Lent
Lent started yesterday, Ash Wednesday, and will finish at dusk on April 12, Holy Thursday. The administrator of St Patrick's Catholic Cathedral, Father Bernard Kiely, says Lent is a season of 40 days' preparation for the great feast of Easter. Traditionally, it was a time of prayer, fasting and alms giving but was now likely to be a time for repentance and reflection. By observing the 40 days of Lent, the Christians imitate the withdrawal of Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days. Lent leads up to the most sacred three days on the Catholic calendar, the Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Roading
You will be able to drive across the partially completed new rail overbridge at the intersection of Great South Rd and Station Rd, Penrose, tomorrow morning. The $5 million project should be finished by June/July. Great South Rd at Penrose, between Station Rd and McNab St, will be closed from 9 pm to 5 am tomorrow to allow road barriers to be shifted and traffic to be redirected to the new bridge. A detour using Station Rd and O'Rorke Rd will be in place.
State Highway 1, St Marks Rd on-ramp southbound, will be closed from 11 pm until 5.30 am tomorrow. The closure is necessary for streetlighting work.
Museum meeting
The Auckland War Memorial Museum trust board is holding a special meeting at 9.30 am.
Golden Shears
Australasia's shearers compete in the Golden Shears competition in Masterton, starting at 7.45 am. Celebrations surrounding the competition run until Saturday and spectators will see some of the best shearers, wool- handlers, and pressers in the country. The fiercely contested transtasman shearing test and the open shearing final will be held on Saturday. Te Kuiti's David Fagan has won the open title for the past 12 years.
Heart Day
"Get outta bed and wear red," is the slogan for the National Heart Foundation's Heart Day tomorrow. The foundation has launched the "wear red" challenge to corporate New Zealand, alongside a plea for donations.
Ballet tour
The Royal New Zealand Ballet starts its nationwide road tour in Wellington tonight. The company will be at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna from March 16 to 18.
Family Assistance
Today is the last day for 2001 Family Assistance applications (FS1) to be returned to the Inland Revenue Department. Family Assistance is financial help for families who have children aged 18 years or under living at home. It consists of a family support payment and tax credits. How much is paid depends on how many children 18 or under are living at home, how much parents earn, and where the income comes from. For details, telephone 0800 227-773 or visit the IRD website (link below).
Also today ...
Scottish children celebrate the oddly named ancient custom of Whuppity Scoorie on March 1. At 6 pm, when the parish church bell rings, children traditionally race around the church three times, swinging above their heads balls of tightly wrapped paper tied to the end of string. For safety reasons, these days they no longer race; instead, the children scramble for coins thrown by onlookers.
Links
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