Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 9, 2023 i New Zealand Woman's Weekly

Royal update They’re not the most likely of allies. Despite having some things in common – like being ostracised by the royal family for many years – Camilla, Queen Consort and Sarah, Duchess of York seem to be poles apart. Camilla is now one of the highest-ranking members of the The Firm, while Fergie still remains something of an outcast. But the duchess’ status could be about to change thanks to the kindness of the King’s wife. Camilla, 75, has been responsible for helping to bring Fergie, 63, back into the royal fold, despite the fact her husband the King supposedly “can’t stand” his former sister-in-law. “The recent thawing of relations with Sarah is due to the Queen Consort,” says an aide. “Camilla likes Sarah. She thinks it’s time for…

Nicole Kidman & Naomi Watts Infinite Storm actress Naomi and Being the Ricardos star Nicole are proud Down Under imports in Hollywood. The pair first bonded as teenagers when they both starred in the 1991 Australian movie Flirting. “We’ve gone through a lot together over a significant amount of time,” says Naomi, 54. “That history binds you.” The King Kong star credits Nicole with giving her the encouragement to shoot for her dreams, sharing Nicole would tell her, “Nai. One thing. That’s all it takes. It will change everything.” For her part, Nicole, 55, says, “We’re like sisters.” Julia Roberts & Dermot Mulroney In 1997, Julia and Dermot starred opposite each other in the romcom My Best Friend’s Wedding. More than 25 years later, they’re still besties. “I’d walk a…

It’s not unusual for babies’ baptism gowns to have special significance. Often that’s because they are family heirlooms handed down through many generations, or because of who else has worn them. In Maurice Crane’s case, the dainty jacket he wore for his christening 95 years ago is unique because of who made it. The crocheted piece – and also possibly the gown and slip worn with it – was handmade specially for him by Queen Mary, the wife of King George V. That’s our current King’s great-grandmother. “I know Queen Mary definitely did the crocheting, but I’m not sure about the gown and the bit that goes under it,” says Maurice. “I suppose there aren’t too many people who can say that a queen made what they wore for their…

Kombucha MAKES 800ML PREP + COOK TIME 15 MINS(+ 7-14 DAYS FERMENTING) You will need to start this recipe eight to 15 days ahead. 2 tablespoons loose-leaf organic green tea½ cup (175g) raw honey1 litre (4 cups) filtered water, boiling1 kombucha SCOBY “mother” (see tip)¼ cup (60ml) kombucha starter liquid (see note)½ cup (50g) fresh ginger, peeled, chopped into 3cm pieces½ cup (125ml) lemon juice 1 Sterilise a wide-mouth 2-litre (8-cup) glass jar. 2 Place tea and honey in sterilised jar. Pour boiling water on top, stirring until honey dissolves. Cover and stand at room temperature overnight to brew. 3 Using a sieve lined with cheesecloth, strain tea into a 1-litre (4-cup) jug, discarding the tea leaves. 4 Rewash and sterilise the jar; leave to cool. Pour cooled tea into…

If you want happy, healthy skin long into old age, applying a few skincare rules from the neck down won’t go astray. And luckily, there are a plethora of body-loving beauty options that cater to exactly that! Fruity & fab St Tropez Gradual Tan Watermelon Firming Lotion, $37.99, is a multitasking formula with skincare benefits and a daily dose of glow. The streak-free and ultra-hydrating yet lightweight lotion literally melts into the skin, quickly absorbing with a yummy watermelon scent. All in a lather! Body soaps and washes with extra nourishment are always a great choice, and there are so many options available at every price point. Melbourne brand Kit’s consciously crafted Soap Slab, $18, is a gorgeously soft option, which is triple-milled and enriched with skin-loving botanicals and hardworking…

Pantone’s 2023 Colour of the Year is Viva Magenta, a rich and rambunctious shade of carmine red. According to the experts, it’s an “unconventional colour for an unconventional time” and “a pulsating colour whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration”. Here’s how to update and modernise your interior with the on-trend shade. GO GRAND Homeowners in favour of brave and bold design could consider a daring interior makeover starring the vivacious colour. Refresh and update your living room, dining room or office space with a lick of magenta, or go for a modern take on the feature wall. Rather than opting for a block colour feature wall of times gone by, experiment with thoroughly contemporary paint effects, such as limewash or colourwash, to create depth and ambience. But be…

Musings from our favourite Kiwi funnywoman There is a constant supply of homemade salsa at my place right now. Partly it’s because nothing says “summer” on a rainy day like a bowl full of spicy tomatoes (close your eyes and pretend), but also because I keep seeing coriander in the shops and cannot walk past without buying it. Truth is, I am still recovering from The Great Tabbouleh Debacle of Christmas 2022. I say “tabbouleh” but the trauma included salsa. These are my two favourite “salads”, if you will. Fun to make, festive colours, fresh and delicious. They were to be a pivotal part of our Christmas lunch production – supporting acts to glazed ham in the starring role. So imagine my accelerating panic in the week leading up to…

Reflections from a stand-up guy I was in a band back in my Palmerston North Boys’ High School days: The Frank Scone Troupe. A fictitious character we dreamed up after we were encouraged to enter an inter-school talent quest. There were about 12 of us in the band. Three could play instruments, the rest wailed on kazoos and leapt around wearing giant cardboard boxes as shoes. It was great fun. We got second in the competition, but Palmerston North Girls’ High found us so entertaining, they invited us to perform a song at their assembly. Somehow that morphed into a lunchtime concert. We knew two songs. A concert. On the day, the hall filled with approximately 1200 young women expecting some rock ’n’ roll. The guy providing our sound system…

Mad about Maddie A 25-year-old treasure braves the big world This coming-of-age novel is heavily based on the author’s own life. It’s an emotionally raw and very poignant story about a young woman caught between duty and freedom, traditions and modern ways, family and friendship. Maddie is a 25-year-old Londoner who is struggling with many of the things that most typical twenty-somethings have to deal with – carving out a career, forming relationships, deciding who she is. Her response to most of the questions in her life is to Google the answer and she is almost always short of money. But, the child of Ghanaian immigrants, Maddie is carrying a heavier load than her peers. She is caring for her father, who is seriously disabled by Parkinson’s disease, while her…

As I write this week’s note, New Zealand is in a state of emergency following the devastating impact of Cyclone Gabrielle. Thousands of people are unable to return home, many more are without power, others are unaccounted for and tragically some people have lost their lives. It’s been heartbreaking to watch the trail of destruction unleashed on communities across the country. If this is you, or someone you love, the team here at the Weekly is very much thinking of you. Our cover star Rebecca Gibney chats about the second series of her hit show Under the Vines, which has returned to our screens. She shares her love of Dunedin and, with her son now at drama school in Wellington, how she is not one to suffer from empty-nest syndrome!…

They’ve never made a secret of the fact they love being parents to three children. Now, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have four! The Hollywood A-listers revealed their new arrival on social media in a roundabout way – not by announcing their new baby had arrived, but by posting a photo in which it was obvious Blake no longer has a baby bump. Gossip Girl star Blake, 35, who shares daughters James, eight, Inez, six, and Betty, three, with Deadpool actor Ryan, 46, shared a photo on social media on Super Bowl Sunday of the couple enjoying family time. The pair have yet to reveal the sex or name of their new arrival, but Ryan said recently he was “very excited” about expanding his brood, joking, “You’d have to be…

Invite in the mail Will they or won’t they? The question on many people’s lips is whether Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex will attend the King’s coronation. Palace sources say despite the rift between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family, Charles definitely wants his youngest son at his big day and an invitation will be in the post shortly. The pressure will then be on Harry and Meghan to decide if they’ll put in an appearance. The fact that the event is being held on their son Archie’s fourth birthday gives them an out, says a source. But most members of the royal family expect they’ll be there and are bracing themselves for the drama a visit from the Sussexes may possibly entail. The royal…

MAKING PICKLES Pickling is a method of preserving raw or quickly blanched vegetables and fruits in vinegar or alcohol (distilled spirits). Both liquids penetrate the ingredients, replacing the natural liquid, to prevent the growth of micro-organisms. For safety reasons, the amount of vinegar and sugar in a recipe should never be altered. DIFFERENT STYLES OF PICKLES Pickles can be as simple as vegetables packed into jars with vinegar; the resulting pickle will be crisp and sharp. Sugar and other flavourings will balance acidity and add complexity. Chutney is a form of cooked pickle, where the vegetable tends to have a softer consistency and a more complex taste. NOT ALL VINEGARS ARE CREATED EQUAL Use good-quality vinegar that contains at least four to six percent acetic acid. Look on the back…

The secret to ageing well could rest within your gut, which scientists now know plays a crucial role in important body systems, including immunity, metabolism and even how happy we can feel. Greek physician Hippocrates gave us the heads up around 320BC when he said all disease begins in the gut. If only we’d taken his word for it. The good news is that science has caught up, and we now know that our gut microbiome – a term that describes the trillions of bacteria and microbes that live there – plays a crucial role in our health and sense of wellbeing. “The depth of the microbiota is hard to fathom,” says gastroenterologist Dr Will Bulsiewicz. “The numbers are so astronomical… and it’s a wondrous magical community with amazing healing…

ARIES Mar 21 – Apr 20 You may be wearing a designer outfit, but you must roll up your sleeves and get dirty. It’s all hands on deck in whatever situation you live or work in. The job is achieved on time, and there is a great deal of celebration and praise. You’ll help pull a rabbit out of the hat – take a bow! TAURUS Apr 21 – May 21 A friend suggests you join forces on a project and you’re happy to do so. He or she is energetic, social and excellent at rallying the troops, but hopeless at organising them. That’s where you come in. If this is a business venture, it is a duo made in heaven. If there’s romance involved, you’ll reach the moon and…

A great chat with the queen of talk back Recently I spent a couple of days in Hawke’s Bay, helping an amazing group of men and women raise money for the Catwalk Trust. The trust raises money for spinal cord research and is the brainchild of Catriona Williams, a beautiful, energetic, charismatic woman who was left paralysed after a riding accident some years ago. We and her army of mates had the best time. It was so lovely to meet her friends – people with a myriad of talents who give their time freely to support the trust. We stayed at Arapata Lodge just out of Havelock North and the event itself was held at the beautiful Paretai estate. I got to make new friends and catch up with old…

She’s a familiar face on our screens and has been for a while now. But when Rebecca Gibney talks to the Weekly from her Dunedin home, she is shockingly real. “Oh, look at my hair,” she says flicking her blonde hair up and down. “I went to the hairdressers yesterday and I said, ‘I know I’ve got everything and I’m so lucky and grateful, but couldn’t I just have been given a bit more hair?’” she laughs. “I know that by the time I’m 80, I’m going to have three hairs left and I’ll probably dye them purple and perm them!” Rebecca, 58, is very funny. And it’s this humour and unaffected personality which shines through in her popular TVNZ 1 series Under the Vines. In its second season, the…

Kristen Bell has shocked some of her fans by revealing she talks openly to her two young daughters about their dad Dax Shepard’s struggles with addiction. The Good Place star, 42, has been married to Parenthood actor Dax, 48, since 2013, and the pair are raising two daughters, Lincoln, nine, and Delta, eight. “I know it’s shocking, but I talk to my kids about drugs, and the fact their daddy is an addict and he’s in recovery, and we talk about sex,” admits Kristen. “I hate the word ‘taboo’. I think it should be stricken from the dictionary. There should be no topic that’s off the table for people to talk about.” Dax achieved sobriety in 2005 after 10 years of substance abuse, but the Punk’d star briefly relapsed in…

Dame Gaylene Preston, 75, is a writer, director and producer, who is a major driving force behind more than 14 feature films and documentaries, such as Ruby and Rata, Bread and Roses, Home By Christmas, Mr Wrong and My Year with Helen. She began working in the industry in the 1970s and has recently released her first book, a memoir, Gaylene’s Take – Her Life in New Zealand Film. You have been described by filmmaker Jane Campion as “part liar, part cowgirl, mouthy and determined”. Does this sum you up adequately? Pretty much. I’ve been making up stories since I was very little. I began as soon as I could string a few words together selling them to the neighbours as true – maintaining I had met characters from the…

After living with a significant hearing impairment for most of her life, Kara Johnson didn’t expect her own footsteps to be so loud and distracting or the sound of her baby laughing to be so sweet. It’s all thanks to a life-changing cochlear implant that the Feilding mum no longer misses out on fully experiencing these precious moments. “Tilly was five months old when I had the surgery and the first time I heard her properly laugh was so special,” recalls Kara, 32. It means all the more as she didn’t get to hear the first giggles of her two older children but now, smiling, she shares she doesn’t miss a thing, including her older children whispering and plotting together. The mother of Connor, 11, Sofia, eight, and Tilly, three,…

In summer, when tomatoes are at their peak, you could use ox-heart tomatoes or any other tomatoes available instead of Roma for this recipe. Choose the ripest tomatoes you can find. Once you’ve bought or picked them, make sure you don’t refrigerate them as this dulls the flavour. Instead, store them in a sunny spot until you’re ready to use them. If they’re a little under-ripe, store them with ethylene-producing fruit, such as a just-ripe banana, to accelerate the ripening. Tomato ginger chilli jam MAKES 7½ CUPSPREP & COOK TIME 1½ HOURS 2kg ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped coarsely 1kg caster sugar2/3 cup (160ml) white vinegar ½ cup (125ml) lemon juice 12 fresh long red chillies, sliced thinly 2 fresh small red Thai (serrano) chillies, sliced thinly 1 tablespoon finely grated…

STATEMENT PRINT A bold print dress is a wardrobe must and this geometric number will not date from season to season. A flattering fit for all body types, wear with sandals, then switch out for boots, a wide belt and a jacket as the weather cools. $109 from Zara UPDATED TEE Elevate your t-shirt collection with this budget-friendly option that has a stylish puff sleeve in broderie anglaise. Add a blazer or jacket as the temperatures drop. A lovely option to pack if you’re escaping winter for the islands. $20 from Postie STAPLE CAMISOLE A wardrobe full of staple pieces makes compiling an ensemble so much easier. This jacquard camisole has adjustable straps and can take you from day to play with appropriate styling – wear under a blazer and…

As eager as would-be chicken keepers tend to be, it’s not always easy to know where to begin, but these lovely birds are easier to keep than most people imagine. The coop (or house) is usually what first comes to mind when people think about getting chickens. There are many options for coops, but they all need certain components to satisfy the needs of you and your chickens. A strongly built coop, some sort of weatherproof structure to keep your chickens out of the rain and wind, will become the centre of their universe. There are ready-made coops available in farm shops. If your budget stretches to this, they will provide instant housing for your chickens, but many people build their own. Whether your coop is A-frame, box-like, tall or…

The beloved broadcaster’s reflections on life I’ve started a diet. There are two reasons. First, I’m onto the last hole in my belt. Second, my daughter Tommie, who’s studying to be a dietitian, is living at home at the moment and she tells me it’ll be really easy to lose a stack of kilos. “What will I need to do?” I asked her. The answer wasn’t what I expected. “You need to eat like a normal person.” I’m assuming when Tommie becomes a fully-fledged dietitian, her chairside manner will be less direct. “What is it about how I eat that isn’t normal?” I asked. “Well, to start with, normal people don’t finish a meal, ask for seconds, then serve themselves up another meal the same size as the first.” I’ve…

Letters to the Editor EVERYDAY INSPIRATION ● Winning letter Recently, I read Kerre Woodham’s excellent article on positivity. I daresay if I was to know Kerre and her mum, they would be on my “best buddies” list. One’s mindset can be one’s best friend or one’s worst enemy at my stage of life at 68 years. Those who know me well have accepted I am never intending to “grow up”. So, in January I set about in search of a book to further cultivate my mind. I bought 1001 Ways to Be Creative: A Little Book of Everyday Inspiration by Barbara Ann Kipfer. This book is my 2023 go-to for inspiring and creative ideas. It’s filled with so many self-motivating ideas that have me brimming with excitement. The idea is…