What a memory so far that we have reach here in the rural lifestyle home!
Looking through many photos here and choose carefully for blog. As a deaf person – myself, going though the journey of life (and returning childhood memory of rural with my grandparents, uncles/aunties) in the rural country away from the city of Hamilton, NZ.
I am no longer an urban person since I born in the city of Hamilton apart from my childhood experiences/holidays in farms and beaches with my grandparents, aunties/uncles and a solo mother with four children. I was privilege to become a rural person again and I still have skills which I learnt from the past through my grandparents and families on the farms and beaches. I did not realised how much I missed it and I love every moment of life in here back to me. For example, I am used to having possums, rats and rabbits around here. Because one of our uncles was a possum culler/home kill butchery. I did most of the fencing with my partner even odd jobs in carpentry stuffs. The best of all is gardening which I miss during my studying in BA in History along with Linguistic and Anthropology, my world travelling and working with people/children with disabilities.
Being a deaf person in the rural country prove some challenges for me and learning more ways of living and improving something benefit for me – no equipments such as doorbell, flashing lights in the house. It is so quiet and peaceful away from the city and my dogs are great company as pet/guard dogs for me when my partner is at work. Our dogs barks when they heard somethings except tractors, large machinery, odd dogs go past with their owners of our neighbours, rabbits, possums. The new dog – Judge is still young and learning from Joseph but she is really bright, intelligent and most of all to be closer to me. Judge manages to slip through fences over the quiet road but she eventually comes back. I am not in the mood for this behaviour at least she got to learn where the boundary of the fences in our home is. The saddest memory was we lost our first Judge the 2 years old dog when we moved here. Joseph missed her a lot and we decided to get another dog for him to play with. Of course we named the new dog Judge 2 and she is quite mischief and handful for us. We don’t complain often but it can be frustrate or annoy if Judge 2 slips through the fence if we have not completed fence around the garden. never ending completing the fence jobs – hand up if you can help us…….. Judge 2 often tear or destructive anythings we left lying around the house. Every times we go out and I have to check and put things away from her by putting in the drawers, cupboards, close the bathroom, laundry and office doors. She can reach anythings off the benches. Also she can jump high and we are looking for extra height to top up along the fencing around the fields. But money or left over wire nettings would be nice for us.
We are still destructing the old house which is next to our current home. All the woods we kept are for firewoods and store in the large barn for the next winter. Any other parts of light fittings, window panels, old bath etc will be re use or sell them off… Once the old house will be disappear and the next project is to have a large green house for winter garden and plant cuttings for selling in order for me to earn income.
Going to Morrinsville, Cambridge, Tauwhare, Matangi and Puketaha, these village gives us insight to exploring around and what they can provide us like shopping, Farmer’s Markets and butchery. I discovered that there are shortage of butcheries in the rural area today than in the old days. Blame on supermarkets………. There is a perfect place where you can pick strawberries at Olde Berry Farm in Matangi (formerly of Morrinsville Road near Silverdale, Hamilton). It is further up the roads from us. There are plenty of orchards around here – Roaches’s Rose Nursery (up the road from us), Apple Orchards which runs for family generations along Morrinsville Road, Boyds Asparagus Orchards, another Apple Orchards in Hunter Road (contract to Sundale), Blueberries Garden in Newstead and the lists so on…………… Morrinsville is a famous where there are many cow statues and the latest new is they are planning to build the largest cow statue – 6.5 metres high and it will be placed in Maber Industry.
mmmm, wonder what the neighbours are like!!!!! Mostly of them are still urban people and pays someone to do the jobs for them and the fewer local longest residents are more rural people through their family generations for example one of our cousins – Hinton families in Eureka through our late grandma – Mama’s side family “Watkinson/Yates. Great uncle Fred’s wife – Joy nee Hinton and she came from her father – Jasper James Hinton of Ngaruawahia via Eureka. Jasper’s brother was Charles Hinton who lived and raised a large families here. Today they are Geoff Hinton and one of his sons is Dan living on a largest farm here. Jasper and his other brother moved away from here during the depression years. These men married to the twin sisters formerly of the Henwoods family who also still living here too. I discovered more about share farm hands and milkers lived in many cottages along Hinton Road and in the neighbours area. One of the Hinton cousins actually lived in our house in the old days. Wow – that was really connected to me. Tom Hinton – Geoff’s father is still alive and living in a rest home in the city of Hamilton. My cousin Diane’s brother Gordon met him during the reunion which I missed it few years back. I met Stephanie who just have a baby girl, Anna – one of the Hinton family and moved to the city of Hamiton, Gail M., Mitchell – the farm milker/labourer, Colin D. who runs the service station, Rosemary and David – friends of me, Shona and her children, Jennifer.. Colin comes from the family living here for many years as well.
Looking backs, there had been odd car accidents along State Highway 26 which I found hard to understand the drivers are doing really dangerous and very foolish driving, a couple power cuts, a couple loose cows escaped one early hours of the morning, plenty of sirens from police cars, fire engines even ambulances passed here. Of course there are plenty of plain police cars, sighted police cars even unmasked cars by the police parking and watching the drivers. We know where they are but we are not telling…… You are responsible for your driving and the speed!!
Over the Newstead area, there will be upgrade road which links to Waikato Express motorway… It is not really bad but it will give us to travel more easily and quicker to Auckland, Gordonton, Puketaha, etc or back to the city of Hamilton. This area is not close to us, that goodness……… At least it is next to LIC company.
Garden projects are a big challenge for me. Removed Chinese privets and odd weeds until another couple years. I am replanting native trees and ornament trees/shrubs and new trees such as fruit trees and other kind of trees as wind break belt shelter for our vegetable gardens. Rose gardens and climbers along the fences are showing brilliant displays each days, even five cherry trees as we called them in the field. Lavender gardens are doing well but need to work on wind shelter and odd furry animals. the best of all was doing the flowers from our garden for the Deaf couple’s wedding. They were so thrilled and love it. I spend many times doing plant cuttings which make my partner annoy but he understands why I am doing it for the gardens and in the fields. It is to save money to expand more trees and shrubs every where and bought a few new fresh and different plants/trees/shrubs. My ideas of improving the gardens including vegetable gardens and fruits trees will improve in the next 3-5 years and have a break from 3-5 years to allow them to grow nicely, grateful display of wonders, shelter from wind, the need of firewoods etc…. Of course I am hoping less weeding from 3-5 years……….
Bugger – I can’t get the photos of us…. will have to wait for my partner to get home…….. then to repost my blog.
Life in Eureka 