New Zealand Listener Issue 49, 2022

We live in Nelson. A few months ago, my partner and I went out on a Sunday afternoon and came back to find our house had been red-stickered. In an instant, our regular routines ground to a halt. Our plans for the future, which we previously measured in years, immediately shrank to days. We were able to make temporary arrangements, but anything after Christmas is a total void. Despite this fear and insecurity, a part of me felt more alive, shaken out of my humdrum life. I had to appreciate the present, because that was all there was. The gaping void I spent so much time ignoring while I brushed my teeth, watched TV and ate my meals could not be ignored. I came closer to seeing the real me; not…

WINNING CAPTION Mike Hamblyn, Dunedin FINALISTS Caption: “Elon Musk announces launch of new Tesla electric chariot.” – Bob Richardson, Christchurch Elon Musk: “Twick or Tweet?” – Robert Morey, Dunedin Musk: “No time for a Halloween costume. I came straight from work.” – Paul Kelly, Palmerston North Musk: “I challenge anyone to lose as much money as I can.” – Joanne Buchanan, Lower Hutt Caption: Elon Musk models Heidi Klum’s new corsetry range. – Marie Curran, Dunedin Musk: “Forget Twitter, I’ve invented invisible dental floss!” – Warren Shaw, Marton Musk: “Eat your heart out, Russell Crowe!” – Ann Love, Nelson Caption Competition {listenercaption@aremedia.co.nz} TO ENTER Send your captions for the photo at right to listenercaption@aremedia.co.nz, with “Caption Competition No 489” in the subject line. Alternatively, entries can be posted to “Caption Competition No 489”, NZ Listener, PO Box 52122, Kingsland, Auckland 1352. Entries…

I was fortunate to be selected to attend Outward Bound as a 19-year-old (“Inward bound”, November 19), but on several occasions I wondered how fortunate I really was. All I knew about Outward Bound was it was at the top of the South Island, you had activities much like Cubs and Scouts, and I would be there for 23 days. On arrival, we were put into groups of 13 students, or “watches”, and from that point you did everything as a watch — a group of young people from vastly different backgrounds who would likely never otherwise have met. I hadn’t had any exposure to tramping, sailing or kayaking – let alone three days solo. The other stuff, like rock climbing, the confidence course and so on, were less taxing. After the…

(after “Speaking of Trees” by Dinah Hawken) What does it take to enter the field?What does it take to lower yourselfwith confidence through limbs and hold? You can see the slenderness of womenand the solidity of women.You can see the tenderness of women. You know how play will move with women:passionate and planned,strategised with the energy and elegance of women; the control of women,the nagging subjugation of womenand the sacrifice of women. You can see the vigour of women,the giving and taking of women,the struggle of women, the births of women. The birthing of women. What does it take to lower yourself to the groundball in hand, right here,waiting years for applause?…

“We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.”– Khalil Gibran“But surely for everything you have to love you have to pay some price.”– Agatha Christie“My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever-changing view.”– Carole King“We give morning people way too much power.”– seen on Twitter“If we survive this winter, and we will definitely survive it, we will definitely win this war.”– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky“My fashion decisions have gone from ‘Is it cute?’ to ‘Is it comfy’ to ‘Did anybody see me wear this yesterday?’”– seen on Twitter“At 16, you can work part-time … in jobs that you’re paying tax on. You can consent, you can learn to drive – all these things mean at 16 it makes…

1. What colour is the semiprecious stone lapis lazuli? ❑ Black❑ Red❑ Green❑ Blue 2. In the 1970s TV series Dad’s Army, who frequently said, “Don’t panic!”? ❑ Private Pike❑ Lance Corporal Jones❑ Private Frazer❑ Sergeant Wilson 3. Which spacecraft was the first to land humans on the Moon? ❑ Apollo 7❑ Apollo 8❑ Apollo 11❑ Apollo 13 4. What is the civil war in England and Normandy between 1138 and 1153, after the death of King Henry I, known as? ❑ The Interregnum❑ The Anarchy❑ The Mutiny❑ The Hiatus 5. Who’s famous for singing the song Both Sides Now? ❑ Elton John❑ Joni Mitchell❑ Lionel Ritchie❑ Cher 6. Which chemical element has the symbol Pb? ❑ Lead❑ Gold❑ Tin❑ Sodium 7. Madge Allsop, Dame Edna Everage’s longtime sidekick, was supposedly born in which NZ city? ❑ Timaru❑ Palmerston North❑ Wellington❑ Hamilton 8. Flocculent…