Practical living

This section is a guide to all the technology and skills that underpin our daily lives. It includes health and medicine, transportation, computing and electronics, home and lifestyle.

Electronics

• Buying consumer electronics
• Internet Gateway: Computers

Events

• Christchurch Garden events
• Festival of Flowers — held annually in February and March
• Ellerslie International Flower Show — held annually in March

Food and drink

• Alternative diets
• Brewing and winemaking at home
• Festive food
• Food issues & ethics
• The food we love — the tastes of New Zealanders
• Learning to cook
• School lunches
• Internet Gateway: Food, Wine and Cooking

Health

• How to find useful health information.
• Also special articles about health topics such as quitting smoking, food safety and specific illnesses.
• The Heath Sources: library members can access these subscription resources for free.
• Internet Gateway: Health: librarian selected health websites.

Home

• Your home: renovate or relocate?
• Building & DYI — what to know when taking on a building project
• Insulating your home — a guide to library resources and links to relevant websites
• Power saving tips at home
• Internet Gateway: Home & Living

Gardening

• Autumn
• Winter
• Grow your own vegetables
• Garden makeover
• Internet Gateway: Gardening

Lifestyle

• Power saving tips at home
• Rubbish
• Sustainable living
• Saving water in Christchurch
• Internet Gateway: Sustainable Living

People

Interviews

• Heather Cole, poultry breeder
• Richard Poole, Assistant Grounds Co-ordinator and Collections Curator at the Botanic Gardens

Historical profiles

• Dr Charles Dudley, 1810 - 1881
• Dr Margaret Cruickshank, 1873 - 1918: New Zealand’s first woman G.P.
• Dr Charles Little, 1866 - 1918: country G.P. during the influenza epidemic
• Nurse Maude, 1862 - 1935: founder of the District Nursing Scheme

Pet care

• Keeping poultry
• Dogs
• Internet Gateway: Pets

Vehicles

• Buying a new car/boat/motorcycle
• Classic cars
• Motorhomes and caravans
• Motor manuals collection
• Internet Gateway: Transport

Related pages

In Art

• Crafts
• Fashion

In Entertainment

• Games

In Society

• Consumer rights — unwanted gifts or sale items? Know your rights
• Royal New Zealand Show — held in November each year to mark the province’s anniversary. Part of Cup and Show Week.

In Science

• Dogs