Creative artisans

There are so many creative New Zealanders running successful small businesses. Many are highly qualified but choose to work from home and sell locally so that they can more easily juggle the responsibilities of family life at the same time. 

Justine is a mother of two, an accountant and now an expert in using essential oils. Her company Be True produces natural soy candles, brilliant face oil and baby oil all handmade with the highest quality natural ingredients. The soy wax is melted and then cooled to an exact temperature before the mixture of essential oils is added, and then again, another exact temperature has to be reached before the wax is poured into the moulds - with a very steady hand.

The result is a gently perfumed, long lasting and environmentally friendly candles.

Many of our gifts are made by clever craftsmen and women. Often they have fallen into their product because they wanted products which had the best, least damaging effect. Many of them rival the expensive internationally-marketed top-of-the-range products and by comparison are far better value. A few are featured this month

One last piece of news from last month's blog – Happy Feet is still at Wellington Zoo, recovering well after a lot of operations to remove all the junk in his stomach. It is hoped he will be returned to the Antarctic waters where these Emperor Penguins live by boat once the weather is suitable for the boats to get there.

Farewell Shrek the Sheep

At the particularly grand old age of 16 - nearly 17 - years, Shrek the Sheep died this week.

Surely one of the most famous sheep in the world, this merino was unique in so many ways. When he was found, he was a six year old merino 'woolly' who has missed several previous musters for shearing. That was not unusual. What was unusual was that the woman musterer who found and later caught him, up in the hills and caves of Bendigo Station, thought he was special enough to bring down. Most woollies are too woolblind to save. The rest is history, starting with a televised shearing session broadcast around the world.



John Perriam, his owner, had a great rapport with Shrek and their adventures are lengendary. His charity appearances for Cure Kids Charity, meeting the New Zealand Prime Minister, and a few years later, being flown to an iceberg to be shorn.

Shrek's story is now an integral part of the equally fascinating story of Bendigo Station, described in John Perriam's book, 'Dust to Gold'. It is written in an easy down-to-earth manner with wonderful photos by Stephen Jacqueiry. It makes a great kiwi gift - and royalties for the book go to Cure Kids.

Jo Seagar speed cooking

Some people missed this link. Here it is now. The fun of cooking

Is the Royal Wedding killing bees in New Zealand?

NZ Herald reported yesterday that Kate Middleton may be using the latest in beauty therapy, a Bee Venom Mask. Touted as an alternative to botox, the cream has supposedly been used by Camilla, and celebrities such as Dannii Minogue and Michelle Pfeiffer. The beauty therapist whose cream they use sources the bee venom from organic hives in New Zealand. To collect the venom, a pane of glass is placed alongside the hive and an electrical curent encourages the bees to sting the glass. The venom is then diluted to just 1 per cent of the cream, but the recipient still feels a tingling, stinging sensation which stimulates the production of collagen and elastin.

But wait! Don't bees die after they sting? This is well known.

It's OK. Relax. Nowadays the bees who contribute their venom by stinging the pane of glass do not die. In fact it is important that they don't as it can affect the quality of the venom. They only die if they lose their 'stinger' which is what happens when they sting, say, a person. But this doesn't happen when they sting the glass.

So the royal guests, if not Kate herself, can rest assured the cream is OK to use. We don't list it on Kiwigiftsonline, but maybe we should. A 50ml jar evidently costs over $100.

Enjoy the Royal Wedding.

Dione

Up and away

Balloons over Waikato is a festival which takes place each year. This year it was at the beginning of April. Each morning the 31 balloons entered are inflated at Innes Common, Hamilton soon after dawn. Fantastic sight.

The first hot air balloon which carried passengers was launched in Septemebr 1783. The passengers were a duck, a sheep and a rooster. Within two month the first manned untethered balloon ride was made. The heat was generated by a fire of straw, kindling and rotton meat: although the balloon finally caught on fire the pilot had achieved his aim. Balloons were used in warfare from 1874 to 1945 as trasnfport, surveying and communication. Their biggest advantage was that they made no noise.

The altitude record for a hot air balloon is 65,000 feet set by Per Lindstrand in 1988. He was also the first to fly the Pacific when he flew with Richard Branson from Japan to Canada in 1991, at times reaching speeds of 245mph.

"There's something in a flying horse,
There's something in a huge balloon" - Williams Wordsworth in 'Peter Bell'

We will work on the flying horse another time.

Meanwhile Easter if not far away. Sending Easter Eggs by mail in dodgy as they can so easily break. But these Queen Anne Easter Eggs are less fragile. They are filled with dense delicious marshmallow and a big enough for the hungriest appetite.

Enjoy Easter.

Dione
Kiwigiftsonline

Christchurch Oh No

Oh, no, not again, Christchurch and so much worse this time.

The number of people killed is horrendous, especially for a country will a small population like New Zealand. Most New Zealanders have friends or family in or around Christchurch. We all feel for the loss of life, the loss and extensive samage of property and heritage, and the loss of trust in a place which always has a feeling of such security and permanence.

The emergency services were fantastic. Maybe they did have a dress rehearsal last September with the first 'quake, but they put it to good use. Fire Service, Police, Armed Forces, Civil Defence, the many Government Departments, Red Cross, Salvation Army and many commercial companies were just so quick to react, and reacted so efficiently.

Our sympathy goes to those who have lost so much, and our thanks to those from New Zealand and overseas who worked so hard to help during this first traumatic week.

The best skin cleanser

There was a review of skin cleansers in NZ Herald yesterday. This skin cleanser is just as good, and most think its better as it has won an award. It is also half the price of most of those reviewed. It is hard to get sometimes, but we have it in stock - and postage within New Zealand is free.

Manuka Honey

Manuka Honey is one of the items we have been trying to source for some time. We now have delicious eating manuka honey, and the more expensive but unique medicinal manuka honey. Perfect for sending overseas for Christmas - except to Western Australia as they dont allow it in.

New Zealand is now renowned for this honey and its healing properties, although for the last century the farmers have called it 'scrub' and cut it, burnt it, cleared it and tried their best to get rid of it. Fortunately it regenerates easily and they failed to get rid of it all.

Also added to the website are really tasty chocolate logs. Made by Wickely Gourmet, which sums them up nicely. Not expensive but very good.

Its time to start thinking about sending presents overseas for Christmas. The closing dates for posting are on the website. If you cant find what you want on the website, let us know and we can try and find it for you. But please dont leave it until the last moment. Order and if it is for Christmas we can hold and post it on the closing day so that it doesnt arrive too early.