Councillor Comment

Positive Aging Strategy 

In a report to Planning & Regulatory meeting on the 3^rd November, the achievements of implementing the Positive Ageing strategy over the first year were discussed.   

  The Wairarapa Positive Ageing Strategy outlines the way in which the three Wairarapa 

Councils will work together to improve and integrate their work for our older people. It is pleasing to see that: 

1. A working partnership with Age Concern Wairarapa has been developed. 
2. The three Councils are now meeting with a representative of Wairarapa DHB’s Planning and Funding committee. 
3. Connecting to St John’s Wairarapa and supporting their medical shuttle programme to grow and the development of their Caring Caller Programme 
4. Developing relationship with Nuku Ora (Sports Wellington) and the inaugural Senior Games here in the Wairarapa in March 2022. 

 It is lovely to see so much work progressing in this field to assist our older citizens.  … Continue Reading

Community Garden News

Lettuce and corn protected from the marauding birds.

Despite the wind, rain and Covid interventions we have reached the end of another year. He Community Garden is looking great. We have welcomed some new gardeners this year and have enjoyed visits from the children at Martinborough School; Red Cross and other casual visitors who stop by for a chat, or just to see what is going on. Usually, they leave with the first pick of the day’s harvest!

Please remember that all the produce from the garden is FREE and available from the Larder at the Medical centre. We are still amazed, after 4 years that some people still consider that they have to pay, or swap something for what they take.

So Happy Christmas to all. Travel safely if you are travelling. The rest I will say in pictures.

Book Review

V2  Robert Harris

V2 is the latest of Robert Harris’ successful history based novels. The genesis of the novel was Harris’s reading an obituary of Eillen Younghusband which described her work as a WAAF officer tracking V2 s during the WW2. A list of sources at the end of the book illustrates his thorough researching of the subject. In a forward he says ‘ I have tried to make the history of the German rocket programmes and the work of the WAAF as accurate as they reasonably can’.

The framework is factual and the sequence of firing from the woods around Scheveningen on the Dutch coast is as described.  The British counter-operation including at its heart a team of WAAF is also factually correct, as is the work of the WAAFs at RAF Medmenham . Well known historical figures such as rocket designer Wernher von Braun and SS General Hans Kammler’s part in the operation are included in the story  

 Are however, the author reminded that this is a novel.   … Continue Reading

Cooking Corner

Salmon, pasta and spring veg salad

Ingredients

Salmon fillet 

2 tbs Olive Oil

80 gr asparagus 

Garlic clove

1 tbs capers

Juice of ½ lemon

50 gr short pasta 

Soft herbs (tarragon, parsley, mint, basil, water cress etc) 

Method

Roast oiled salmon at 190c for 5 – 10 minutes. Finely slice a good bunch of softs herbs with garlic clove and put in jar with the olive oil lemon juice and mustard (salt and pepper to taste) and then whisk. Add capers. Poach the asparagus in boiling salted water for 2 minutes then remove. Boil the pasta in that water until soft then remove. Add pasta to the herbs and place dish add the flaked salmon on side and top with asparagus. Serve.