SPECIAL GUEST:  Dr Lucie Green, Stargazer and space scientist

Cosmic Shambles LIVE - A unique night of science, comedy, music and wonder
Guests include Dr Michelle Dickinson, Dr Siouxsie Wiles, Jon Toogood and Hollie Smith

Auckland - Tuesday 4th April 2017, 7:00pm,  ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre
Wellington - Saturday 8th April 2017, 7:00pm, The Opera House
Christchurch - Monday 10th April 2017, 7:00pm, Isaac Theatre Royal

cosmicshambleslive.com

FRANCESCA RUDKIN: Movies

Life starring Jake Gyllenhall, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds - Francesca's verdict: 3 stars out of 5

New Zealand drama, One Thousand Ropes Starring: Frankie Adams, Sima Urale, Uelese Petaia, Beulah Koale - Francesca’s verdict: 4.5 stars out of 5!

NICI WICKES: Food

Make the most of the last of the summer tomatoes and basil with this beautiful rainbow tart - click here for the recipe.

For more inspiration visit  http://www.niciwickes.com/  or her Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/#!/niciwickes

LYNDA HALLINAN: Gardening

Gardening insights from India

As a gardening tourist, it's so fun to travel to far flung destinations because you recognize some of the plant life (tropical frangipani, red candle palms, bougainvillea) but the rest is completely new, especially tropical fruit and spices.

At the vegetable market off Broadway (not quite like in the USA) you can buy papayas the size of rugby balls, mangos,  huge bunches of bananas, all types of melons, drumstick tree fruit, jackfruit etc. 

The spices are incredible: fresh cardamom, anise, cassia bark, cloves. And when you see and taste them freshly picked, you realize how dreadfully dry and bland our supermarket boxed stuff is. Can't grow any of these at home of course!

And no trip to India would be complete without a visit to a tea plantation. Tea is made from the fresh spring tips of Camellia sinesis and the warm but monsoon-irrigated hill country areas are ideal.

And if you want to grow your own tea in NZ, you can. This type of camellia is a shrubby bush so could even be grown in a large container on a deck. Tea plants are available in the Incredible Edibles range in garden centres. 

MIKE YARDLEY: Travel

Journey to Mt. Sunday in the Canterbury High Country - for  more insights on venturing to Mt. Sunday, check out Mike's article by clicking here.

CATHERINE RAYNES: Books

The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan, Harper Collins $35  

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, Hachette $35

Click here to listen to Catherine's reviews.

ANDREW DICKENS: Music

James Blunt "The Afterlove" Andrew's verdict: 7/10

Ed Sheeran and Ryan Tedder have given James a new energy but there's still plenty here to irritate. One reason that it is irritating is that it's also so catchy. For all you Blunts out there I will say this is the best thing he's done since the ubiquitous debut. To all those haters out there, sharpen your pitchforks!