Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

Travel writer Mike Yardley has some tips for summer in Cromwell.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bag moths  Ever wondered what it's like, living in a bag? There are many different species that live in bags or cases for prolonged periods of time and the cool thing is, they make those bags themselves. Silk appears to be the material of choice in the majority of bag-builders. That silk can be really strong too. One of the most obvious (up to 80 mm long) insects that shows off its bag in our garden is the native bag moth (Liothula omnivora). They are often found hanging from conifers and hebes, flaxes, tea-tree, willow, cherry, you name it. Their grey cases don’t really move much during the day, but at night the inhabitants cruise the foliage and nibble; creating holes.  The bags are constructed “as they go and grow”. Crossed layers of sturdy silk: impenetrable! They also add “camouflage” to the bags: pieces of dead foliage, twigs and other locally-found materials. That can include bits of plastic bags or psychedelic coloured post-it notes (young scientists experimenting with drugs!).  The cases protect the

Apple's expensive holiday surprise It was a genuine apple surprise - the AirPod Max headphones were announced on Monday.. just in time for Christmas shopping! But the price tag is wild. Even tech's biggest geeks were shocked at needing to spend $550 on the latest gadget. That's almost the price of the iPhone 11! Don't forget the $35 cable to allow you to plug them into a 3.5mm audio jack. In true Apple style, they don't have a power button. Instead they turn off when they're not on your head and go into an ultra low power mode when in their case.  The early reviews so far say they sound as good as other premium headphones.. just that they're more expensive. One reviewer said the aluminium shell looked like plastic - ouch. Cars are driving themselves in San Francisco Cruise, one of the self-driving car ventures, is now testing fully driverless cars in a dense urban environment. There's no one behind the steering wheel, but there is a safety operator in the vehicle who can press an emergency button to stop the

enable.me's Hannah McQueen has some tips for you, if you're going to put ‘finances’ on your New Year resolution list. If you want more personalised advice, you can get in touch with enable.me at www.enable.me  LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screen Queen Tara Ward has some picks for your weekend watching:Your Honour: Bryan Cranston stars in this drama about a respected judge, who's son is involved in a hit-and-run that leads to a high-stakes game of lies, deceit and impossible choices (Soho/Neon, 15/12).  ESPN Films: TVNZ OnDemand welcome a new collection of intriguing sports documentaries, produced by ESPN and following the lives of a variety of renowned athletes (TVNZ OnDemand, from 12/12)  Tiny Pretty Things: Netflix’s new drama follows the world of an elite ballet academy, and charts the rise and fall of young adults who live far from their homes, each standing on the verge of greatness or ruin (Netflix 14/12). LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for something to relax with on Boxing Day, look no further than the new Pixar film Soul. Featuring Kiwi actress Rachel House, it's about a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn't quite gone the way he expected .. until he travels to another realm and discovers "what it means to have soul".The film is released in New Zealand on Disney+.Jack's been talking to Rachel House about being a Disney darling.WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching Mank, Ava and Amundsen.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turkey with kumara & sage stuffing & roasted cherries Turkey sometimes gets a bad rap and I can’t fathom why. Cooked and rested properly it’s a wonderful centrepiece for the festive table and feeds a crowd beautifully.  Serves 10-12  Size 3.5-4.5 turkey  1/4 cup olive oil  2 tsp sea salt 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped roughly ½ cup red or white wine or water 2 cups fresh cherries   Stuffing 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs  350g kumara, steamed and mashed  1 onion, diced fine  50g melted butter (can use olive oil)  6-8 sage leaves, shredded Handful Italian parsley, chopped roughly 1 tsp salt + ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper Gravy 1/3 cup plain flour ¼ cup red or white wine  Water Salt and pepper to taste   Heat oven to 200 C.  Make the stuffing by mixing all the stuffing together.  Prepare the turkey by patting dry cavity and skin with paper towel. Stuff cavity with half the stuffing. Roll remaining stuffing into balls and set aside. Rub oil all over turkey and sprinkle with sea salt. For even cooking

I’m going to start the show this morning by crossing my fingers and very publicly knocking on wood. I’m not trying to stress you out. I’m not trying to spook anyone. But. Have you imagined what would happen if there was an unexpected outbreak of Covid-19 some time in the next week or two?  EEEEE... ! I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s a prospect so hideous I hate to even mention it. But it’s a possibility, right? We know our border control measures aren’t 100% fail-proof. And just imagine if the government was forced to decide on another lockdown a few days before Christmas. Something tells me that scenario might test the public faith in the NZ elimination strategy. So for goodness sake, please, don’t get sloppy now... use the Covid app! I understand with Christmas this close why the powers-that-be want to continue our conservative approach when it comes to Covid-19.  Kiwis are going to be travelling a lot internally over the next week or two. And I don’t sense that many of us have a big appetite for risk.But after C

Kiwi singer-songwriter Anna Coddington has just released her fourth studio album, Beams, and our music reviewer Estele Clifford has been taking a listen.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The Searcher by Tania French and Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has been travelling the Road to Milford, Fiordland.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Green Gift Guide  Studies have shown that 25% of gifts and thrown out between Christmas and New Years’ Day, so lets give things that people can treasure and find useful.  Most people already have keep cups and reusable bags in their cars, so here are some new sustainable gift ideas:   * Beautiful container with lid that can sit on the kitchen countertop and you put your compost scraps straight into. * Reusable covers for bowls. Often now made with bees wax  * Solar powered phone charger * Natural based lip balms, hand creams or other beauty products.  * Collection of eco-cleaners. Ecostore does a gift bucket full. Start at the batch and end up using them everywhere .. people need to try to be convinced that they work as well. * Really beautiful shopping produce bags, preferably ones that can fold down and live in your bag or car.* Cookbook looking at no waste, reusing leftovers etc.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to avoid mozzies this summerGet rid of stagnant water in gutters and drains, saucers under plant pots, plastic kid’s pools, tarpaulins, dingies, canoes, drill holes in the bottom of tyre swings, and make sure weed mats don’t have ‘ponding’ happening.   If you have a swimming pool, keep chlorine up-to-date. Use goldfish in your pond – they eat the mosquitoes’ wrigglers, but don't introduce gambusia (mosquito fish) - they're a terrible exotic pest. Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) granules can kill the wrigglers in ponding sites you cannot manage: use the correct quantity for the size of the water body.But mozzies aren't all badAdult males are ace pollinators. All mosquitoes are great food for: Insectivorous birds like fantails, grey warblers, and swallows; insectivorous insects like dragonflies, robber flies, water boatmen, backswimmers; and food for larval fish species and adult small fishes like frogs and lizards. The “wrigglers” also do a great job eating bacterial slime and other micro-organism

Master of Wine Bob Campbell's Best Buy for the week is the Momo 2020 Organic Rose, Marlborough $19.99.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your car's license plate could be the next thing to go digital  This has been a work in progress since 2009, but now California and Arizona are starting to adopt them. Why head down this road? + They can display messages to other cars to say "I'm stolen". + In the USA, your license plate follows you if you buy a new car, so you could very easily change it to your new one. + It could also broadcast "Amber Alerts" to alert motorists that there is a missing child. They could even broadcast other statewide important messages too, like "wear a mask" as is currently displayed on many electronic road signs today. If this catches on, you might even be able to buy your next car with built in digital plates. No more ugly add ons, they could be sleek and part of the design.   Apple's self-designed processor is blazing fast  This really is the next chapter of Apple's computers. The iPhone and iPad have been made possible thanks to Apple's self-made chips, and now they're coming to their computer lineup.  It's impressing

Being a God in Florida: Kirsten Dunst stars in this dark comedy drama about a minimum-wage water park employee who lies, schemes, and cons her way up the ranks of the cultish, multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme that drove her family to ruin (TVNZ OnDemand).  The Wilds - Amazon Prime Video’s new drama which was filmed in and around Auckland and drops on Friday.  Coronation Street diamond jubilee:  TVNZ celebrate 60 glorious years of Coronation Street with a special week of Coro programming, including a variety of daytime and primetime special episodes for fans of the beloved British drama to enjoy (from Sunday 6 December, TVNZ1) LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s time to accept that Christmas is well and truly on the way. What better way to embrace the spirit of the season, than with a heart-warming sequel to 'A Street Cat Named Bob' - 'A Christmas Gift From Bob'. It's the story about a world-famous street cat and his owner, James Bowen. For those unaware of their story, James was fighting a drug addiction and surviving as a busker. Then, a video of him playing with Bob on his shoulders went viral. He was approached to write a book, which sold 8 million copies.   He's been speaking to Jack Tame about the journey from homeless man to best-selling books, and two movies. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Festive Wreath This dessert is always a standout at Christmas and it’s actually very easy to make! Dress it up with whatever gorgeous fruit and berries you fancy to suit your menu.   Serves 10-12  7 egg whites 340g caster sugar (about 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons) 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar (can use lemon juice but I find vinegar more reliable)  Topping 400mls cream, whipped 100g mascarpone 2 teaspoons vanilla extract  Fruit – I used strawberries and thinly sliced mango  ¼ cup almond flakes or anything else you like (I added pieces of pistachio cranberry nougat)  Preheat oven to 130 C. Line a flat tray with baking paper. Draw a 28cm circle on the baking paper.  Make the meringue: Beat egg whites until soft peak stage. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, beating for about 20 seconds between each addition. It’s important to not rush this phase and to keep beating after all the sugar has been incorporated until it is stiff, glossy and the sugar has dissolved. At this point add the vinegar and beat for 1 minute more.  A

Movie reviewer Francescsa Rudkin has been watching Christmas movie Happiest Season, and Miss World comedy-drama Misbehavoiur.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.