33 Comments

I enjoyed this Friday chat so much I suddenly became a paid subscriber. It’s so easy to join! Thanks for all the tireless work you have done informing us about the various stinking bills. It is much appreciated.

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Oh thank you haha I didn’t realise I’d sent it to everyone! This is what paid subscribers get every Friday ❤️❤️ welcome!

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On the strength of the Caro-Ann Duffy poem, I've spontaneously formed a resolution. I resolved to read poetry this year! What an image: 'hearing his youth/ in the distant chanting Latin of a train'. Thank you, Em, and happy 2025 to you and whanau.

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Oh what a great resolution!!

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Mind blowing how many horrific bills this government is trying to get through - thank you so much for drawing attention to them and the guides to help make submissions against them, they’re incredibly helpful 💖

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❤️❤️

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Eyyy I'm glad you're enjoying the resolutions chat, I had so much hesitation around setting that up haha. "Oh god this is just going to annoy people. Ah everyone is going to think this is cheeseball bullshit." But APPARENTLY NOT!

On an unrelated to everything note I bought a lava lamp for my desk and I love it so much. It's made working a million times better already.

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Oh my dad got me one for Christmas haha I’m surprised at how much I love it!

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I am someone who organises events and sets up groups like that a fair bit and i am always so grateful to be part of groups and events where someone else is doing the hard work of facilitating ❤️

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Absolutely especially because I forget I’m running them 😂

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😅

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What a great idea!! My kids have them but I love them too

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For the Virgin River watchers on here I had a Martin Henderson sighting today. My husband, toddler and I were out fishing and swimming at a wharf near where we’re staying for a few days and a guy and his sister/friend and her kids came along and started chatting and swimming too. Took about 5 minutes for me to realise it was Martin Henderson. V chatty and also way shorter than I realised (that’s all actors right - except maybe Jason Momoa)

I’m currently listening to The Gift podcast which looks at the secrets unearthed by at home DNA test. It’s sooo good - crazy stories but really well told.

Reading - just finished both of Rose Carlyle’s books (Girl in the Mirror and No one needs to know). Super easy reads, engrossing, but silly and fun which is all I need from a book at the moment.

Watching - KAOS. Love it so much and so gutted it doesn’t get renewed.

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Oh my gosh! I would have tried to be cool but I would not have been! I figured he wasn't tall because 'Mel' never wears heels. How exciting!

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He was very normal kiwi guy on holiday, seemed cool and pretty chill so made it easy to keep our cool. 😆

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So much of this chat resonated with me! Especially buying things then getting annoyed that they are cluttering my house. lol. I’ve gone down a real Chernobyl rabbit hole. Listening to historical audio books about it when I can’t sleep. Nuclear disasters are insane! I think they are my Roman Empire?!

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I am terrible at buying things I am sure will help but just end up taking up space! I have been decluttering as much as I can!

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Oh that Rob Lowe Oscars disaster is such a cringe watch and makes you realise that even if recent ones have been bad they haven't been THAT bad. I discovered it a few years ago from the Best Pick podcast that covered every Best Picture winner but also looked at the ceremony and what was going on in film at the time. (One of the hosts is Deborah Frances White's husband). Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys talking about films.

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This sounds like an excellent podcast. Former film student here so thanks for the recommendation

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Oh wow! That sounds great lol

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I loved this chat! I especially loved the photo of Pippi jail. That face absolutely captures how I feel when I get told I can't do something

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Thanks for the excellent info on the various bills to submit on...our te reo group was pleased to know this vital info.

Also just read and really liked Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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Oh that was my fave book of last year!

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I am playing SP!NG and Japanese Rural Life Adventure

I have recently read all of Karen Healey / Kate Healey's Olympus Inc novels and they are GREAT

I am listening to the playlist of songs performed by the Barden Party in their touring Bluegrass Macbeth show https://open.spotify.com/playlist/54Co9OL5jOPmGVPaeeQHGN?si=s5HQdiLWQW6UDTwEDwSf3g&pi=a-9Y9CTYFsSyOC

I'm loving the resolutions chat! Huge fan of the cynic's guide newsletter, I also read that short self help book he recommended and it was bloody good

And I am feeding child 2 to sleep while Joe cleans up child 1's third spew of the day 🤙👎

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I also really feel the 'not religious but enjoyed parts of it all' thing. I miss the weekly group community music and reflection. The cup of tea with all the oldies and families.

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I miss the singing! Sorry about the spews!

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I read the book Say Nothing is based on and it was incredible - and a quarter of it is acknowledgements etc, THE RECEIPTS - I can’t stop talking about it to my family, and those of us who are prone to special interests are deep in the rabbit hole - Ko carn chiumhais mhullaigh aise te maunga, ko an finnh te awa! Two weeks leave starts today. Not going away much cos my sweet lil political science student is doing some hands on learning about unions these holidays and I’m expressing my solidarity by also getting up at 4:55am 4 on 4 odd 12 hour shifts

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Oh isn’t it an amazing book! I listened to it as an audiobook and it’s incredible.

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I cannot stop yapping about it

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You are such a good beetch. Loving te chat, lots to follow up on. Have an awesome weekend.

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Thank you! Glad to have you here!

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I finally managed to get my hands on an audio described copy of Kneecap! The film was as great as I hoped it would bee. not so great, after my 5 year streak of miraculously avoiding covid, I got covid... Days before my wisdom teeth surgery and 24 hours after my wife underwent long awaited carpal tunnel surgery. It's been an exhausting week in our house lol. I've been listening to so many podcasts recently! lots of interesting stuff from the BBC of all places.

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I also read Wing and didn’t really love it either. Such an unsatisfactory ending 🤷‍♀️

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