Annabel Langbein, the famed Kiwi cook behind many iconic recipes, is on her own adventure in France.

She and her husband Ted have bought a farmhouse in the south of France, and are currently staying there while they renovate their home.

She says it was a 'stressful' journey trying to secure a place in France, but it was worth it.

"All of France is foodie, but what I really love about this particular area is that the markets are just incredible - and pretty much most of the growers are all organic and the quality of the food is just so good."

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World-renowned circus company Cirque du Soleil will bring one of its longest-running and most beloved touring shows to Auckland’s Spark Arena this October.

Corteo, which premiered in Montreal under a Big Top tent in April 2005, has wowed more than 12 million spectators in 30 countries with a mix of comedy, performance art, music, illusions and acrobatics.

Artistic director and long-time circus performer Olaf Triebel says many of these performers have backgrounds in tumbling or gymnastics or trampolining - and the training's fairly straightforward.

"Their body is already completely trained, so then what they have to focus on is more the artistic side of it - to learn how to move or to dance or to become an artist on stage."

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The Names by Florence Knapp. Cora is married to Gordon, a highly respected doctor, but what goes on in their own home is something entirely different. When she has a baby son she heads off to register his birth, with instructions from Gordon that she’s to name the baby after him - but her nine year old daughter has another idea, and Cora has her own preference. The story then splits into three different lines, in each of which the baby boy is given one of these three names and we follow his life until he’s 35 years old - and each of the named scenarios shows the impact of a name on a person’s life. It’s very cleverly done and there’s been a lot of international buzz about it.

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. This is currently screening at cinemas - the film is based on this book which was originally published in 2018 and has been reissued. It’s the true story of Raynor and her husband known as Moth, who in their 50’s lose absolutely everything and find themselves homeless and destitute - with Moth also suffering a debilitating illness. In the absence of any other options they decide to walk - more than 600 miles on the UK’s South West Coast Path, from Sommerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall. It’s an extraordinary story of real courage and endurance, and finding themselves in the process.

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