The clouds are not just cotton wool

BY JOHN ANSELL

The clouds are made of cotton wool
Or so we’re taught to think
(They’re definitely not candy floss
Cos then they would be pink)

But now the experts tell us
That clouds aren’t just cotton wool
That cotton wool’s got water in
And sometimes it gets full

And when it’s full of water
Any cloud will start to leak
Sometimes for an hour
And sometimes for a week

And that is why each house you buy
Will always have a roof
Until the day they find a way
To make clouds waterproof

New Ultrasound Scanner for Health Centre

Martinborough Health Centre has a new ultrasound scanner thanks to a small group of community members and South Wairarapa Rotary, who banded together to donate the funds needed for the Ruamahunga Health Trust to purchase the machine.

The new scanner replaces the existing ultrasound scanner and Dr Steve says, “this machine can do so much more than the old one”. To begin with it is full colour which enables the operator to see bones, blood vessels and organs more clearly. The scanner can see into the heart, can find kidney and gall stones, identify fractures, measure blood flows, diagnose clots and even identify torn muscles.

The wonderful thing about having such a good scanner here in Martinborough and a highly skilled operator in Dr Steve, is that he can upload images to other experts and specialists to discuss a diagnosis or treatment without the patient having to travel to a hospital.

The scanner also allows Dr Steve to check on babies before they are born as well as monitoring young babies and children, who may not be able to tell you what is wrong.

Trustee Ro Griffiths says, “The donation of the ultrasound scanner is yet another example of the community generously supporting the Health Centre. The Ruamahunga Health Trust would like to thank the donors very sincerely for their generous support for such a worthwhile piece of equipment”.

Maree’s musings

JOIN the PARTY …

Relax … this is not a political message; for now, that’s history. However, togetherness is here to stay.

Sticking together, making connections and collections – we all do it. Group behaviour ensures survival. Think ‘safety in numbers’, ‘united we stand’ etc. Over time, we’ve learned a plethora of tricks from the birds and the bees. Bees swarm and birds flock. And locusts? Some swarms weigh hundreds and thousands of tonnes with a total head count in the trillions. A veritable plague – like boils. When not swarming, bees live in a hive, like industry. In your bonnet? Not advisable. Ants form armies. Worms are in a can or farmed. Webs, tangled or otherwise, have spiders or deceits.

There’s (ahem) heaps of these terms. We call them ‘collectives’, to coin a phrase. Back to birds, for example. Rarely do we spy a solitary one, which gives rise to the saying ‘Birds of a feather etc’ It’s a parliament of owls, a watch of nightingales, a charm of hummingbirds, and a tidings of magpies – often associated with either bad or good news – ‘One for sorrow, two for joy, and so on’. Poet Denis Glover uses ‘qwardle’ instead. A flock of starlings flying in formation? A murmuration. More appropriately, ‘chatter’ or just ‘bloody nuisance’, maybe. A ‘murder of crows’ comes from the belief that these chaps circle in large numbers above predicted death sites. I prefer a ‘scare of crows’, myself. Of course, there’s the maritime ‘crow’s nest’, hopefully not populated by cuckoos. From a basket, clutch or nest of eggs: a counting of chickens, a box of fluffy ducks, a gliding of swans or ominously, with a coming of Christmases, a cooking of a hapless goose from a gaggle, or a stuffing of turkeys. … Continue Reading

Golf news

November came and went pretty much without rain, finally the Course has dried out and that little dimpled ball is back running down the fairway, bringing a cheer to many who thought that the rain might never stop.

The highlight of the month was the Women winning the Teams Stableford Competition and the Silverware at the Wellington Womens Golf Champion of Champions held at home. Congratulations to Carol Parkinson joint winner of the Bronze Championships and to her team mates Karen Shaw and Pip Kirk for their valuable input into playing well and amassing  stableford points to win the impressive trophy for 2017.Its been a long drinks break, the last winning trio Sherry Weatherstone, Diana Donald and Sue Wright won at Carterton back at the beginning of this century. 

Unfortunately the Men had no chance of winning theirs at Masterton as the team was short of a player in the Intermediates.

The Nine hole Group  have been busy with recruiting players and their bring a friend day has three new to golf players keen and their Open day was a huge success. Co- Captains Jaquee Reid and Billie Holmes were stoked to have  eighty five in the field after three pulled out at the last minute. 
Thirteen Clubs were represented: Masterton, Carterton, Manor Park, Marton, Otaki, Paraparaumu Beach, Pauatahanui, Manawatu, Feilding,  Waikanae, Shandon and Kapiti and a number of our own gals from Martinborough. … Continue Reading