TWO SUGARS AND A SPLASH OF MILK, PLEASE

 How are you doing? Getting through winter okay? Can you believe we’re already in July? The cold can take its toll, and sometimes the only thing to make it better is a day cosied up by the fire and binge-watching a television show. In an effort to alleviate the mid-year-mid-winter blues, I’ve curated some recommendations for you, which are best served with a warm bowl of vegetable soup and a milky, sweet cup of tea. For those heading out, the stars are truly out to shine. Jimmy Barnes is taking to the boards at the Christchurch Town Hall on 7 July and queens Trixie Mattel and Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova (known as Katya), from RuPaul’s Drag Race fame, are sure to have the audience in stitches at The Theatre Royal on 22 July.

SHE’S A POPSTAR NOW 

Following coming out on top of TVNZ’s reboot of Popstars, singer Christabel Williams AKA Christabel, has released her single If You Ain’t Looking. It’s the type of upbeat pop number we need in the winter months – for a road trip, a brisk walk in the cold air, or for shaking your booty to as you dust the bookshelf. It is inspiring and warming for the soul. 

 

A WILD WORLD 

Fresh to Netflix is Sweet Tooth. DC Entertainment’s latest foray into television follows a boy who is half-human and half deer as he struggles to discover the truth of his existence. Filmed in our backyard, you’ll see many iconic Kiwi landscapes transformed into postapocalyptic wildernesses. It’s excellent and gripped my attention from start to finish. 

 TE AO MĀORI 

If you’ve watched The Casketeers, you will be familiar with Kaiora and Francis Tipene. Their second book, Tikanga, describes how they bring Te Ao Māori (the Māori worldview which acknowledges the interconnectedness and interrelationship of all living and non-living things) into their day-to-day living by connecting to tradition through whānau, mahi (work), and manaakitanga (hospitality). It’s an eye-opening, educating read with plenty of humour throughout.