CLEAN FREAKS

Article by Eleanor Black

The following are excerpts from the article 'Clean Freaks', published in both the Sunday magazine (15/11/15) and online (link to online article below).

Childhood exposure to bacteria has been proven to help protect us from eczema, asthma and other health problems. So why do so many households wage chemical warfare against microbes?

A small boy, new to kindergarten, climbs into the sandpit and promptly loses the plot. Kept immaculately clean by his germaphobic mother, he is regularly squirted with hand sanitiser and wiped down with antibacterial wipes. Why is he crying? There is sand on his hands. The same thing happens when he gets muddy in the playground. He just can't cope with unclean, gritty hands.

While there is little more affecting than a child who doesn't know how to play outside, the boy's fear of getting dirty is also a health issue. If children are not exposed to low levels of bacteria in their early years, their immune system does not develop properly. Playing in the dirt, living with animals and interacting with lots of other children is not just fun, it is good for them.

But is this important message getting through to the average Kiwi family – to the family of that little boy with sand on his hands? Emphatically no, says Professor Mike Berridge, a research scientist at Victoria University's Malaghan Institute, who has written a book, The Edge of Life, about the widening gap between scientific discovery and public understanding. 

"We don't seem to realise that our health is very dependent on a good balance of microbes," says Berridge. "Our whole lifestyle is aimed at destroying that population of microbes. It's really important that we recognise our biological heritage. We have almost got to the stage where we think we are better than our biological system."

With a noticeable rise in standards of cleanliness in Western nations, especially among more affluent people – a boon to producers of hand sanitiser, bagless vacuum cleaners and antibacterial everything – Berridge is among a host of scientists concerned that we are making our homes too clean, almost sterile, in our attempts to create 'safe' havens for our children.

It's not a new idea, but it is one that is rapidly gaining traction. The hygiene hypothesis, which links a lack of early childhood exposure to infectious microbes and parasites to a less robust immune system later in life, was first mooted 25 years ago by Professor David Strachan of the University of London. He found that children with older siblings were less likely than their peers to develop hay fever – and that the more older siblings they had, the higher their levels of protection.

Over the years, multiple international studies have given weight to Strachan's theory, to the point that it is now well accepted in the scientific community, if not the wider population. It is believed that childhood exposure to bacteria (delivered in small doses via outdoor play, childcare centres and household pets) protects against eczema, asthma and other allergies. It may also protect against type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, even Alzheimer's disease...

"Sending kids outside, just exposing them to the normal environment, is important. We tend to forget that our bodies are covered in bacteria and if they are not kept in the right balance then the wrong bugs can take hold."...

New parents are especially sensitive to pressure, both real and imagined, to maintain homes that are clean, healthy temples. Anecdotally we hear of industrious new mothers who swab the floors daily, disinfect door handles, wipe the kitchen bench every time they pass by, and scrub their hands to the point that their skin is chapped and their knuckles swollen. 

There are mums who ask visitors to take off their shoes and wipe their feet before coming inside, then proffer the ubiquitous hand sanitiser (developed for use by surgeons, by the way) before anyone is allowed to hold the baby...

Read the full article via the link below!

Link to the article:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/73955233/Clean-freaks-Has-our-obsession-with-cleanliness-gone-too-far

What is it about Grandparenthood that makes it so special?

Is it the sheer joy of a new life?

Or perhaps because we share genes and it feels so familiar? 

There is something magical that definitely happens when you enter this new phase of your life.... 

It feels fabulous to be a Grandparent!

A fabulous two weeks at the Hamilton Gardens

WARWICK SMITH/Fairfax NZ

 

 

BOOKBINDER: Ralph McCubbin Howell, writer and performer.

We have been enjoying the Arts Festival. Last week a highlight was 'The Bookbinder'. It was a fabulous one man play from a Wellington Company called Trick of Light. Ralph McCubbin Howell travels around NZ and often performs in bookshops. Check out his website and see if he is coming to your town, this is the link to their website: 
http://www.trickofthelight.co.nz/

Below is a review of the Bookbinder written by Rachel Thomas that was published in the Waikato Times.

Anyone who has gathered around a campfire to share horror stories knows how much more exciting things become when a torch is shined under the storyteller's chin.
The Bookbinder flawlessly uses the elements of light, shadows and puppetry to create a tale which feels like the best campfire story ever told.
The one-man play comes from Wellington company Trick of the Light and is directed by Hannah Smith.
It's written and performed entirely by Ralph McCubbin Howell - who never once gets tiresome to watch as he takes his audience through a myriad of characters, accents and pop-up paper worlds in the space of 60 minutes.
Played out in a makeshift blackened space in the Japanese Garden of Contemplation, the stage is small and the set delightful - piles of well-loved books stacked around carefully placed desk lamps, and a gramophone which allows an elaborate musical score to play out.
Despite the confined space, this play knows no limits. A character might appear in the form of a human, a paper figure or a shadow - but we know the main ones as only the Bookbinder, his Apprentice, the Boy, and the Girl.
McCubbin Howell's careful treatment of the tiny figures in the story make it feel less like we are watching a puppet show and more like this Bookbinder is a giant in a surreal fantasy where people are made from paper and books are skyscrapers.
The seamless harmony of music, moody shadows and McCubbin Howell's pristine timing and tone create suspense akin to a blockbuster film. The 40 of us packed into the sold-out show hung on his every word.
It wasn't until Howell clapped toward the corner of the "stage" that it became clear a sound master had been silently hiding behind a covered box the entire play and clicking all the right switches.
The Bookbinder was on twice today and plays twice more tomorrow, February 19. If you have a ticket to any of these sold-out performances you certainly are one of the lucky ones.
Who: Trick of the Light
What: The Bookbinder
Where: The Japanese Garden of Contemplation, Hamilton Gardens

- Waikato Times

FUN WITH FISHING IN THE SUMMER BREAK

It was so lovely to spend some relaxing time at Lake Rotoiti. A time to just reflect, read and generally relax! Dave and I also love to spend time fishing. This year was no different. Many of our friends joined us and were also very successful in their fishing!!! 

Here are a few photos documenting some of my own fishing experiences this summer!!! 

Tapuaekura Bay Summer 2015

New Years Day, first fish caught early in the morning. A lovely way to start the year!

As you can see, pretty happy with this catch.

Excellent fishing continues...

Lucky we have lots of people to feed!!! 

Not as big, but very exciting fishing none the less.

Many of the fish caught this year looked like this! This means that they are eating lots of koura (fresh water crayfish) and when they are hot smoked for lunch, they are simply delicious. 

Another beautiful day fishing on the lake. 

Dave, my secret weapon!

One of the significant reasons for such successful fishing is because of Dave's extensive knowledge in this field. As a Fish Biologist of 40 plus years, he does know rather alot about fish and their habitat - suffice to say those who fish with Dave often have success!!!