Under The Martinborough Stars

The Sun, NASA images.

Another glorious summer is here! I’m saying this while sitting my cold office listening to the rain pound on the roof. We expect summer to be, well sunny don’t we?

Stars create heat and light by combining simple elements in their core. All the stars we see in the sky do just this. Our sun is a star, but it is the only Sun. We can also call the Sun Sol, hence the name of objects that use the Sun, like Solar panels, Solar glasses, Solar System etc. 

Our yellow Sun is pretty much an average star, not too big or too small, too old or too young, or too big or too small- very average actually. It is approximately 150 million km from the Earth and is so massive that it holds 99% of all the mass in the Solar System. You could fit 1 million Earths inside the Sun.

Our Sun is busy changing hydrogen into helium and a little sprinkling of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen to boot. It does this via nuclear fusion, very simply, by ripping atoms of hydrogen apart and then squishing them back together to form a new element helium. It has been doing this for 4.5 billion years and is expected to keep going for another 4.5 billion years.  … Continue Reading

Recycling dates

Thursday 10th February glass

Wednesday 16th February wheelie bin 

Wednesday 23rd February glass

NEW FIRE BRIGADE MEDICAL RESPONSE GETS HUGE COMMUNITY BOOST

Just prior to Christmas the Martinborough Volunteer Fire Brigade advised that we were starting our new Medical First Response Unit. The members of this unit have each, despite Covid delays, completed over 200 hours of clinical skill, training and Ambulance experience, provided by our training and response partner Wellington Free Ambulance, all gaining a NZ Certificate in Emergency Care.

This means that in a Medical Emergency, our Medical Responders will be dispatched by Wellington Free Ambulance (you still ring 111 and ask for Ambulance), on arrival the Fire Brigade Medical First Responders will provide patient care including medications and ECGs until an ambulance arrives, ensuring our Community receives the best in medical care and patient outcomes. 

This may be in addition to a response from Dr Phillip and the team of PRIME Medical Responders from Martinborough Health Centre, whom we work closely alongside.

To date this has already provided several instances of life saving medications being given prior to the arrival of Wellington Free Ambulance Paramedics, improving health outcomes.

The Martinborough and Districts Ambulance Trust are delighted to announce that with their lease expiring on the land the Ambulance Building is located on, that they have generously donated the Ambulance Building to the Martinborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, for use as a Community Emergency Hub and Medical First Response Station.  … Continue Reading

Maree’s musings

ANOTHER YEAR …

I’m hoping, like me, that you looked forward to the return of our Martinborough Star for 2022. And even though January has come and gone, perhaps those inevitable New Year’s Resolutions are still fresh in your mind? As we know, plans commonly involve some sort of self-improvement, including giving up stuff we love and starting things we hope we will learn. Naturally you’ll have made at least one (see below.)

The idea of making a ‘fresh start’ has been around for ever. Well, a very long time, to be fair. We can probably blame the Babylonians for the very first official ‘resolutions’, in 2000 B.C. Just a passing thought: perhaps 4000 B.C. – before Covid, that is. Just saying …  

    Anyway, moving on. Back then, this agricultural nation facing uncertainties and the vagaries of the weather (sound familiar?), organised a spring festival of self-flagellation to appease the gods, pay debts and return ‘borrowed’ farming gear. 

The tradition caught on in ancient Rome, and with January, named after the two-faced god Janus, who looks forward for new beginnings as well as backward for reflection and resolution, as the first month of the year; January 1^st seemed an appropriate day to end the frenzy of harvest partying and promise to be good. The occasion was also marked with sacrifices, so included a grand solution to the disposal of all that left-over Xmas lamb or turkey as well. … Continue Reading