We continue the occasional series wherein Winston expounds on things that currently make him happy...

98) Tauranga looks better by the day! I've always thought Tauranga to be a pretty city. And it's getting more interesting by the minute thanks to the efforts of Owen Dippie. Owen has been painting the large classical murals that are springing up all over the place, an artwork choice that many found incongruous at first – classical European art in Tauranga, why? Why not?
The latest piece to grace the city centre is sneakily positioned on a wall just as you exit the car park on Elizabeth Street and is the famous 'touching hands” from Michelangelo's frieze on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I love the way it is slightly hidden, something you just come across by accident if you happen to walk by. Tauranga has long had a reputation as a slightly bland city. A big swoop of the cowboy hat to Owen for making it more interesting (and beautiful).

99) Tauranga looks better by the day. Pt 2! They say a change is as good as a rest (which is a stupid saying that I've never thought much of) and if you've had a rest from going down The Strand recently then another visit might be in order to check out the changes. The string of restaurants and bars that line the harbour front are in constant flux and it's bringing new musical opportunities for both players and listeners.
The two big bars at the Devonport Rd end of the Strand have both changed and we now have La Mexica and The Brew Bar, the former switching from their Belgian Beer approach as Der Bier Haus to the sunny likes of Corona and tequila, the latter bringing craft beer from Rotorua to Tauranga. And both have live music.
Last Saturday afternoon there was a big crowd for Swamp Thing at The Brew Bar and they have more blues this weekend when Rotorua bluesman Mike Garner hits town for a gig (3-6pm, free) with Kokomo's Nigel Masters on bass. Mike plays very good guitar and slide and has a great bag of tunes both traditional and original. The following Saturday (21 September) he's back again, this time accompanied by percussionist Warren Huston.

100) Movies, movies, movies! The International Film Festival has arrived in Tauranga. It started at the Rialto Cinema on Thursday and is running for a full three weeks. This is, of course, a stripped down version of the behemoth that now exists in Auckland so there are many exciting morsels from that event which have failed to reach the Bay. But, having said that, there are a bunch of gems amongst the forty or so films that have made it this far.
It's hard to pick just a few, but here goes... of the several excellent documentaries, I'm most looking forward to Blackfish, an examination of the exploitation of orca by the sea park industry. There's also a great doco about backing singers (Twenty Feet From Stardom). In the classics there's Hitchcock's brilliant North By Northwest and the re-edited Utu. Elsewhere... well where do you start? Steven Soderbergh's Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra is only this weekend, so get in quick; The Past, from great Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (The Separation), starring The Artist's Bérénice Bejo (who won the acting prize at Cannes); Blancanieves, a weird black and white and silent version of Snow White; Paolo Sorrentino's take on the decadence of Rome, The Great Beauty; and Jim Jarmusch's vampire flick Only Lovers Left Alive, starring the brilliant Tilda Swinton.

101) Ukes, ukes, ukes! They say if you can't beat them join them, so we will in future be having regular updates on all matters ukulele-related. And uke-lovers might want to mark this on their calendar: next Friday (20 September) AJ Leonard, 'Australia's finest ukulele player”, is coming to the Katikati Folk Club. He's played at major uke events around the world and looks to be the real deal. AJ will be accompanied by Jenny Rowlands on cello and opening act will be acoustic virtuoso Paul Jonson (also playing ukulele). It kicks off at 7.30pm at the Katikati Bowling Club. Tickets are $20.