Otago Daily Times News Feed

The Bill proposed to curb farm-to-forest conversions does not go far enough, Southland farmers say, and is too late, with whole blocks of pines visible across the region.

It seems as if the country will be moving away from copper in communication networks — but has everyone got the message?

North Otago farmers Ele and Grant Ludemann inspect a fine-wool flock as part of a tour in Western Australia last month. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED Southern farmers are optimistic about the future of the fibre they grow after touring several sheep and wool operations in Western Australia.

Nicki and Craig McMillan recently touched down in Samoa on a rat eradication project. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Nicki and Craig McMillan, owner-operators of HeliVentures in North Otago, have been nominated as Rural Champions for their outstanding contribution to the aviation industry and the wider rural sector.

Custom Fencing crew leader Galen Monks, of Dunedin, won the emerging talent award at the Fencing Contractors Association New Zealand industry awards in Taupo last month. Photo: supplied Dunedin fencer Galen Monks continues to nail it after teaching himself the trade as a boy.

Nature certainly knows what it needs to do to uplift everyone’s spirits.

Olivia Galletly in the The Hungry Cook included this classic cocktail in the book’s collection, saying “it’s sweet, bright, almond-y and dangerously moreish. "Our version slightly differs from the classic recipe, with our addition of amaretto liqueur”.

Spring is here - although, we really didn’t have a bad winter this year in Dunedin. But it’s always worth celebrating the arrival of spring.

The little girl enamoured with Alison Holst and Jo Seagar and later as she grew up Allyson Gofton and Annabelle White, has made the most of the family recipe books handed down from her grandma, great-aunt and mum all filled with beautifully handwritten recipes and aged newspaper cuttings.

Yes, we made it through another winter!

As glimpses of nicer weather appear on the horizon, many of us start planning our next camping trip or outdoor adventure.

While we wait, ever so patiently, for spring to do its thing, I am off to the Mediterranean; no long-haul flights required, just a change of mindset and some new ingredients in the kitchen.

At times it feels like I’m flipping calendar pages over faster than a card shark shuffling a deck. Doing so recently was a stark reminder that well more than half the year had already passed.