Urban Earthtalk

Charmaine’s brother Jess (the youngest surviving sibling in her birth family) died peacefully in his flat in Sydney, somewhere around February 15 or 16, apparently of heart failure. Jess was Charmaine’s soulmate in many ways- a passionate reader,  a fighter for social justice, but also damaged – they were both alcoholics at the time they […]

  Tanya, Ingrid and Kate on the Treaty education stall at Te Tii Marae It was an honour to accompany Ingrid Huygens and Kate Abel – both Treaty educators- to Waitangi this year, to help out on their stall on Te Tii Marae.  The Treaty Education stall this year launched the Joan Macdonald Trust Fund, established […]

Awhitu… said to mean”A Longing to Return“.. It is true that while we have no urge any longer  to be managing a 28 acre farm, we love going back to the Awhitu Peninsula, and staying at Orua Bay. Orua is one of the lovelier beaches in the wider Auckland region- good sand, safe swimming in […]

We’ve made the most of the hot, dry summer, moving in and out of different worlds as usual. Tanya delved into the world of international women’s tennis again in early January for three days.  She saw Serena Williams play each day, but it was the young players who captured her imagination: Taylor Townsend and Asia […]