as I am more interested in the grounds. It is a beautiful place.

"HOME" (House, Apartment, Trailer Home,...)
Next Week: MONEY (Bills, Coins, Gold, Silver, Things that are valuable,...)
roseThursday Challenge is a place for photographic fun and learning.

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

Monday, October 20, 2014

"HAPPY" (Smiles, Faces, Laughter, Humorous Things,...)



My foster son, Johnson, he had such a happy face.. He had spent 2 months away from his parents in Taiwan. I took him out the day before he returned home.  

The Chinese have this concept of fostering not out of need but by affection.

"HAPPY" (Smiles, Faces, Laughter, Humorous Things,...)

roseThursday Challenge is a place for photographic fun and learning.

Parsley


 Tuesday - Edibles pasley

I used to grow the curly leaf type, but the husband didn't like the smell.

Chewing a sprig after meals refreshes your mouth.

Parsley contains two types of unusual components that provide unique health benefits. The first type is volatile oil components—including myristicin, limonene, eugenol, and alpha-thujene. The second type is flavonoids—including apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol, and luteolin.
Promote Optimal Health

Parsley's volatile oils—particularly myristicin—have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies, and particularly, tumor formation in the lungs. Myristicin has also been shown to activate the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, which helps attach the molecule glutathione to oxidized molecules that would otherwise do damage in the body. The activity of parsley's volatile oils qualifies it as a "chemoprotective" food, and in particular, a food that can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens (like the benzopyrenes that are part of cigarette smoke and charcoal grill smoke).
A Rich Source of Anti-Oxidant Nutrients

The flavonoids in parsley—especially luteolin—have been shown to function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules (called oxygen radicals) and help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. In addition, extracts from parsley have been used in animal studies to help increase the antioxidant capacity of the blood.

In addition to its volatile oils and flavonoids, parsley is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene).

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=100

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Old Tradition

Last Oct 12th, I launched my 3 books at RH hotel, my guest of honour was Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh. The Quang Ning Association arranged for two lions to welcome the VIPs as they arrived. 

It was such a great honour.  According to this old Chinese tradition and culture, only very important events have the lions attending your function.

Lion dance (simplified Chinese: 舞狮; traditional Chinese: 舞獅; pinyin: wǔshī) is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Year and other Chinese traditional, cultural and religious festivals. It may also be performed at many other important occasions such as business opening events, special celebrations or wedding ceremonies, or may be used to honour special guests by the Chinese communities. WIKI

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

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Saturday, October 18, 2014

A very old friend, Christine Sue

 Mr. Norman Ng, Christine's dad. one of the 244 refugee children
 With Charles and Christine Sue
When I met up with Helen Wong, writer and historian, one of the first person I asked if she knew Christine Ng, daughter of Norman Ng.  Christine and I used to work at Kerridge Odeon for 2 years before my oldest daughter was born.

Helen said Christine was traveling in Europe.

It was great to see her at the 75th anniversary of the Chinese Refugees in New Zealand. I went to greet her and gave her a big surprise. It has been 30 years since we last saw each other.  She married Charles who many of my engineering friends knew.

http://mondaymellowyellows.blogspot.com.au/

  
Stay mellow with yellow!



http://rubytuesday2.blogspot.co.nz


Friday, October 17, 2014

Photohunt: Rock

a big rock in a big shopping mall.



The PhotoHunt for today is 'Rock'

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

Thursday, October 16, 2014

How to use coffee grounds in your garden.

Some cafes here bag their coffee grinds and leave them outside for you to take.
 3 bags full of brown gold.
 You can put it on top of your pots/garden as mulch or to your compost.
 You can enrich your soil by mixing it with soil. They improve soil texture and drainage.
 Put it on your plants as fertiliser as it breaks down. 
 As it decomposes, It slowly releases nitrogen for your plants. Good for  leafy vegetables such as spinach, tomatoes and corn. You see my tomatoes plants? 

What a great way to recycle, instead of throwing the coffee grinds, some cafes have become environmentally conscious, take the effort to big the grinds and give it away for free. Don't worry about the coffee smell, after a few days, the smell will be gone.

I have done this for years, and I believe in reuse, recycle and re-education.


http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Coffee-Grounds-in-Your-Garden

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/



Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Blog Action Day Oct 16 2014






In New Zealand, we have family support from the Government, yet children go to school with no shoes, breakfast or warm weather clothes. Some thing is wrong somewhere.

One Friday, children from higher decile schools were asked to bring a can of beans or spaghetti to donate to poorer schools.




http://www.childpoverty.co.nz/

When a child grows up in poverty they miss out on things most New Zealanders take for granted. They are living in cold, damp, over-crowded houses, they do not have warm or rain-proof clothing, their shoes are worn, and many days they go hungry.
Many more don’t get to go to the doctor when they are sick, because they can’t afford the costs of the appointment and the medicine. Others stay home from school because they don’t have all the uniform or lunch to take. Poverty can also cause lasting damage. It can mean doing badly at school, not getting a good job, having poor health and falling into a life of crime.
We are slowly seeing some action to reduce the numbers of children missing out. We need to know if these changes are making a difference for kiwi kids.
Every year the Child Poverty Monitor will record how well or badly we’re doing for kiwi kids.
The Child Poverty Monitor uses data from Otago University to show how many children are in different types of poverty.
To find out more about child poverty, you can read the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group report Solutions to Child Poverty in New Zealand: Evidence for Action.
The Annual Child Poverty Monitor is a partnership project between the Children’s Commissioner, the JR McKenzie Trust and Otago University.
In 2012 the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group on Solutions to Child Poverty put forward 78 recommendations on a range of ways to address child poverty.
One of those recommendations was around the need to measure and report on child poverty rates annually. We believe this is a vital step in reducing child poverty in New Zealand and that is why this project was born.
Each year, for the next five years, we will report on income poverty, material hardship, severity of poverty and persistent poverty. In time we will also include information on child poverty-related indicators from health, housing, education and disability.
The measures of child poverty we are reporting on come from a solid base of research and data already collected here in New Zealand.




Thursday Challenge is a place for photographic fun and learning. A theme is announced on this site each week

roseThursday Challenge theme is: HAPPY (Smiles, Faces, Laughter, Humorous Things,...)  I was happy, so were the children when they donated their cans of food.

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




http://blogactionday.org/ Blog Action Day 2014. Let's talk about Inequality

Alphabe-Thursday letter V for vest



http://jennymatlock.blogspot.co.nz/


search/label/Alphabe-Thursday


ABC Wednesday Letter N



 Name tags at big functions

Name cards, I now use this when I meet people. I wish I added my Chinese name to my card.



 I love a bowl of hot piping spicy noodles to rice or bread.





 Nutino, a hazelnut spread made in Italy, I am more used to Nutella , also made in Italy. I suppose it is a matter of individual taste.

 







Aotearoa is Maori for New Zealand. 
http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

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