To mark the end of the year, Joan MacKenzie has outlined her favourite fiction books for 2024.

Her top five consists of:

The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S.Berry 

Moscow X by David McClosky 

Time of the Child by Niall Williams 

Our London Lives by Christine Dwyer Hickey 

Southern Man by Greg Iles 

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley 

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Today (December 22) is the busiest travel day of the year.

Bloggeratlarge.com writer Megan Singleton flew through three airports to get home for Christmas – Auckland to Wellington to Napier. 

In true Christmas travel fashion, her flight to Napier was cancelled due to lightening and bag drop chaos caused lines back to the baggage carousel.

Megan shares her tips for travelling during the busy season.

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This week on the Sunday Panel, Coast Day host and host of the upcoming Trip Notes travel podcast Lorna Riley and Senior PR consultant at One Plus One Communications Damien Venuto joined in on a discussion about the issues of the day - and more! 

One year in, is the coalition Government on track? And how have they managed the big issues we are facing? 

If one person is hosting Christmas dinner, should you pay? 

Plus, what's your word for 2024? 

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Reggae-inspired kiwi band Corrella have had a big year. 

They were launched into the spotlight with the success of hit single ‘Blue Eyed Maori’, which holds the record for most weeks ever spent at the top of the NZ Singles Chart.   

The Tāmaki Makaurau band claimed Breakthrough Single and Best Roots Artist at the Aotearoa Music Awards - and building on that momentum, have released a brand new album Skeletons. 

The 11-track collection is filled with soulful roots reggae, with touches of funk, gospel, pop, soul, and even a bit of country. 

Corrella's lead singer Pipi Campbell and guitarist Te Naawe Tupe joined Francesca Rudkin in studio to celebrate the release with a special live performance. 

Head to loop.co.nz for upcoming show dates.

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Christmas is a time for enjoying yourself but how can we keep the balance to stay healthy?
Erin O'Hara joins Francesca Rudkin to discuss how keeping a little balance can make all the difference in how you feel - and the importance of supporting your gut health.
Tips to keep the balance: 

• Get rid of the ‘all-or-nothing’ approach. Everything in moderation 
• Limit Alcohol intake  
• Eat your veggies and protein first before indulging in sweets and treats 
• Eat sugar in moderation 
• Try not to skip meals and then overeat at one meal  
• Hydration - we can overeat when we are dehydrated. 
• Quality sleep - sugar cravings are worse when we are sleep deprived. 
• Keep up with some Exercise - create a fitness schedule for the holidays  
• A few days of overindulgence won't put you off track. When not at social gatherings try to get back to some healthy meals to keep the balance.  

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Mike van de Elzen shares tips to make desserts go better, and be easier to serve on the big day (Christmas!), plus shares his favourite sweet in the world - cheesecake.
 

• Choose desserts that can be prepared and easily stored for the day 
• These can include cheesecakes, panna cotta, classic pavlova. tiramisu, brandy christmas cake and brandy ice-cream or the old classic trifle. 
• Dessert that you can freeze can be handy. These could include cookies, brownies or Christmas mince pies. 
• Texture's are important when serving multiple desserts. Try not to have everything soft. Break it up with a crunchy crumble, broken biscuits and nuts. 
• Lighten the heavy creams up with fresh fruit. Strawberries, blackberries and boysenberries are in season and are perfect fat cutters. 

Prep time: 30 minutes 

Serves: 6 

250gm cream cheese  

200gm plain yoghurt  

4 sheets gelatine  

1 vanilla pod  

2 Tbsp honey  

1 packet plain Digestive biscuits, crushed  

1 can blackberries  

2 Tbsp brown sugar  

2 Tbsp icing sugar  

1 punnet fresh blackberries 

Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water to soften for 5 minutes. Drain the water then pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the sheets and stir. Put the cream cheese, yoghurt and honey in the bowl of a food processor. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod and blitz until all combined.  

Add half of the gelatine mix and blitz again.  

Crush the biscuits until crumbly but not too fine. Divide between 6 jars (about 300ml capacity) to a depth of about 2cm. Spoon the cheesecake mix over the top of the biscuit base.  

Clean the processor bowl then put the tin of blackberries in with the brown sugar. Blitz until smooth, then pass through a sieve to remove the seeds. Combine with the rest of the gelatine mix. Spoon this over the top of the cheesecake and refrigerate for about an hour or until set. Top the cheesecakes with some fresh blackberries and dust with icing sugar to serve. 

Find Mike at goodfromscratch.co.nz

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Recent research has uncovered a fascinating phenomenon: when low on water, some plants emit high-pitched clicking noises, inaudible to human ears but detectable by certain insects. These ultrasonic “screams” might be nature’s way of signalling distress—and they don’t go unnoticed. 

New research published in the journal BioRXiv found that female moths use their sensitive hearing to listen to these ultrasonic signals steer clear of thirsty plants when laying eggs. This behaviour ensures their caterpillars hatch on healthier plants, with a better chance of survival. 

The researchers placed fertile female moths in a controlled arena. When given a choice between a hydrated tomato plant and a thirsty one, the moths overwhelmingly chose the silent, hydrated plant. But the researchers didn’t stop there. 

In another experiment, two hydrated plants were placed in the arena, with a speaker next to one of them playing recorded distressed clicks. Again, the moths avoided the “noisy” plant, favouring the silent one. These results suggest that the sounds alone, even without visual or olfactory cues, are enough for moths to make a decision. 

What’s even more fascinating is that these moths had no prior exposure to plants. Raised entirely in a lab, they had no opportunity to learn this behaviour. Their response to the ultrasonic signals appears to be hardwired in their genetics, highlighting the intricate connections between insects and plants in nature. 

This discovery isn’t just a marvel of biology; it could have practical applications in the real-world. One could be pest management. By broadcasting ultrasonic distress signals, farmers might discourage moths from laying eggs on healthy crops, potentially reducing the need for chemical pesticides. 

Many insects have ultrasonic hearing, suggesting that this type of interaction might be widespread. 

This research invites us to rethink what we know about communication in nature. Beneath the threshold of human hearing lies a hidden world where plants and insects exchange critical information—a world we are only beginning to understand. 

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On the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast for Sunday 22nd December 2024

Lord Grantham himself, Hugh Bonneville tells Francesca about his return to the delightful world of Paddington Bear - he also let's us know when the next instalment of Downton is coming.

Kiwi reggae band Corrella are in studio to talk about winning awards and sing us 'Cookie' off their latest album Skeletons.

ZB and NZ Herald Political Editors Jason Walls and Claire Trevett review the political year and look ahead to what they want from the Government next year.

The Galapagos Postman Jonny Beardmore is on a worldwide letter delivery mission - he tells us about his journey so far.

And travel contributor Megan Singleton has experienced Christmas travel chaos three days out from Christmas - she shares her experience.

Get the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin Full Show Podcast every Sunday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Rounding off the year’s entertainment offerings, editor of flicks.co.nz Steve Newall tells Francesca Rudkin 2024 did not have the usual offering of culturally impactful shows and films. 

Firing through those that did stand out, Steve says he was more impressed with the range of cinema than small screen selections. 

In no particular order... 

Series Highlights: 

Rivals 

The Curse 

Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee 

Ludwig 

The Bear (season 3) 

Film Highlights: 

Dune (Part 2) 

No Other Land 

Challengers 

Zone of Interest 

Long Legs 

Love Lies Bleeding 

Rebel Ridge 

Iron Claw 

Plus, what is going on with all the cancelled summer festivals? Steve explains the news of Juicy Fest and Summer Timeless Tour’s cancellations, as well as Laneway’s reversal on admittance for 16 &17 year olds. 

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The recent Paddington Bear film series has been a delight to audiences, prompting a renewed interest in the famous bear – and even seeing the late Queen get in on the action. 

Filled with charm and humour, the third film in the series Paddington in Peru hits cinemas on January 1. 

Most well known as Lord Grantham on Downton Abbey, Hugh Bonneville stars, alongside the loveable Paddington Bear, as Mr Brown. 

Speaking with Francesca Rudkin ahead of the film’s release, Bonneville explained Paddington's stint at "marmalade rehab" was behind the seven-year gap between films.

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