ABC Wed: Letter L for little

so cute when they were little. My littlest siblings  when they were little. The littlest one is  45.
http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

ABC Wednesday for Kiwi way of growing Kumara/sweet potato

Kylie explaining with a model who the early Maoris planted this important root crop.

Anau Smithy This is a metal model of a tàpapa. A kumara nursery. This was how Màori grew the vegetables.

Those of us coming from the tropics, it is very hard for us to conceptualize how difficult it is to grow plants in a cold country.

The Maoris were very successful in this. There are lots of volcanic rocks/scoria. These rocks retains the heat . They have a bed of rocks in the ground, plant the kumara/sweet potato, and then place more rocks on top. During the day, the sun heats the rock, and the heat is retained and the plants don't get ruin by the frost.
Anau Smithy I hope I am explaining it correctly to the readers from Malaysia. They are grown in moulds so the water will drain.

The long stick for heavy digging using the foot.

 Use a small forked stick like a Kiwi pecking in the ground so you not bruise the potato, When you locate one, get dirty and use your hand and fingers.

My friend Josephine volunteering to demonstrate and she got her reward, a big kumara.

I realised I didn't take a photo of the vines. It was winter and the plants were brownish. I came home and took my own.

I was privileged to go on a Outdoor education module during our conference.  After climbing the Mangere Mountain, we descended and came to this workshop.

Kylie showed us how the grew kumaras. The land is very fertile because of the volcano.

I planted my kumara too late. We had a big storm, and the gustly wind and tipped over some of my plants.
https://www.facebook.com/MangereMountainEducationCentre?fref=ts


http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/

FSO: Places of worship.

 Two of the previous team, Jennifer and Gabby during the commissioning of this year's team who just returned.

 

 

http://www.mabc.org.nz/

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Places of Worship [Friday My Town Shoot Out Link-Up] 

http://mytownshootout.blogspot.co.nz/

 

Red and Yellow: Pasifika

My International srudents from Chile, Peru, Korea, Italy, France, Spain, Iceland and so on asked me what Pasifika stood for. I explained that it was a celebration of the Pacific Island nations representing Niue, Tahiti, Tokelau, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji and tangata whenua (Maori, New Zealand)



http://rubytuesdaytoo.blogspot.co.nz/








http://mondaymellowyellows.blogspot.com.au/

Pasifika

My International srudents from Chile, Peru, Korea, Italy, France, Spain, Iceland and so on asked me what Pasifika stood for. I explained that it was a celebration of the Pacific Island nations representing Niue, Tahiti, Tokelau, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji and tangata whenua (Maori, New Zealand)












SIA KO VEIONGO R.F.C. 1966
George in front of the coach.

A distinquished George now.

These are synthetic leis, not the frangipani ones you see wore by the Pacific Islanders.

 Here I am with my ESOl srudent/friend George and his daughter Sita infront of his stall selling Tongan craft. See my Pasifika hat? I didn't like the feeling of the lei, so I wound it round my hat.
 On Wednesday mornings, I go to Mt Albert Baptist Church. The kids in school ask me why I go there. I tell them, I teach big people to learn English. I tell them there mums and dads can go and learn English and about New Zealand Culture.  I tell them about George. He is the best example to an immigrant to New Zealand.


Mālō e lelei - hello

I always greet George "Mālō e lelei" because these are the only Tongan words I know. My students in Pt Chevalier school taught me to say that and assured me that it is enough when I greet a Tongan person.

This is George Petelo Fa'apoi. He is 75 and comes to Mt Albert Baptist Church ESOL classes as a senior student. He is a very regular attendant and is such an inspiration. I don't teach him, so I regard him as a friend. He is what the proverbial phrase, tall, dark and handsome man and soft spoken that any woman, me inclusive, would want for her boy friend.

In his younger days, he had traveled the world with the Tongan Shipping agency and had been to Borneo. George's extensive CV was high lighted when he was the security guard on duty during the French bombing of the Rainbow Warrior. He was an eye witness.

George is one of the few surviving Tongan rugby players that first played against the Maori All Black in 1966.

Now as a retiree, he doesn't twiddle his thumbs. He attended numerous courses including alcoholism seminars, Pacific Islands sexual abuse counselling course, interpreting in English and Tongan, to help his people.

Instead he volunteers with the Friendly Islands Wardens Incorporated, and with 7 ex policemen. He provides security for Auckland City, Balmoral area, Sandringham and Avondale area. George is the manager. He is a friendly grand pa to many of the Polynesian kids.

He is one of the initiators of the Pasifika Festival Celebration in Western Springs. He holds a stall with his wife. Their stall won the best dressed stall in Tonga village in 2010. Such is the dedication and passion for his culture.

After more than 40 years in New Zealand, he can show the kids a thing or two. Life doesn't need to be a useless bum as is the stereotyping prejudiced ideas perceived of immigrant people from the islands.

George lives with his wife, has two children, and seven grand children, (6 boys and a girl). He attends church service every Sunday, and is an encouragement to those who know him. He is held with the highest regard among the Tongan community.

Mālō e lelei - hello (lit. congrat. on being well, the being in good health is worthy of gratitude)

Fēfē hake? - how are you? (fēfē means how, hake is idiomatic with fēfē)

Sai pē - just fine


http://youtu.be/H8Gbk4i41_M

Tonga might well be that island in the sun.

Island In The Sun lyrics
Songwriters: Belafonte, Harry; Burgess, Irving;

Oh island in the sun
Built to me by my father's hand
All my days I will sing in praise
Of your forest waters, your shining sand

As morning breaks, the Heaven on high
I lift my heavy load to the sky
Sun comes down with a burning glow
Mingles my sweat with the earth below

Oh island in the sun
Built to me by my father's hand
All my days I will sing in praise
Of your forest waters, your shining sand

I see woman on bended knee

Cutting cane for her family
I see man at the water-side
Casting nets at the surfing tide

Oh island in the sun
Built to me by my father's hand
All my days I will sing in praise
Of your forest waters, your shining sand

I hope the day will never come
When I can't awake to the sound of drum
Never let me miss carnival
With calypso songs philosophical





http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/

FSO:Inside my favorite place

This is my favourite nook. I do my writing, blogging, and face book, plus a million things on the computer. Behind me is the TV, it is on all the time, so I can hear what is happening, and if it is interesting, I swivel my chair to watch. I also have a big calendar which I prefer to use as my diary. You can also see my diary and most important, my cup of coffee.

My mouse is remote control. usu my mobile is on the table, I can charge it near by.

This nook is my favourite place, I wrote seven books.

Inside my favorite place [Friday My Town Shoot Out Link-Up]

http://mytownshootout.blogspot.co.nz/

ABC Wednesday: International Women's day

Today is the 105th anniversary of International Women’s Day, 1911-2016 , 8 March 2016.
Make a Pledge For Parity

Women's Day events honour and celebrate the achievements of women all around the world, ranging from small random informal gatherings to large highly organised events.






The Mt Roskill War Memorial Park was a sea of beautiful people in their beautiful clothes.


I am very proud of Kate Sheppard. Her image appears on our ten dollar note. She is mainly responsible for New Zealand to be the first country to give women the vote in modern times.

Katherine Wilson Sheppard (10 March 1847 – 13 July 1934) was the most prominent member of New Zealand's women's suffrage movement, and is the country's most famous suffragette. Because New Zealand was the first country to introduce universal suffrage, Sheppard's work had a considerable impact on women's suffrage movements in other countries. During one of the protest movement, she led a whole group of ladies to lie down on the road and the police couldn't do anything.

Sheppard played a considerable part in getting the women's suffrage bill was successfully passed, granting women full voting rights. Sheppard herself was widely acknowledged as the leader of the women's suffrage movement.

An elderly friend in her 80s told me that when she was growing up, the girls wanted to be like Kate.

Sheppard is considered to be an important figure in New Zealand's history. A memorial to her exists in Christchurch.




In 1975, I was a young impressionable 20 year old when I went to Canada and heard Helen Reddy sing. This song was chosen by United Nations as the anthem for the International year of women. Together with my girls friends in the Laurier Hall, the hostel for women only in Windsor University, we sang this song with gusto. That year, I became aware of women's rights and women's lib. I became a champion for this cause. Some of the boys accused us to be lesbians.

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again

CHORUS
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

You can bend but never break me
'cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

CHORUS

I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin' arms across the land
But I'm still an embryo
With a long long way to go
Until I make my brother understand

Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
Oh, I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong

I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUBnxqEVKlk


Today, I am no longer the young naive girl. I write books, and some of them are about women and oppression.

Women face many kinds of oppression through the centuries. The author takes you to a journey of modern day oppression.

This story traces the life of Nadine, a girl born to Indian parents. It embodies the issues of a Kiwi girl, Nadine, growing up in conflicting cultures and getting lost in her environment.

Nadine grows up to overcome her problems to help women who suffered from physical and mental violence, domestic violence, rape, pornography, swinging, incest, bullying, sex with minors, sex slavery and human trafficking.

Traces the lives of 2 girls. The poor girl is sold to the rich girl as a slave aka mui zai to serve her for ever. Different Chinese Tradition are explained, and tragedy brings them to the South Seas. The Japanese invasion, the slave protects her mistress and is sent to a brothel as a comfort women.

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.co.nz/  

Great Outdoors [Friday My Town Shoot Out]

http://mytownshootout.blogspot.co.nz/

Great Outdoors [Friday My Town Shoot Out

 

 

 

Train ride and lost elderly and some chillis.

Yesterday, the water engineer who is a great fan of the of the China Fast rail was watching a video clip of an elderly woman, in her 80s, who meant to go on the local train to buy some vegetables ended up  on the fast train from Shanghai to Nanking. 

It makes me think of these impersonal machines, super efficient but heartless. 

 Below is my train ride of our local slow train.

I am also recalling a story with these very chillis. One day, I was at our local Asian grocer. The rain was pelted down and these two elderly couple had a walker preparing to go home. I suggested I send them home, They say just up the road, they didn't know English, and got very lost, So was I. I stopped at the diary to ask for direction. It was just up the road. 

They were very grateful when I found the house. You bet so was I. I the pelting rain, the old woman went to pick these chillis for me.

To make the story short, I have a wonderful story to cherish and tell my kids that it doesn't take much to be a good Samaritan.
My friendly conductor Baar, he welcomed us on board and was very helpful. He even helped with carrying a walker off the train.

On the way back, it was after school time. There were two handsome New Zealand Maori wardens. My conjecture is by having two young friendly wardens on board, it helps deter rowdy students. Indeed, the train was very clean and the students well behaved. They were very happy for me to take their photo.

http://rubytuesdaytoo.blogspot.co.nz/