The Star: October 31, 2019

ut not impossible, either) will give
you at least abit of areputation for
making an effort. Add adwarf citrus
The Star Thursday October and you’ll 31 score 2019 more points.
If you have anything as large as, or
larger than, the traditional Kiwi quarter
acre block, you can go mad.
16
• By Jess Gibson
YOU REALLY have
to love spring in
Christchurch.
Beyond the fact it’s such
a relief to see the colour
green after weeks of living
under the world’s biggest
summer’s “coming soon”
sign, that is Christchurch,
there is a lot more to do in
the city.
On Monday, Laura and I
took advantage of the perfect
sunshine and temperature
to take Vittoria to the
Big Band Picnic in Victoria
Square. We’d taken her last
year and the music had
moved her before she could
even walk.
She had held herself up
on her pram and started,
for want of a better word,
twerking.
So we were confident she
would enjoy it and were not
disappointed.
There were so many jazz
hands and sways being
thrown about from Vittoria
that Laura and I could
eat an entire pizza without
fending off the hungering
mouth.
Possibly the fact that it
was a mushroom pizza may
have helped, but I doubt it.
Her dance moves and
obvious enjoyment were
super cute. The music
and the atmosphere even
stopped her running off
in spite of her normal
tendencies whenever we
want to sit down and relax
in a public area.
The only thing that distracted
her from the music
for any length of time were
Creating Great Outdoors
Commercial &Residential
A HISTORIC quakedamaged
tram shelter
•Supply &lay wide range of paving
•Personal service, dedicated team
in Sumner has become a
safety hazard – but the city •Guaranteed workmanship
•Complete paving solutions
council has no money to
fix it.
0800 555 100
member Darrell
Latham
global trend is that we are now
‘‘gardening with apurpose’’. This
could be growing food, flowers for
cutting, working at acommunity
garden to feed more than just the
immediate family, or volunteering at a
park to beautify aneighbourhood.
Tram shelter deemed unsafe
Council staff will consult
with the Linwood-Central-
Heathcote Community •HAVE YOUR SAY: Would you like to see the
Board and other interested tram shelter repaired at the corner of Main
parties over whether to remove
or repair the 97-year-
gibson@starmedia.kiwi
Rd and Nayland St? Email your views to jess.
PO Box 16963 •Christchurch •www.pavingnz.com
old tram shelter.
Depending on the option
chosen, funding will
need to be requested for
the work in the next Long
Term Plan.
The structure has continued
to degrade since
the earthquakes and has
become unsafe.
Resident Alisdair Hutchison
has concerns over a big
rock which has been sitting
on the cliff near the shelter
after it fell two years ago.
He is also concerned about
the roof, which is in danger
of falling as one of the concrete
beams holding it up is
sitting half off its pillar.
“It’s an absolutely lifethreatening
situation,” Mr
Hutchison said.
Linwood-Central-Heathcote
Community Board
sent a request to the city shelter repaired as the fence
council on August 1 asking was an “unwelcome reminder
for information on when
of the earthquakes.”
the tram shelter would Meanwhile, the Moncks
be fixed on behalf of Mr Bay tram shelter has still
Hutchison.
not been repaired.
A response said the tram City council manager of
shelter would be assessed transport operations Steffan
and fixed by August 15.
Thomas said in April
However, while vegetation
the 85-year-old structure
has been cleared away was expected to be open
and the fence was removed before the end of September.
for a short period, Mr
Hutchison has not seen any However, Redcliffs
repairs to the damage. Residents’ Association
A city council spokesperson
said the tram shelter Toner said it had not
chairwoman Christine
has been fenced off to prevent
access, limiting risk to surrounded in
been fixed and was still
fencing.
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
the public and residents.
But Mr Hutchison said it
would be better to have the
A postcard quality
day
out
VITTORIA
& Matt
REPAIRS
NEEDED:
The historic
Sumner tram
shelter has
deteriorated
since it was
damaged by
earthquakes.
IN SYNC: Vittoria busting out the moves at the Big
Band Picnic.
a couple of dogs, her new
favourite animal apparently.
To celebrate how well it
was all going we decided to
take part in a century-old
Christchurch tradition and
get a treat from Ice Cream
Charlie. Having grown up
in Waikuku Beach, I’d never
actually heard of Ice Cream
Charlie until last year,
explaining why it wasn’t just
Vittoria’s first taste.
So far we’d managed to
tick off two big ticket items
from the list of stuff to do
in the city when it’s sunny.
To round out the day we
made the daring call to skip
Vittoria’s afternoon nap
and head to the Sign of the
Takahe to get the trifecta.
And a coffee.
Fortunately the gamble
paid off and the wee
trooper held her own on
all of 10 minutes of pramsleep,
lasting through the
coffees and even a walk up
to the nearby lookout. She
only got grumpy when it
was home time, and that’s
normal.
More sunshine and more
events mean more full and
fun days, so exciting times
ahead.
On another note, an
update on last week; I’d
said I was worried about
how I would fare washing,
drying and changing a toddler
on my own post-swim
classes.
In the end I managed to
avoid the whole issue by
just taking her home to
shower – genius.
•Former Star Media
journalist Matt
Salmons has become
a stay-at-home dad.
We follow his journey
weekly
outdoor areas filled with plants that
will do best when watered, weeded,
fed, pruned and nurtured.
This has given rise to another
trend towards aless restrictive
planting style. The garden no longer
has to fit within one of the accepted
7741563AA
friends. Well, it probably will be, but at
least we’ll have some defence.
‘‘Everybody’s doing it,’’ we’ll say.
‘‘It’s part of the new trend towards
gardening with apurpose, re-defining
luxury, high quality food, sustainability
and, um, pleasing your bloody self.’’
Mow with the times
Ahaphazard collection of plants lik
this mix is the new look, the only
requirement being that you like
them.
Mow with the times
WITH WTHE ith themowing
season
it’s time to make
season upon us, it’s time to
sure your lawn mower is
make as ready sure as you your are to mower tackle those is
as lawn ready care chores. as you are to tackle
Aregular, simple maintenance
those programme lawn tocare keepchores.
your mower
performing Follow this at itseasy
best and to
extend its useful life. Just follow
maintenance
this easy checklist:
checklist:
■ Change the oil
Oil is the engine’s lifeblood that
removes contaminants, lubricates
parts and dissipates heat. That’s
why it’s important to make sure
the crankcase contains an
adequate supply of fresh oil.
Before changing the oil, run the
engine for several minutes until it
warms up. Then, stop the engine,
disconnect the spark plug and
drain the oil into apan or similar
container. Refill the crankcase with
high quality detergent oil that has a
SG/CD classification on the label.
Take the used oil to alocal
recycling center. It’s
environmentally unfriendly-and
illegal-to dump used motor oil on
the ground or into astorm drain.
■ Check the air filter
Your air-cooled engine needs a
constant supply of clean air. If your
mower engine takes adisposable
paper filter, simply replace it with a
new filter. If the engine requires a
foam-type filter, remove the
sponge from the filter assembly,
soak it in apan of warm water and
squeeze it dry. Then apply afew
drops of clean oil into the sponge
and place it back in the filter
assembly.
■ Use fresh fuel
Gasoline turns stale after about
60 days and can form gum in your
engine’s carburetor, resulting in
expensive repairs. Eliminate the
problem by routinely filling your
engine’s tank with fresh fuel. If gas
must remain in the tank for a
prolonged period of time, add a
fuel stabilizer to keep it fresh and
to ensure aclean fuel system that
leads to easier starting.
It’s SERVICE: time to service Change your lawn the mower oil and sharpen the blade. the blade.
■ Sharpen the blade
Think about what adull razor
does to your face or legs when
shaving. Similarly, adull mower
blade can bruise, bend and
damage your lawn, making it
susceptible to disease. After
disconnecting the spark plug,
examine the blade for wear or
damage. Have it professionally
sharpened at least once annually.
■ Keep things clean
While you’re checking the
blade, remove any dirt and cakedon
grass from under the mower
deck. Squirt some vegetable oil
cooking spray under the deck to
reduce clipping build-up and to
prevent rust. This will also save
you alot of work when cleaning
the mower after each use. You’ll
also want to have your mower
tuned up annually to keep it
running smoothly and efficiently. A
typical professional tune-up
includes anew spark plug, an oil
change, ablade sharpening, anew
air filter, and cleaning of various
parts like belts, cables and safety
The mowing season is upon us.
switches. Reviewing your lawn
mower owner’s manual can
provide additional maintenance
advice for your specific model.
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