City Housing Newsletter Backyard Banter

City Housing

JULY 2012

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Welcome to this edition of Backyard Banter, the City Housing newsletter for our tenants.

Over the last few months quite a lot of activity has been occurring with things such as inspections of units by engineers and lock changes. We appreciate this does cause some disruption to you. We are now nearing the end of the lock change exercise and your helpfulness in working in with the locksmiths is appreciated.

Our Housing Officers are regularly visiting complexes and if you see your Housing Officer at your complex and you would like to ask something

please do not hesitate to do so. We will always endeavour to answer your questions but sometimes the Housing Officer may need to get back to you, rather than answer your question on the spot, in order to ensure you receive accurate information.

If you have any ideas / suggestions about items we could include in the newsletter please do not hesitate to let us know. Our aim is for it to be informative and entertaining and we would welcome suggestions from you.

This year seems to have passed exceedingly fast and before we know it the end of the year will be upon us.

We will be sending a further edition of Backyard Banter to you shortly before Christmas but in the meantime keep yourselves safe, warm and dry.

Regards

Foreword

Kevin Bennett

City Housing & Community Facilities Manager.

5 – 9 November

2012

Judges from the Christchurch Beautifying Association will be judging spring gardens in your area during the week November 5th to 9th 2012. for all wards.Certificates and trophies will be presented at the end of November.

More details to come, but this is an opportunity for all gardeners to start planning their spring gardens.

The Garden Awards

Up & Coming Events New City Housing StaffOver the last few months we have had a number of staffing changes with some new faces coming on board.

I’m sure over the coming months you will have the pleasure of meeting your new City Housing Staff members.

Administrator Rebecca Hummelstad

Housing Officer Judy Gallagher

Housing Officer Steve Merito

Welcome!

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Great Recipes

Winter Variety Concert Well Received

SPAGHETTI ROLE

Ingredients3 cups high grade flour 3 tsp Surebake yeast 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 1/4 cup luke warm water 420g can Wattie’s Spaghetti 1 small onion, finely chopped 50 g ham, chopped 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1 Tbsp milk to brush

Method

1. Place flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to mix. Pour in the oil and water and mix well, bringing it together into a ball. Turn onto a floured board and knead together until the dough is smooth. Place in a greased bowl and cover with cling film. Set aside in a warm place for 20 minutes to rise.

2. Roll out the dough to measure 40cm x 40cm. Spread Wattie’s Spaghetti over the bottom two-thirds of dough, leaving a 2cm gap around the sides. Scatter chopped onion, ham, cheese and parsley on top.

3. Turn the ends of the dough in and carefully roll the dough up to enclose the filling. Place on a baking-paper-lined oven tray. Using a sharp knife, make diagonal cuts in the top of the dough. Set aside while heating oven.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan bake or 220°C conventional bake.

5. Brush the top of the dough with milk. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C fan bake or 200°C conventional and bake for a further 20 minutes, until the bread is golden and cooked. Serve warm.

Around 70 tenants turned out to the City Housing Winter Variety Concert held on Wednesday 18th July at the North New Brighton Community Centre. The event included a variety of music performances, great food and overall an excellent social occasion. The event was a great boost to tenant spirits during such a cold and bitter winter.

City Housing would like to thank Gordon Hubbard, Mandy’s Harmony Group, and Alan’s Men for their excellent performances.

More events have been planned for the coming months so keep an eye out for your flyer for details.

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The New Zealand Red Cross are currently distributing torch radios to various Community members to help with their disaster preparedness.

So far they have distributed more than 7000 torch radios, mainly to school children, who are often the best way to spread the preparedness message with families.

Now, we are pleased to advise The New Zealand Red Cross have donated a torch radio for every Council Tenant. If you attend the Emergency Preparedness

Session advertised in your area you will receive a torch radio at the session, while the remaining will be distributed over the coming months by City Housing staff.

The torch radios are solar powered or wind up powered, so don’t need batteries. They also have a socket for charging cell phones.

City Housing are grateful for this donation and we know you will find them beneficial.

“After 52 years of having my meals prepared and presented to me without any input from me at all, I suddenly found myself faced with a dilemma that I had not anticipated. Thanks to this class, I now feel that I will be able to look after my nutritional needs with confidence”That is a comment from a Canterbury man who recently did the Senior Chef cooking class – an eight-week cooking programme that helps older people learn how to cook delicious, easy, healthy food.

There is no doubt that some older people find cooking to be a challenge. Whether it’s because you never learned how to cook or because lower energy levels and difficulty getting around make food shopping and preparation difficult, or it’s due to lack of motivation for cooking when living alone, this can all affect your

nutrition and well-being. The ability to shop for and prepare appetising and nutritious meals is key to maintaining independence and living better.

Senior Chef teaches practical cooking skills, meal planning, budgeting, shopping tips and good nutrition for older people living alone or with one other person. The course caters for people with all levels of cooking skills

– from those with no cooking skills to those with excellent skills but who find it difficult cooking just for themselves.

Best of all, participants get to share experiences, socialise and eat a meal together.

The course is free to attend and each weekly session involves some nutrition education, a hands-on cooking class followed by a shared meal with the food cooked that day. The programme uses the ‘Cooking for Older People’ recipe book which participants get to keep after the course. This recipe book features nutrition and cooking tips and recipes which serve only one or two people.

Senior chef courses are held at the Jura Place Lounge in Linwood a few times per year. If you are interested in joining a class, then please contact Glenyss Seaward on 941 8078 or Rick Fraser 941 8289.

Here’s what a couple of participants have said about the Senior Chef programme:

“The course really helped me ‘kick-start’ cooking and I am gaining confidence and cooking on a regular basis.” - Bob

“I cooked basic meals for 15 years but now I could cook more than basic ones.”

- from a widower

“A big thank you for a excellent informative and practical cooking class”

- Roy

“An excellent beginner’s basic course. Informative, fun, good social interaction. Would recommend it to others. Enjoyed the main meal each time.” - anonymous

Melissa Benson-Chan, Community Recovery Coordinator for The New Zealand Red Cross presents a torch radio to Helen Neuman from Bryndwr Courts.

Free cooking classes for older adults

Red Cross Support Us with generous gift

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Brain Teasers1. You have a fox, a chicken and a

sack of grain. You must cross a river with only one of them at a time. If you leave the fox with the chicken he will eat it; if you leave the chicken with the grain he will eat it. How can you get all three across safely?

2. A rooster lays an egg at the very top of a slanted roof. Which side is the egg going to roll off on?

3. A completely black dog was strolling down Main street during a total blackout affecting the entire town. Not a single streetlight had been on for hours. As the dog crosses the center of the road a Buick Skylark with 2 broken headlights speeds towards it, but manages to swerve out of the way just in time. How could the driver see the dog to swerve in time?

4. In a small cabin in the woods, two men lay dead. The cabin itself is not burned, but the forest all around is burned to cinders. How did the men die?

See back page for answers

Tips For the Enthusiastic GardenerGeneral Gardening Don’t leave leaves too late! Clean up fallen leaves and dispose of those that are diseased. Leaves can be composted but add a little nitrogen first (using manure is the best option) to help them decompose faster.

Shredding leaves before adding them to the heap also helps. Alternatively, pack them into black plastic bags to break down over winter.

Make much of the mulch, particularly in flower beds, to conserve moisture, restrict weed growth and introduce nutrients into the soil.

Remember to keep young plants in a sheltered spot, if the temperature has started to dip in your area.

As the weather closes in there’s a lot at stake; or there should be! Use stakes or frames to support tall flowers including dahlias and delphiniums.

There’s no place on your garden roster for flowers that don’t make the cut and no room for ‘super’ stars in a team that has the ‘blues’! Prune back perennials and leaves of bulbs once they have finished flowering to ensure a ‘winning’ season.

Sow & grow: liliums, violas, dianthus, calendulas, marigolds

If your spring-flowering bulbs are not in the ground by now, it’s too late!

www.gardennz.co.nz

What is condensation?When warm air containing saturate moisture comes in contact with a cold surface like a window or concrete wall it will form condensation on that surface.

What causes condensation?

Moisture created in the home by normal household activities which then creates condensation like: cooking, clothes washing and drying, clothes dried on the clothes horse inside, showering and bathing, breathing.

Health & Safety

Gardening reminders:

Condensation Prevention

How do you control condensation?it is really important to control condensation to help avoid mould and damage to your household items through dampness.

•   Ventilate your home by opening windows (remember to close them if you leave your property).

•   Close the door to the bathroom when showering or bathing to contain the

moisture and open a window to let the warm air and moisture out.

•   When cooking, put lids on pots to reduce the moisture entering the room, use extractor fans and open windows.

•   When condensation forms on windows, wipe with a cloth and then wring the cloth dry and hang outside. If the cloth is left wet the moisture will be released back into the room.

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GET READY FOR WINTER AT HOMEPick up a copy of your Winter Home Safety pack with loads of useful tips and simple steps for getting those winter jobs safely sorted before winter sets in. Keep injury free this winter and stay fire safe at home. Check out the opportunity for a FREE home fire safety inspection. Head to one of the centres below for your copy or view it online at ccc.govt.nz/winterhomesafety

COUNCIL FACILITIESCentral Library91 Peterborough Street, Central City

Linwood Mini Library180 Smith Street

Papanui Library5 Restell Street

QEII at Parklands Community Centre46 Queenspark Drive

Central South City LibrarySouth City Mall, Central City

Lyttelton Library35-37 London Street

Parklands Library46 Queenspark Drive

Shirley Library36 Marshlands Road

Graham Condon Centre3 Sisson Drive, Papanui

New Brighton LibraryPier Building, 213 Marine Parade

Pioneer Recreation & Sport Centre75 Lyttelton Street, Spreydon

South Library66 Colombo Street, Beckenham

FLETCHERS HUBSAranui Satellite250 Pages Road

Lyttelton41 Winchester Street

Beckenham66 Colombo Street

Mairehau280 Westminster Street

Ferrymead1091 Ferry Road

Middleton1st Floor, 116 Wrights Road

North New Brighton245 Bower Avenue

Woolston135 Ensors Road

From the TeamLOCK REPLACEMENT PROGRAMME

Our lock upgrade programme is now nearing completion. We have now successfully upgraded locks at around 97% of City Housing Units.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER

As a new security measure a maximum of four keys are now permitted per City Housing Unit.

You will be provided with two keys when your lock replacement takes place and you can purchase up to TWO additional keys.

You can purchase additional keys direct from James Bull Locksmiths at 45 Sandyford Street, Sydenham.

You will not be able to purchase additional keys without providing your password.

If you lose or have your keys stolen and are worried about the security of your unit you will need to report this to the Police and contact Christchurch City Council regarding a lock change. You will be liable for all costs relating to a lock change.

We would like to thank everyone for their co-operation and patience.

If you are still unsure about anything, please contact your Housing Officer.

To Contact your Housing Officer or to log a maintenance request

– Phone: 941 8999

Smoke AlarmsAnnual Visits – During our annual visits housing Officers will test your smoke alarms to check they are in working order. We recommend that you test your smoke alarms on a weekly basis. If any of you are unsure about how to test your alarm please ask your Housing Officer.

Please do not remove your smoke alarm for any reason.If they are going off continually please contact your Housing Officer 941-8999 or the Housing Maintenance team on 941-8666, who will try to respond within 4 hours to repair or replace them.

Information: Most fire fatalities occur in homes, while people are sleeping. Fire is quiet and fast. If you’re asleep, you can’t smell smoke. Sound is the best way to wake a person from a deep sleep. Smoke alarms detect smoke before you can see or smell it. The smoke particles break a circuit in the smoke detector which triggers a loud warning signal, and keeps sounding until the smoke clears.

Maintenance: Dust and spider webs can affect smoke alarms. Clean with the vacuum cleaner once a month, and while doing so, test the alarm by pushing the test button. When the battery is going flat the smoke alarm will sound a short ‘beep’ every so often.

So what happend?Keeping Pets

• City Housing understands that pets are an important part of many people’s lives, however, not every unit is suitable for pets. You must obtain approval from City Housing to have a pet. Only one cat or dog is allowed per tenant/unit.

• If you have been given approval to have a pet, it is your responsibility to make sure it does not damage property or annoy neighbours.

• You must also comply with all council regulations relating to the registration and keeping of animals. If you are not sure what your responsibilities are as a pet owner, please contact your Housing Officer for more information.

• The Council reserves the right at any time to withdraw permission to keep a dog or cat.

A friendly reminder from the team about:

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Emergency PreparednessBeing prepared in the event of another major earthquake was foremost in peoples minds when City Housing’s Projects Officer and Activities Co-ordinators along with Civil Defence collaborated to create Earthquake Preparedness Information workshops for City Housing tenants.

Their aim is to provide tenants with some simple steps to better prepare themselves and their neighbours for dealing with the

impact of a major event. In addition, they are hoping to improve communication with tenants particularly in those crucial days following a major event.

Listening to what people say about their own experiences is an important part of the meetings and being able to gain valuable feedback on what could be done to improve City Housings response in emergency situations.

Through experience people know that in the immediate aftermath of a major event they may be on their own, with no basic services such as power, water or sewage and they may have to look after each other. With this in mind City Housing are encouraging tenants to group together and elect two representatives per housing complex who will be a first point of contact for them and for City Housing.

City Housing intend to provide a Group Survival Kit for each Residents Lounge which can be accessed by representatives in emergency situations.

A series of workshops at each of the twenty City Housing Residents Lounges have taken place

At the time of going to press a total of 23 Workshops have taken place at City Housing Resident Lounges and a further 15 Workshops have been planned.

All workshops have been enthusiastically received by the tenants and at least two nominated people were elected to represent their complexes by the end of each workshop.

Tenants feedback from the workshops was really positive ….

‘I felt better about everything’

‘I now understand we are not forgotten and the council is co-coordinating things’

‘I got something out of it’

What a great start towards the goal of establishing groups at all City Housing complexes.

So what happend?

Brain Teaser Answers1.  Take the chicken over first. Go back and bring the grain next, but instead of leaving the

chicken with the grain, come back with the chicken. Leave the chicken on the first side and take the fox with you. Leave it on the other side with the grain. Finally, go back over and get the chicken and bring it over.

2.  Neither, roosters don’t lay eggs3. It was during the day4.  It’s the cabin of a plane and the plane crashed

Rubbish Collection As a reminder to all tenants, your rubbish bins will not be collected if you have placed the wrong items in the allocated bins i.e if you put organic material or rubbish in the recycling bin then that bin will not be collected.

What can go in your red rubbish bin:Any items that cannot go in the recycling or organics bins, for example:

•   Animal waste•  Ash (cold and bagged)•  Bubble wrap•  Clothing•  Crockery•  Cutlery•   Flax, bamboo, cabbage tree leaves•   Garden hose•   Personal hygiene products•   Plastic film and wrappers•   Plastic ties and plastic tubing•   Polystyrene•  Sawdust•  Timber and timber offcuts•  Toys

What can’t go in your rubbish bin:

•   Medical sharps or sharp objects capable of puncturing the bin

•   Liquids•   Explosives, hot ashes or flammable 

material•   Hazardous or radioactive waste•   Lead-acid batteries like car, 

boat or truck batteries•   Gas bottles.

OrganicsYour green kerbside wheelie bin is for your food and garden waste and is collected weekly.

What can go in your organics bin:

•  All food waste.•   Garden waste. 

Food waste can be wrapped in newspaper before placing it in your organics bin. You can also use paper to line your bin to help keep it clean.

RecyclingYour yellow wheelie bin is for recycling and is collected fortnightly. You can use the yellow bin for waste that can be recycled through the kerbside collection service.

What can go in your recycling bin:

•   Plastics – all clean plastic household containers (no plastic film)

•   Metals – all clean household tins, cans and aerosols (no foil or other metal objects)

•   Glass – all clean glass bottles and jars (no lightbulbs or window glass)

•   Paper and cardboard – all clean paper, magazines, boxboard and cardboard

Tell us what you thinkAt City Housing we are very interested in finding out what

our tenants are interested in reading about in the biannual news letter. If you have an item of interest that you would

like to see in the news letter or have any suggestions for the news letter it would be greatly appreciated.

We appreciate any feedback provided.

Social Housing Providers Since 1938