Last night was an experimental musical trip to the Michael Fowler centre. Live jazz- not something we have done often. I am certainly not a big follower of jazz music but as with other things, sometimes it is important to try, have an experience and learn.
The music was great. A mixture of jazz classics from the past as well as pieces written or arranged by the orchestra themselves with as beautiful piece for the encore by the main man himself- Wynton Marsalis. He is well renowned in the jazz world. Kirsten said he was the best jazz/classical trumpeter in the world.
He, along with the other artists, could play so flexibly and make their instruments produce such a variety of sound. I was particularly impressed with the drummer- not someone who usually receives attention. Along with the pianist and bassist he provided the backbone of the sound. He plays constantly and the precision and subtlety of his playing was amazing.
So certainly a good evening and a further prod to experiment with listening to more jazz. Though as feared, listening via Spotify and the single speaker doe snot seem to do the music justice. The quality and the appreciation of the skill when watching and listening live does not come through with these means.
So another one comes around. Isaac makes it to sixteen.
As his dietary requirements are now more strict we celebrated at a restaurant that offers vegan choices. We went to a Malaysian restaurant in Cuba Street-Rasa.
A lovely evening in my eyes and good food with choices suitable for all.
A sumptuous vegan cake was produced with loving care for lunchtime.
As an event it is very well known and so we decided to give it a whirl. One needs to try different things. The programme included a mixture of military bands; of course the pipes of the Scottish regiments plus bands of other British regiments-the Royal Marines Portsmouth included. There were other choreographed performers too.
There were Kiwi military bands as well as other Kiwi performers.
The kapa haka group was great. The pipes were great. The Swiss drummers brilliant and the Norwegian Guards Band and Drill Team were fantastic.
However there did appear to be a reasonable amount of average quality filler.
A good evening and worth seeing something really quite different.
Sara, Joe, Eleanor and myself all ran the 10k. I think Joe was the fastest- certainly faster than Sara and I. Eleanor enjoyed the luxury of a cheaper entry subsidised through work. My fees (MCNZ) being spent again!
It was the first time in ages that we took part in the event partly as I have not been able to run for a longtime. As running has been back on the agenda since our summer holiday it has been a good motivator for us all. Joseph with his rugby training and the advantage of youth strides ahead now.Despite the sore feet I am pleased with our efforts.
We celebrated at La Cloche. Possibly we did not deserve all the calories that we consumed there!
Now on the horizon the cold June Half- marathon. Time to look at a training programme.
I could not resist the opportunity of obtaining a mini greenhouse when I was an offer on “Treat Me” one of the bargain/ but soon sites.
So now we are proud owners of a crucial piece of gardening equipment and maybe a status symbol. It is made of aluminium and perspex. There could be a future problem with the wind.
I cleared a piece of soil where the old compost bin was placed and I have bought some seeds. It may be a bit late for its use but maybe will help the cucumbers germinate quickly and so still get some good value.
More activity in the garden has ensued and look at these beauties:
It needs to be acknowledged that today is effectively the national day of New Zealand though it does not follow the theme of celebration that I think most other countries have for their national days.
It is a politicised day as the Treaty of Waitangi remains crucial in its position in New Zealand though the power of it remains contestable. So a day for Maori to promote their position and for the most part other New Zealanders to not acknowledge there are legitimate grievances.
This year the event is wrapped up in the opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement that was signed in Auckland this week. Behind the doors negotiations and yet to be ratified by the New Zealand parliament or other nations for that matter as yet.
John Key has stayed away from the treaty grounds this year-says he was being gagged. Possibly convenient too for him.
A classic shot across to the city. It is 9 pm and is still it is 22C and today Wellington reached 28C according to Metservice. Beautiful bright skies today and little wind. So pleasant and calm.
There are not too many days like this. Is this the week of summer?
Later this year, doctors in London hope to start the first human trial of a radical new treatment for children with drug-resistant leukaemia. One- or two-year-old infants will have gone through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, to no avail. The best hospitals can do is make them comfortable.
The therapy is one of the most sophisticated medicine has ever seen. White blood cells – part of the immune system’s frontline defences – are collected from a healthy donor and effectively turned into a drug through genetic engineering. First, they are modified to hunt down their target: a protein that appears on leukaemia blood cells. Next, they are tweaked to make them invisible to drugs that suppress the child’s immune system during the treatment. Finally, the cells are modified again to ensure that when they are infused they do not attack the child.
Magnified white blood cells from a patient with leukaemia. Photograph: Steve Gschmeissner/Corbis
A medical team at Great Ormond Street hospital will run the trial for a French pharmaceutical company called Servier. But they have already had a glimpse of what the cells can do for children. Last June, a one-year-old girl, Layla Richards, became the first infant with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia to have the therapy. Her cancer did not respond to several rounds of chemotherapy and she had only a few months to live.
Layla’s medical team had some modified immune cells on ice – prepared for the trial by researcher Hong Zhang. It had taken her 18 days to modify and purify the cells in a small clean room on the hospital’s lower ground floor. The team thawed the cells out and gave them to Layla in June under a special licence granted by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Layla’s leukaemia abated and she had a bone marrow transplant three months later. So far, she is doing well.
“This could really only have happened on the NHS, where there is a wealth of expertise and people across many disciplines willing to give their time and energy,” said Prof Waseem Qasim, leader of the clinical trial.
Adrian Thrasher, professor of paediatric immunology at Great Ormond Street, admits the special licence system has critics. Some fear untested treatments could be used prematurely. “It’s very well-regulated, and we do it only in very well-considered cases,” he says. “And often you get results like we’ve seen with Layla.”
The referendum is coming. Plenty of posturing so far.
As an event it is very well known and so we decided to give it a whirl. One needs to try different things. The programme included a mixture of military bands; of course the pipes of the Scottish regiments plus bands of other British regiments-the Royal Marines Portsmouth included. There were other choreographed performers too.
A family outing of exercise today.
Despite the sore feet I am pleased with our efforts.
I could not resist the opportunity of obtaining a mini greenhouse when I was an offer on “Treat Me” one of the bargain/ but soon sites.
A classic shot across to the city. It is 9 pm and is still it is 22C and today Wellington reached 28C according to Metservice. Beautiful bright skies today and little wind. So pleasant and calm.
