It’s all go in Christchurch this weekend. There are Fun Palaces, Plant Parades and sing-a-longs happening in the centre of the city over the weekend and the activities look exciting. But make time to chug along to Pioneer Stadium where you will be in for a real treat.
The annual Christchurch Model Train Show brings together some of the best model railways in the South Island and has an expected 30 layouts.
If you are interested in New Zealand railways in miniature then check out the One Track Minds module and be amazed by their detailed handiwork.
No doubt like many of you, I grew up learning French at school. For seven years I practiced saying helpful phrases like Ouvre la fenêtre; and Il y a un autobus. I must have enjoyed it, because I then chose to study French at university. As a consequence, decades later, I can fake the BEST French accent, order coffee authentically, and pronounce the word croissant like a pro.
My early exposure to French language and culture has also, however, left me with an enduring love for all things Gallic. So Akaroa’s biennial French Fest – happening this year from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th October – is a celebration I would very dearly love to attend. Malheureusement, I will be away that weekend, so I will be relying on all of you to do your best to pop over the hill and join in the celebrations.
And there’s a lot to celebrate – this year marks the 175th anniversary of the first organised European settlement. You can choose to mark the occasion by attending Friday night’s Fête des Lumières Street Party, or watch the following morning’s re-enactment of the landing of the settlers from the French ship Comte de Paris. Saturday also offers Le Jour du Marché, with a street market at the showgrounds, and on Sunday you can join in (or just watch!) a game of Ki-o-Rahi – a traditional Māori ball game played by two teams on a circular pitch that was taught to the French settlers.
As an added bonus, French Fest has this year partnered with Beca Heritage Week, and has the honour of offering the very first event in that festival’s programme. So much to see and do! Je suis jaloux that you will be able to attend – perhaps as a small favour I could ask you to bring me back a croissant, or possibly even pain au chocolat.
Free, pop-up Fun Palaces will be hosting exciting arts, science and culture activities for people of all ages and abilities this weekend. New Zealand will be the first place in the world to get our Fun Palace on!
SCAPE Public Art presents the Ōtākaro Plant Parade. You can make Cyanotype prints. It also has two Jolt performances – an installation piece using the artwork Tree Houses for Swamp Dwellers by Julia Morison and then a performance piece “illuminate” on the Dance-O-Mat.
Fab Lab xCHC is putting on Papertronics. Make a light up lamp!
Sleeping Ocean is part of The Body Festival. Layering contemporary dance, spoken word, real-time electronic music, design and fine art in various combinations over 3 days, in a cabin in the centre of Victoria Square.
Be There lists all the local Fun Palaces. You can win too – snap a selfie at any of the Fun Palaces and upload to your social media accounts with the hashtag #funpalaceschch and you are in the draw to WIN a bicycle worth up to $2,000. See you there!
곧 아이들 학교 방학이 시작되네요. 온 가족이함께 할 수 있는 신나는 정보를 소개 할까 합니다.
Fun Palaces 2015라고 들어 보셨나요? Fun Palaces는 1960년 영국 연극 연출가 Joan Littlewood 와 건축가 Cedric Price에의해 ‘신나는 실험실’ 과 ‘거리의 우주’라는 상상의 이야기가 그 시작이 었답니다. 이러한 시도는 2014년 Stella Duffy를 중심으로한 여러사람들에 의해 현실화 되었답>니다. 그리고 세계 최초로 크라이스트쳐치 에서 시작을 하게 되었습니다. 10월 3일 부터 4일까지 City Centre 여러 곳에서 누구나 참여 하여 즐길 수 있는 여러 행사가 준비 되어 있습니다. 예술, 과학 그리고 다양한 문화 행사를 직접 경험하고 배울 수 있는 유익한 프로그램을 시내 곳 곳에서 만날 수 있답니다. 시내에 위치한 Central Library Peterborough에도 이 행사와 연결된 여러 가지 프로그램들을 준비했답니다. 아이들과 함께 방문해 보세요.
재명훈 작가의 SF소설 가마틀 스타일 – 우리는 어떻게 태어났을까? 세상에 태어나 문득 스스로를 바라보게 된 순간 어떻게 생긴 자아와 어떻게 생긴 몸이 ‘나’의 많은 부분을 구성하고 있었던가. 또한 그 두 가지가 내 기대와 맞지 않았을 때, 세상은 우리에게 어떤 모험을 제시했던가. 맨 처음 그 모험의 길이 펼쳐졌던 우리 인생의 어느 순간에 우리는 과연 그 여정을 감당할 만큼의 용기와 적당한 정도의 위대함, 그리고 인간성을 갖추고 있었던가. 이 책이 던지는 질문은 그런 것들이다.— 「작가의 말」중에서
김탁환 작가의 역사 추리 소설 목격자들을 소개합니다. “방각본 살인 사건”, “열녀문의 비밀”, “열하광인”으로 이어지는 김탁환 작가의 백탑파 시리즈의 또 다른 이야기입니다.
With tablet in hand, and the bing-bong of the email hitting my inbox still ringing in the air, I searched the catalogue to place a hold. I started reading the comments…
Fans of “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon will enjoy this series…
and
As a huge fan of the Outlander series I was so happy to find this book…
A few days later, the book turns up–all 876 pages of it. …Mutter, mutter…fat books…never reads anyone else’s choice…gets us to read a blimmin’ 900 page book…*groan*…
Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to reading this big, fat, Outlander-esque book for my book-club. I used to like fat books. A good, long read that would keep you going for weeks — so long you’d have to take it out three times maybe, like I did when I read Memoirs of Cleopatra. Books with plenty of pithy plot and scope for real character development. Books so heavy that reading in bed is a real workout.
But then I had kids, and got a job* too, and life just got too busy for fat books.
I turned the book over in my hands. Just because the cover is emblazoned with Diana Gabladon’s words of praise, that doesn’t mean I’ll hate it, right? Just because Outlander fans love it, that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy it. Better not put off starting too long, or I’ll never get it finished in time. I cracked it open.
And I started to enjoy it. Right from the first chapter. Elizabeth was just a great character, so feisty! I couldn’t help but like her. And that was the general feeling from my book group too. We (almost) all managed to (almost) finish it, despite the 876 pages. And we all quite liked it, though most of us aren’t going to rush out and read the rest of the series.
This morning, a bright, shiny new copy of The Gilded Hour arrived here at Spreydon Library for a hold, and I think I’ll add myself to the hold list.
I once came close to arrest for a flag indiscretion.
It happened in about 1985 in a South African border town on the edge of Lesotho. My husband and I were on one of those languid, childless road trips, with no set agenda, that are so dear to South Africans and New Zealanders alike. We rounded a corner of this town, and there before us was a truly amazing sight: the local Police Station bedecked with several newly laundered South African flags of all sizes – draped over the stone walls, hanging from the trees, laid out to dry on the lawn.
We were astonished on so many levels. We hadn’t even known that flags were ever washed, and we had heard that it was a mark of disrespect for a nation’s flag to come into contact with the ground. This was a South African Police Station in the middle of nowhere – we had to have a photo. We slowed right down and took the snap. We thought we were brilliant; we even conjured up a snappy slogan. We would sell this photo. We would become Rich and Famous.
Instead we were invited in for questioning. Our film was confiscated and our holiday snaps destroyed. We had overlooked that it is an offence in South Africa to photograph a police station.
So, I harbour strong feelings about flags. What can the library do to satisfy my flaggy curiosity?
And for a bit of good old flag-waving fiction – there’s Jane Gardam’s short stories Showing the Flag
What’s more, this current New Zealand flag debate is not my first flag referendum. Given the tumultuous changes in South Africa with the advent of democracy – it was obvious that the old flag would have to go. I remember the calls for designs; the anxiety over the loss of historical connections; the thousands of letters to the press. Clearly it would be impossible to please everyone. When the design of the new flag was announced, with lightning quick speed the new (and current SA flag) was denounced as being like a child’s painting of a pair of Jockey Y-front underpants laid on its side. Not such a good look.
Now it is a much loved icon of the new South Africa. There may be many profound reasons why this is so, but I believe it is partly because it is such a joy to face paint. The old flag involved a huge expanse of white with three tiny (detailed) little flags slap bang in the middle of the flag. Right where the nose is usually positioned. Quite frankly, it was dead in the water well before the first election.
So I put it to you here – when Flag Referendum time arrives, after you’ve resolved all your other flaggy issues, ask yourself one question:
“Will the flag I choose look good when painted on my face?”
The Body Festival is Christchurch’s annual event of dance and physical theatre. This year it runs from 25 September to 11 October. Participation is an important part of the festival which gives everyone an excuse to give it a go and get their body moving!
As always this year’s event offers a broad range of dance workshops and beginners’ classes as well as performances and exhibitions.
The opening night event, No Lights No Lycra was energising (and sweaty) with the kind of upbeat playlist sure to get a body moving, but there are plenty of other opportunities to “trip the light fantastic”.
There was a time when the World Book was just one plain brown set of encyclopaedias sitting on a shelf. Nowadays it has transformed into a startling array of gorgeous looking eResources. These eResources are updated daily, available 24/7, and are full of multimedia options including video, interactive maps, activities and country comparisons. You can print, email and save results and even have articles read aloud to you. In short, World Book eResources are very clever and very useful, but they have a problem – there are almost too many of them! I do get asked about the many World Book platforms that we have so here is a brief rundown:
World Book Activity Corner: (formerly Craft Corner) the place to go if it is raining and you have no money, but you do have kids. Learn how to make an ashtray or a sound proof scream box;
World Book Discover: for those who are learning English as a second language, or for those adults who struggle with literacy;
World Book Early World of Learning: let a scarecrow called Trek take you around the world and introduce you to colours, letters, numbers, shapes and reading. Aimed at pre-schoolers and early primary;
World Book Kids: aimed at primary aged children up into their tweens. A gorgeous interface with games, science projects and age appropriate articles and images;
World Book Reference Centre: for adults not necessarily in the academic arena. Includes help on life skills such as buying a car, budgeting and searching for a job;
World Book Web (all : if all else fails then go here and it can take you to all of the above!
Confused? Just remember that World Book has developed eResources with certain ages in mind. So if you are helping your children do their homework or wanting to update your CV then World Book does have something for you.
28 September 1864
Re-built Victoria Bridge opens. It is probably the country’s first iron and stone bridge.
29 September 1978
Friendship Corner opens by the Bridge of Remembrance. After a heated public debate over whether the area should be used for parking, the Council decided to plant the area with trees representing Christchurch’s sister cities.
Fun Palaces 2015
![Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch [ca. 1885], CCL PhotoCD 12, IMG0090](https://i2.wp.com/christchurchcitylibraries.com/heritage/photos/disc12/IMG0090.jpg)
