Toy Library

Is anybody else missing summer yet? With the weather being so variable you might be looking for options to keep the kids entertained indoors. With this in mind, we have recently invested in a variety of toys that will keep all ages entertained. For the youngest members we have a Vtech activity cube with five interactive sides. Children can learn about animals, nursery rhymes, colours and numbers while they play. Pre-readers will be able to join in the board game fun with two games from the well-renowned Orchard Toys, Jungle Heads & Tails, and Shopping List. … Continue Reading

South Wairarapa Rebus Club Greytown Grapevine

Those attending our last meeting heard from Mr Luther Toloa QSM QPM JP, currently Manager of the Pasifika o Wairarapa Trust www.pw.org.nz that provides ongoing support to marginalised families and migrant workers and strengthens the bonds between settled Pasifika families and new immigrating and temporary workers. Luther, originally from Tokelau, had a 30-year career in the NZ police force, followed by 13 years as an investigator for the Independent Police Complaints Authority. With the onset of Covid in 2020, he observed the problems rural Pasifika had in accessing vaccination information and services and a host of other issues. This led him to set up Pasifika o Wairarapa Trust, offering a multidisciplinary wrap-around of services that are aligned with core Pasifika values. Today the Trust has four permanent and two part-time staff serving people in need of whom, at present, some 70% are not, in fact, Pasifika. … Continue Reading

NEW INSTRUMENTS, NEW SOUNDS AND NEW MUSIC BLOW IN FOR THE MARTINBOROUGH MUSIC FESTIVAL

This year two interesting double-reed instruments – the oboe and the bassoon – will join the familiar core of wonderful strings and our Schimmel grand piano on stage in the Town Hall.  We are welcoming Robert Orr, Principal Oboe of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Todd Gibson-Cornish, the New Zealand-born Principal Bassoon of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. … Continue Reading

The LOWDOWN on CHEATING

You might wonder what brought this on – a column on cheating? On most occasions my ideas are inspired by something I’ve seen or heard [or perhaps eaten such as celery!], but this time, it was doing sudoku. As I’ve confessed, I’m a bit of a puzzle fanatic. My puzzle books usefully provide solutions in the back which tempt a sneak peek, so I’m cheating, right? I wish I wasn’t, but technically, it’s true. 

Here’s a good definition: … Continue Reading