FUTURE GENERATION

Let's face it, the school day is exhausting. Classes can drag on FOREVER and often you come home looking like something the cat's dragged in.

Perhaps the reason our days feel so long is because we don’t have the sustenance and resulting energy we need.

This problem starts with the simplest of things like: breakfast. It's been said before and I’ll say it again, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What you eat in these early waking hours sets your brain and body up to thrive until your next snack break. And then there’s the problematic school lunches - one of the most universally loathed meals ever. Soggy sandwiches, a mushy apple, the bruised banana, you get the picture. There never seems to be an enjoyable homemade lunch option. And finally when you get home and crash out on your bed from after-school fatigue, you need a quick snack to cheer you up, but not one that will fill you up before dinner (my mum's pet peeve). Join me, on my quest for finding the perfect school day fuel.

BREAK THE FAST No doubt your stomach will be rumbling, since it's now about 12 hours after your last meal. Mmmmm, the breakfast dilemma - trust me I’ve tried everything.

Take the initiative and sort yourself out with a meal that will sustain your energy levels and leave your belly smiling up at you from below. I think I may have cracked the code and found the most effective food (simple, nutritious and filling) in good old porridge! Perhaps your mind is skipping to that white, sloppy, bland stuff? But don't be too quick to judge porridge! With the right flavours and ingredients it can be transformed into something you look forward to. I have included my recipe below. However, don't feel confined - everyone has different tastes and once you identify the flavours that appeal, you can create your own delicious bowl of goodness. (Note: This is a perfect breakfast to take in a thermos to eat after an early morning sport's practice.)

Honour's porridge · ½ cup of oats, with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

· Soak oats overnight in 3-4 tbsps of water.

· In the morning add 5 tbsps of milk (I like VitaSoy Protein

Plus) then simmer the mixture for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

· At this point, add half a cup of mixed berries, a heaped tsp of peanut butter, a few drops of stevia, stir and cook for a further minute, yum!

LUNCHTIME My lunches tend to be quite repetitive and I find myself constantly getting bored. There is not much time in the school mornings to experiment with new foods like I would do if I were at home. Nevertheless, this year I’ve decided to spruce up my lunchbox each month with new, transportable dishes that augment my usual staples. My current obsession is: nutty kale salad and spicy mini baked kumara. To ease the stress, I start my lunch prep on Sunday night so I can enjoy sleeping to the last possible minute during the weekdays. So why not give these recipes a try?

Spicy Mini Baked Kumara · Cut a large kumara into small cubes (so this can last you the whole week).

· Line a tray with baking paper.

· Put the kumara pieces on the tray and lightly coat with coconut oil.

· Mix up a paste of ½ a tbsp of red curry paste, ½ tbsp of tamari, ½ tbsp of sesame oil and1 tbsp of tahini.

· Massage the paste into the kumara until completely covered.

· Then cook the kumara for 30 minutes at 200◦C.

· Once cooled, put in a container and store in the fridge.

Nutty Kale Salad: · Take 300 grams of kale and rip it into small, salad like pieces.

· Place in a bowl and add a tbsp of your chosen oil and two tbsp of lime juice, massage the kale till desired texture is reached (soft enough to chew).

· In a blender add a small knob of ginger root, three tbsps of lime juice, one cup of peanut butter, a clove of garlic, two tsps of miso, one tbsp of maple syrup, one tbsp of sesame oil, one tbsp of Coconut Aminos Seasoning, ½ a tsp of mustard and blend together.

· Add water if needed to thin down the dressing.

· Then add the dressing to the kale and massage till it is fully coated.

Afternoon Tea By the time you get home the lunch satiation might be starting to wear off and hunger will be your foe. This means it's time for afternoon tea! The perfect opportunity to delve into something sweet and delicious.

My absolute favourite thing to have after school is an apple and peanut butter. You might have guessed after reading this column that I have a crazy obsession with peanut butter, so bad that my mum has to restrict me from demolishing a jar every week. But I find that a fresh and crunchy apple is perfect on a hot day after school and when paired with peanut butter... it's irresistible! I’d be lying if I didn’t also tell you that I make a grab for any decadent treat that might be lurking in the pantry. Sheesh, after all that healthy cooking I deserve a goey chocolate brownie or perhaps a Little Bird macroon, and since it's the season I’m hoping I'll soon find a stash of hot cross buns and Easter eggs! (HONOUR MITCHELL)  PN

NumberWorks’nWords Grey Lynn has only been operating since the beginning of Term 1 but already they have over 70 students attending lessons each week for English and maths.

The Grey Lynn learning centre has become one of the fastest growing NumberWorks’nWords franchises, and owners Michelle Buckley and Olivia Stewart are pleased they have opened their second centre on Richmond Road to provide tutoring to their local community.

“There was a real need to support the local students with their learning”, says Michelle, having seen the Grey Lynn roll grow with a flurry of early enrolments. “Many of these students were having to travel out of the area for tuition, or simply have not had access to extra support locally."

“The past two years have been extremely disruptive for our students. They have missed out on many learning opportunities caused by lockdowns and restrictions due to Covid-19. Online learning as a result of school closures has also been challenging for children”, says Olivia.

“Many parents are concerned, and rightly so, with where their children are at. They want their children to be successful with their learning, have the confidence to give new concepts a go, and believe that they can do it,” says Michelle.

With their individualised programmes based on the New Zealand curriculum, the students at NumberWorks’nWords Grey Lynn are already making progress and learning new skills.

“Our tutors work closely with students, focusing on their needs, and teaching them at their level”, says Olivia. This is what sets NumberWorks’nWords apart as a tuition provider for ages 5 - 16.

Michelle adds, “We enjoy making a difference in our students' lives. Watching them build confidence, achieve success in their learning, and have fun while they are doing it. That’s why we are here.” NUMBERWORKS’NWORDS, 316 Richmond Road, T: 09 360 0816, www.NumberWorksnWords.com/nz

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Benjamin Alire Sánez - 13+

Aristotle - called Ari by his friends and family - is a sad and angry teenage boy. He doesn't have any friends, and he is okay with that as he believes everyone in his town is boring. He feels indifferent to life - and then he meets Dante who is different from the other people in Ari’s town. He's interesting, intelligent and sensitive.

The more time the two boys spend together, the more they realise they are more alike than they first thought. For a big part of this book Ari mopes around angry and sad and Dante is always there for him, worrying about him and how he feels. Together, Dante and Ari grow, love and learn about the kind of people they want to be in this world.

I had this book recommended to me many times, so I was excited to finally get around to reading it. While I wasn’t exactly disappointed with the book, I do think it may have been slightly over-hyped. While the style of writing is beautiful, it can feel a bit excessive at times, almost like the author is using complicated words for the sake of it. As the story progresses, there is great character development which is good as Ari definitely needed it. This is a book that will make you think about the universe, growing, and soulmates. (LUCY KENNEDY)  PN  out of 5!

Available at dorothybutler.co.nz www.lucykennedywriter.wixsite.com/reviews instagram @lucykennedyreviews

CONTINUED FROM P31

GOFF PLAYS JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER It was most enlightening to hear Mayor Phil Goff’s public explanation at the “Adoption of the Tupuna Maunga Authority Operation Plan”, for spending $2,000,000 and destroying 15,000 native trees and bushes at Western Springs.

That TMAO Plan is to destroy even more bird habitat by removing all mature international trees from all of Auckland’s volcanic cones.

Goff declared in apparent disbelief, “There were people who were opposed to the cutting down of very ancient, and I would suggest the word, ‘ugly’, pine trees at Western Springs… ha ha Councillor Coom … that you wouldn’t expect there to be opposition to, but there is! And people naturally don’t like to see trees cut down.”

So now we know it's a ‘beauty contest for trees’ with the Mayor as judge, jury and executioner!

Councillor Hills declared that those against tree removal are “poorly motivated”. He is Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, and Pippa Coom is Deputy.

It seems Goff believes that killing mature trees can be mitigated by planting two million seedlings! Even primary school children, whose future they’re messing with, know that bigger trees are the more effective. All trees filter impurities from the air but some trees are better than others at removing greenhouse gases. One of the most efficient carbon absorbing trees are pines.

The Mayor, and his cohort Pippa Coom, appear to have no ecological understanding. Nor do they appear to know how carbon sequestration and the conversation of carbon dioxide to oxygen works. Yet Aucklanders are now expected to pay a ‘Targeted Climate Change Rate’ to enable this destruction! Goff’s suggestion that there is a clear process of consultation since Auckland Council and their council controlled organisations are obliged to do, is correct. They follow this process: 1) they make a decision; 2) they draft a ‘Have Your Say’ multi-choice biased towards that decision; and after going through the motions, 3) they adopt their original decision.

Council then run over budget. No worries because it's not their money they’re spending, it's yours! youtu.be/HAGAUYnhId4 Concerned Ratepayer

AT WORK ON CYCLEWAYS AND THE WEST LYNN VILLAGE If Ponsonby News is going to give Lisa Prager and Gael Baldock a full page each to rant against the AT work on cycleways and the West Lynn Village, the least you might require of them is that they make some practical suggestions for improvement rather than simply howling about ancient history.

Yep, we (including AT) all know that AT cocked up the village last time. The flooding outside Dear Reader was appalling. We got it. Now please shut up about it.

How might Prager and Baldock improve, say, the slope up to the pedestrian crossing? Lower the street or raise the footpath? Both would cost millions and neither would solve the gradient challenge. A switchback ramp would, though Bill Gruar can actually roll up the existing slope.

The naysayers claim a mandate they have never received or indeed sought. They operate by virtue of the old principle known as the heckler's veto. Defending the rights of drivers to park outside shops is a losing cause in 2022. Peter Calder, Westmere

A bed is a bed is a bed – right? Not necessarily so.

In our current world your bedroom can often also be your office, media room, hideaway, as well as a sleep centre.

Apartment style living is taking a more prominent place in urban re-development and as living spaces become more condensed it makes sense to get the most advantage out of the space you have available.

Now you can change the contour of your bed to accommodate the changes in the way you use your bedroom.

A Tempur adjustable bed base takes up no more room than the area of your mattress yet offers the ability to change the contour of both the head and foot sections. The head/ back section can incline to your choice of angle, perfect for reading, watching or checking your email. The foot end also lifts to help position yourself in total relaxation.

A pre-set position called Zero-G is activated by one button on the remote. When your spine is positioned at zero gravity, full body muscle tension is relieved and circulation improved.

This can also assist your breathing as you sleep while your Tempur mattress gently conforms to the shape of your body offering a perfect balance of total comfort and superior support. One of the best ways you can relieve the stresses of day to day activity is to allow yourself to totally relax – in your own space.

Come and have a chat with us about how a change in your bed can have such a positive influence on your day.

BEDPOST NEWMARKET, 27 Crowhurst Street, Newmarket, T: 09 520 2221, e: newmarket@bedpost.co.nz