The builder’s daughter
Lilly Cooper loves Tuesdays. Every Tuesday afternoon, irrespective of weather or pressing business matters, Lilly will be found in the company of her adored two-year-old grandson, Edgar. “That’s where I get my balance. I have absolutely bonded with him and he’s very special. We have beautiful times together,” Lilly says. One can only imagine the […]
Dealing to dyslexia
The Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand estimates 70,000 schoolchildren in Aotearoa are affected by dyslexia; that equates to one in 10 of us. Beth Beamish is the mother of one such child, and recently she published a book on the subject, Dyslexia: Wrestling with an Octopus. Q. Beth, when you began your research […]
Just boot it!
Ask any self-proclaimed fashion follower to name their most cherished wardrobe item and it’s highly likely the answer will be “boots”, followed by a detailed description of the cut, colour and style of the favourite pair and why they’re so revered. If this year’s autumn through winter trends are anything to go by, […]
Poetry Knights
It truly was a gathering of literary luminaries when literature and art magazine takahē celebrated 31 years of circulation with the recent launch of its 100th issue at, most fittingly, the Sign of the Takahē. Current takahē chair, Jeni Curtis, introduced guest speaker and takahē founder, Sandra Arnold, whose anecdotes on the birth […]
Walking on the (re)wild side
As spring gives way to summer, green-fingered folk itch to get out there and start marshalling their gardens into a manicured precision. But wait! A new gardening trend, rewilding, is encouraging gardeners to let nature take its course on kept landscapes. Technically a form of large-scale conservation dedicated to returning land to a […]
A sound summer slumber
We all know there’s nothing like a good night’s sleep to make us feel that much better to face the new day ahead, but as our weather starts to warm, we need to cool down our beds, both layer wise and appearance wise. A winterweight duvet in the shade of hot chilli does not […]
The power of positivity
Sometimes all it takes is a friendly prod to get those projects started that, for some reason, we haven’t quite got around to. Christchurch author and, now, podcaster Rebecca Simons had just such a friend, and thanks to her, Rebecca stopped procrastinating. “My friend kept reminding me I had the knowledge, expertise and skills […]
Raising the toddlers of the plant world
Also known as “vegetable confetti”, microgreens are the quickest food crop urban gardeners can grow – often as simply as in a container on your kitchen windowsill. Not to be confused with sprouts – germinated seeds that are eaten root, seed and shoot – microgreens are the seedlings of leafy herbs and plants that […]
A gripping affair
Described as a rip-roaring wartime romance with chilling danger unknown to most, The Rigel Affair is the true story of Mattie Blanc and her love for US Navy Diver Charlie Kincaid. Metropol talks to local author L M Hedrick about this epic novel. When did you first become aware of Charlie Kincaid? When I […]
Celebrating Couture in Canterbury
Young emerging designer Natasha Senior was 14 when she won the top prize at the 2018 YMCA Walk the Line catwalk, part of New Zealand Fashion Week. Her winning entry of linen top and neoprene trousers is now being showcased alongside garments from established designers, such as Trelise Cooper and Adrienne Whitewood, at Canterbury Museum […]
