Did You Know?

Oak leaves have been falling.  Everywhere. A display of beautiful jewel colours, and piles of heaped leaves indicates autumn is over and winter is here.

There are approximately 500 species of oaks, in the genus Quercus.  Oaks are native to the Northern Hemisphere and extend from cool to temperate climates in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and North Africa. 

North America has the largest number of oak species closely followed by China.

As symbols, the acorn and the oak leaf have long reflected strength and prosperity.

The Sisters Oak located in Louisiana is the largest certified southern live oak tree.  It is estimated to be up to 1,500 years old with a trunk that measures 11.6 m.

The Major Oak is an 800- to 1000-year-old tree located in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, the home of Robin Hood.

Since Roman times oakwood has been prized for making strong watertight barrels, perfect for storing and transporting both water and wine. Oakwood is used in winemaking to vary the colour, flavour, profile, and tannin texture of the wine. 

English and Evergreen Oak Trees also provide the perfect environment for growing prized truffles. Truffle farming in New Zealand began in Gisborne in 1993. The highest value truffles grown in New Zealand are the Perigord Black Truffle and the Bianchetto.

News From First Church

Winter Solstice:

A recent Sunday gathering was a reflection on the Winter Solstice which occurred on 22^nd June at 2.57am NZST.

Winter Solstice is one of the most powerful points of the year as the axis of the Earth pauses, shifts and moves in the opposite direction. It also marks the date when the Earth’s axis is furthest away from the sun – the longest night of the year. After the solstice, days gradually get more hours of sunlight (as I write this today, it is hard to believe with fog/mist hanging around until almost 2pm)!  It also marks the first day of winter in the astronomical calendar, whilst in the meteorological calendar, we are already three weeks into winter.

Winter solstice is the great stillness before the Sun’s strength builds, and days grow longer.  It can be an ideal time to rest and reflect, while you sit cosily by the fire or the heat pump. It’s a time when we have the time, to honour our past and clear space literally and figuratively, to make room for what we ‘wish’ for the coming year. Winter solstice and Christmas share similar messages of new hope, gratitude, and thankfulness for all that has been achieved and received throughout the past year.

Café Church

We continue to hold our Sunday gatherings Café style, in the church hall from 9.45am (time for a hot drink and homemade cake or biscuits) with the service commencing at 10am.

All denominations and faiths very welcome and we look forward to meeting and enjoying old and new friends. … Continue Reading

Marees Musings

HACKED [OFF]!

Globally it’s estimated that 30,000 websites are hacked every day, and it’s cold comfort that online scams are up by some 60% recently. So I’m not alone, as I will explain. 

The connection between a hack and a scam is obvious. First the hack, which is a bit like someone breaking into your house with designs on pinching stuff. It might happen to your PC, or as I found out, your credit card. Originally the word itself had nothing to do with computers, but was hacked (HAH!) from the 1960’s MIT Model Railway Club’s fiddling with their trains in order to modify their functions. Long before folk tinkered with model trains and now, technology, there was the ProtoGermanic term  ‘hakkona’: that is, to chop, hoe or hew. That’s exactly what it feels like and all!

Next up, the scam, another common term nowadays, which says something about the state of modern living. Back in 1782, it meant a highway robber; possibly derived from scamp which in those days was a swindler or a cheat. I thought I’d dealt with those lowdowns back in May, but here they are again. By the way, there’s no evidence for the word being a shortened form of Scandalous Misdeeds, but says it all, eh?

Finally, the theft. Those in the know realise what’s going on long before any personal information, or in my case, money, is quietly removed. I’m no whizz at technology but like most people, the convenience of a credit card makes life easy. You receive a statement once a month. They make interesting reading, but in my case, as the total is automatically paid from another of my accounts, ignoring it seemed OK, and I often do. No worries. Until recently, that is. … Continue Reading

Martinborough Golf Club

It is hard to believe that we are now in July – this year is flying by.  It is certainly very nice to see the sun shining – the course looks wonderful at the moment.

It has been a reasonably quiet month on the course which is hardly surprising due to the amount of rain we have had but there are a few hardy souls who will go out in all conditions.

Recent winners for the 18 holers have been Marilyn MacKenzie, Marion McKenzie, Sandra Petersen and Julie Weber.  Sandra and Honor Clark are the only ones who have had twos over the last few weeks.

9 hole winners have been Debbie Coom (twice), Leonie Wilde and Jenny Joblin.

Recent Grumpies winners have been Bill Gordon, Rick Hargreaves and Jason Shaw.  Twos have gone to Ed Brown (2), Malcolm Wood, Tony Taylor, Seamus O’Sullivan, Peter Schenk, Brian Russo and Rick Hargreaves.

Thursday Club players are a hardy lot – nothing seems to deter them!!!  Recent winners have been Trevor Petersen, Bill Gordon, Kheinan Morrissey and Ed Elworthy.  Twos have gone to Malcolm Wood (2), Shane Hislop (2), Bob Schofield, Trevor Petersen, Mike Charteris, Sandra Petersen, Stu Taplin, Ed Elworthy and Jason Shaw.

Weekend winners have been John Warner (three times), Bevan Sweeney (twice), Chris Brooks (twice) and Doug Clark.  Twos have gone to Guy Walmsley, Dayle Harwood and Brian Russo.

The Interclub boys had their final round of Marquis Shield last week – they didn’t bring home the Marquis Shield but they did win the Workman Trophy (Senior singles match play – off the stick).

The ladies still have one round of Riverside Cup and Tilson Salver to play but they have already won the Tilson Salver as they cannot be caught.

That’s it for another month – not much happening on the course over the next few weeks.  Here’s hoping for less rain and more sunshine.

Kris Chamberlain