Author Archives: Jemdeafhistory

watched the video by one Deaf man who makes documentary – Facebooks – Deaf News..  this morning…Check out the video story… Yes it is voice along with sign language.

It made me to think about the Deaf young couple (Dot and Bill – fiction names – privacy and respect) who is struggling to overcome the barriers by recurring cycles from their ex Deaf/hearing families and Deaf friends. These Deaf couple are moving on with their own fresh lives by learning one step at a time, learning to trust someone in a good faith, reaching out someone who can assist them for their needs and gain new friends. Every times they received bad vibes through texts or gossips of lies or  ‘rubbish stories’ by their ex Deaf friends, Deaf family and a hearing mother. Yes it made their lives really frustrating and make more difficult to clear up the rubbish or nasty rumours by other ex Deaf friends.. Don’t judge them if you know or familiar in the boundary if you comes across their path into your path as a bad example Deaf couple. Just take a look at yourself and think twice where you are in the dysfunctional family or not!

A small number of good faith people are there to support and to encourage them to move on and getting on positive lives in the city rather not looking back in the past. They are doing well BUT not always well. They have a small number of good people who are there for them.

Last week I went to a workshop – Healthy Deaf Mental people in Auckland. The guest speaker was Dr Brendan Monteiro, Consultant Psychiatrist in Mental Health Services for Deaf Adults. This was one of the good example for everyone to learn from him….

What is a dysfunctional family mean to you?

A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehaviour, and often child neglect or abuse on the part of individual parents occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is normal. Dysfunctional families are primarily a result of co-dependent adults,^[1] and may also be affected by addictions, such as substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, etc.), or sometimes an untreated mental illness.^[1] Dysfunctional parents may emulate or over-correct from their own dysfunctional parents. In some cases, a “child-like” parent will allow the dominant parent to abuse their children. This paste web side was from Wikipedia… It is clear and simple explain note.

Dot comes from a large Deaf family and Bill comes from a hearing mother who married and divorced the man who is not a natural father to Bill. An example of the dystunctional families they have are lack:-

• Lack of empathy, understanding, and sensitivity towards certain family members, while expressing extreme empathy towards one or more members who have real or perceived “special needs”. In other words, one family member continuously receives far more than he or she deserves, while another is marginalized.
• Denial (refusal to acknowledge abusive behavior, possibly believing that the situation is normal or even beneficial; also known as the “elephant in the room.”)
• Inadequate or missing boundaries for self (e.g. tolerating inappropriate treatment from others, failing to express what is acceptable and unacceptable treatment, tolerance of physical, emotional or sexual abuse.)
• Disrespect of others’ boundaries (e.g. physical contact that other person dislikes; breaking important promises without just cause; purposefully violating a boundary another person has expressed)
• Extremes in conflict (either too much fighting or insufficient peaceful arguing between family members)
• Abnormally high levels of jealousy or other controlling behaviour
• In a family with one or more rebellious children at whom parents are chronically angry, non-rebellious children’s having to “walk on eggshells” to avoid spillover effects of the parents’ anger.

In the world, we do have a wide range of dysfunctional families and one of these family can break away from this cycle, it would be perfect story to share. Yes, we do have dysfunctional families in the disabled world, it is the same with gangs – all kind of gangs for example Black Power, Mongrel Mobs, Rebel….

With Dot, her ex Deaf family let her down in a bad path. They refused to forget the pasts especially odd help assistance like counselling in the past. They don’t believe counselling will help them to solve and move forward with their lives.

Yes I often see people don’t take counselling or other kind of helps like food parcels. They can be too embarrassed or a shame of themselves even they don’t be to be like to have a ‘pity family’.

With Bill, his hearing mother refused to give his natural father’s name in fear for her shame or embarrassed in the old days. Bill wants to know who is his natural father because he wants to pass on to his children and that was his choice, not the mother, even Bill is an adult and he have his right to know who is his natural father. The real fact that he wants to see his natural father one day. He is not angry, simply he wants to know who is his natural father is, where he comes from, what kind of work he had and so on.

Not everyone who willing to give out the natural name of the father or mother through genealogy because of their shame or a bad past e.g. rape by a stranger or one of the family members.  I did  own genealogy for many years and I came across many interesting dark sides stories which we never knew or knew very little about it. Yes we do have a small number of ‘black sheep’ in our genealogy and it did not bother us.

Wherever I am involve in the community, in the places where I met someone, read the article, or in the world where I travelled in the past. It always brings me insight to explore or to understanding more in their lives, cultures and what kind of services we can provide for them including people with disabilities…..But how can we change their cycle of life? It is never a solution or a little solution to help to break their cycle of life at least something will make impact on their life changing!

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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.

In the last 24 hours since i saw the headline news screaming out on TV – Paris locked down, Paris in terror, Bombing attacks and so on… I was not aware of this headline because I can’t hear the radio. Yes I am deaf and what is the point of using hearing any danger headline news for many other Deaf/Sourd people?  I received a text from a very good hearing friend whom i met in Lyon, France. In my mind, first of all I thought of many Sourd people if they were okay, confused and frightening but there were so many unexplained answer to them and to me.http://www.facebook.com/Fusillade-à-Paris-en-direct-LSF-315769835260290/?fref=nf

Then we have had another headline bombing – suicide bomber kills at least 19 in Baghdad funeral. This one was about – Attacks targeting Shiites in Baghdad, including a suicide bombing at a funeral in a mosque, killed at least 19 people Friday, security and medical officials said.

The suicide bombing inside the Al-Ashara al-Mubashareen mosque in the Amil area of south Baghdad killed at least 17 people and wounded 33, the officials said. This quote article was from http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/11/13/Suicide-bomb-in-Baghdad-kills-at-least-18.html

I know this country – Iraq has more than 4 millions of disabled people and it is keep growing spite of wars, chemical warfare, torture treatments in jails, various kind of accidents in workplaces and so on… Here are a couple of photos

If I was hearing then I would hear the latest new on the radio and start to worry, listening to the radio or praying for them… But I am deaf and it is impossible for me to hear the radio. I would go and turn on the tv and watch the breaking new if the shocking or latest headline new screaming out on tv. If it is not on tv, then I would go to googling on internet which is marvellous tool for me. Internet is a wonderful tool for many Deaf/hearing impaired people who missed out headline news. Smartphone is another tool for many Deaf/Hearing Impaired people too. I have got a smartphone but I don’t used it.

Looking back to my previous trips to Paris – several times but I have lost the count – up to 8 times in Paris and around France. The reason of this trips were conferences, socially visiting friends and exploring around France. It is a vibrant city of lights, arts, history, foods, cultures and of course people in France. Looking at Iraq – it is so different country from France because of wars and poverty. They are trying to rebuild fresher life and moving on since the collapse of Saddam Hussein – 2003. The number of Deaf people in Iraq is not clear and the last time I checked was around 189,000. They are part of unengaged and unreached in the whole part of Iraq. Their sign language is undetermined. This year there was a good new and it is a first Deaf school in Iraqi-Kurdistan. This is the very first school for deaf people in Northen Iraq, the kurdish region. The teachers are mostly Arabs from Baghdad, were they are used to teach in Iraqi schools for deaf people.

The number of Sourds (Deaf people) in France are around 300,000 with FSL (French Sign Language) and last record was 2014.  The number of Sourds (Deaf people) is not clear.

imagine if you (Deaf) were in the area where there is a bombing, involved as a hostage, attack without warning and there is nothing you can do.  In Israel, most of the Deaf people who wears vibrating warnings by SMS smartphone, pagers equipments BUT it does not work very well because of the Government bureaucratic procedure.

it would be good if someone who able to invent and keep improving warning signal against rocket signal, announce warning through smartphone or pagers for many Deaf/Hearing Impaired people. Because we are in the life of wars and dangers with out warning around the world. How can hearing people can help us if they understand that we are Deaf/Hearing impaired as strangers? Because our disability is invisible – not physically disability when Sourds/Deaf people don’t wear hearing aids. Only a very small amount of Deaf people do wear hearing aid as their choice.

Many of hearing people who lives in Israel, meet many Deaf/Hearing people and they knows each other as neighbours. They helps each others during bombings throughout days and days.

My partner often texts me whenever I am in the city of Hamilton or outside and he heard something on the radio when he is working. For example one day I was driving home from a home visit and there was a domestic violence attempt in the area of Hamilton City. There were a couple or more road blocks which anyone can’t drive through that area. Of course I was just there at the traffic lights where in front of me and this road in front of me was going to be block off when I saw 7-8 police cars storming into that area. I waited and checked my mobile of course a text message from my partner. I managed to change to another route where other people couldn’t get out. This was one of the excellent example tool for me.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/72487336/crackdown-on-hamilton-boy-racer-invasion

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/72441230/driver-flees-after-crashing-into-cow-on-waikato-highway

Over the last 3-4 months, my trips to/from the city of Hamilton, I saw 7-9 cars lying down in the ditches along State Highway 26.  I found it hard to believe how drivers lose their driving control, or their speed factors on a rainy/wet weather, plain drunk drivers and even passing on the near the bend corner… Here was the recently photo which a car ran over into the ditch next to our place on the 25th September 2015 in the early hours of the morning between 3am and 430am. The photo is plainly reminder to everyone to think twice before driving safety on the road. The police, fire staff even ambulance staff returned to this site around 7am for inspected and file report. We learnt that it was their third trips to this site on the same day.  Today I was travelling along the upgrade Waikato Express Motorway between Hamilton and Cambridge via Tamahere this morning. I noticed one driver who have a dog who was driving behind me on an order of road speed 70 kph along the new motorway while road workers including my partner. The driver is a male and he paid no interest in the speed sign 70 kph instead of 100 kph until the speed sign changed to 100 kph…. However this driver passed me in front and continued to speed more than 100 kph until a plain police car flashed the lights just near Tamahere and Airport Road turn off intersection. We all (the drivers behind us except this guy) passed them (the speeding guy and police officer) and noticed this guy was given a ticket.  Well every messages like advertising on tv, police’s messages etc are not getting to all drivers…sigh………….

I was born deaf by a rubella when New Zealand was the last county during the pandemic of rubella between 1962 and 1965 starting in Europe and spreading to the USA. The first diagnose as a clinical description of rubella was in 1740 by Friedrick Hoffmann and there were two more men – de Bergen in 1752/Orlow in 1758 confirmed the rubella. In 1814, George de Maton suggested that rubella were a disease distinct form both measles and scarlet fever. All these men were German and they called this disease ‘German Measles’. Then a British surgeon – Henry Veale who worked in India and there was an outbreak in India. He coined the new name ‘rubella’ from the Latin word which meaning ‘little red’.

The nature/essence of a person as myself, is the journey of my life in the Waikato area and many other places around the world. From the early childhood of 18 months old, i was diagnosed deaf when my family members noticed my hearing and speech were not developing as every children. This was the first stage of my journey as a deaf person in the hearing family. I never understood and realised that I was deaf until I reached teenager. Something made me to realise that I was actually deaf at the high school.  I am not disappointed that I am a deaf BUT I am just like everyone who speaks and hear the sounds. I am happy where I am fit in my life. I believe that God has given me the gift to use to teach other people to understand what deaf is, how to communicate with deaf people or hearing impaired people and how can I use my skill by learning and able to try something different approach in my life. It is not a pity or feeling sorry for any deaf people by judging them. The most important skill/tool is to help or to teach them by becoming independent than dependent deaf person. I alway find a way by working out the problem or asking someone to teach me from the early stage of my life. I was thankful for my family to be there but I know that i alway keep asking them what they were saying on TVs, radio, because we did not have closed captioning on tv or interpreters in the old days.

The only things I notice something different in my journey of life, were silence, communication and putting/taking off my pair of hearing aids every days. Constantly my families were always there when we go out on a holiday, duck shooting and farming and they were looking out for me. I recalled my sister played the recorder right against my ears and it was some kind of experiment whether I can hear or not.  I am not a fan of a clarinet when my sister played it for her music. In the photos, there was an old fashioned hearing aid and this old hearing aid was the worst and ugly type to wear in the old days. We did not have a flash hearing aids like today in the old days. I hated it when I wore it because of the sounds were strange to me and I couldn’t understand where the nosies coming from. One night or day I tried to flush hearing aids down in the toilet. Didn’t work out. Today I am wearing my ‘past by date’ hearing aids which  due to renew time once every 6 years. In a couple weeks to go, I am looking forward to a new pair hearing aids because I need some security of daily life out in the rural country and my works involving with people with disabilities and their safety.

In the silence life, it can be great for me where there are no loud noises or even a tiny annoying noises like buzzing, recurring noises of surface. Every night times, I don’t wear them in bed because my body needs to rest after a whole day by lipreading people where I am working, doing activities out in the garden, driving on the road, around the house. During the days, in me – monitoring, watching, observing is where I am working in the environment by picking up all kind of sounds in the background or face to face. I keep picking up any new sounds that I never come across and I have to find it. If I can’t find it and I will ask my partner where the new noise coming from. Often there are strange noise which i don’t recognise like behind the bathroom wall or too quiet for me to hear. Raining on the roof can be nice for me, but not to other people i know.

In the city of Hamilton, there has been increasing growing of transports, people walking on foot traffics, loud conversation in the offices, cafe where there are too many noises for them, noisy neighbours, loud music even raps/heavy metal music, dogs barking, cats fighting and so on. Yep I can hear these kind of noises. But behind me, it is a risk because I can not see something behind me without hearing aids. Today there are many new kind of sounds in cars due to new technology e.g low horn beeping, car being drive off. It can be disturbing daily routines for everyone even troubling in sleeping.  I recalled one time when my partner were away and the dogs were barking at some strangers – taggers and cats fighting in the street. It was on a rubbish day in the early hours of the morning. I woke up when the dogs barking something differently way and I was so tired. I realised that there were visitors at the early hours – 1am knocking on the door. It turned out two police officers checking on me. The new neighbour – a solo mother with foster children didn’t realised that they were living next door to a deaf person with dogs. She was worried about my dogs and if I am okay or not. She rang the police to check it. I simply told the police officers that my dogs are guard dogs during the night when my partner was away and it was a rubbish day where cats/dogs looked for food scraps, animals fighting and taggers running down to the park or fighting. That was a life in the street. The police officers understood and left my house.

In the rural country, it is a nice break and peaceful sounds of ducks, cow mooing out in the fields, birds flying and making tweeting sounds on the trees, leaves blowing like rattling noises. It is not alway too quiet for me because I am use to it. On the other side of our home, it is a state highway 26, people travelling to Morrinsvile or other places and we can hear the traffic such as tractors, police/fire engines/ambulance, large machinery trucks daily. These kind of sounds are not loud to me and it does not bother me. It is a nice peaceful life for me and I realise how much different sounds I missed out in the rural country. A few new neighbours are learning to understand me when I meet them e.g. Colin who runs the petrol station and he found me an interesting deaf person who can speak well than his family member who also have cochlear implant and does not speak well, Katie who lives up the road from us, realised that I am deaf when the dogs were barking and attending to me. She was not sure if our dogs will attack strangers or not. I told her that our dogs are guard dogs and letting me know that something is not right where I am in danger.  Mitchell is another one as a share milker for his boss up the road and he notices we have dogs in two different kind of job roles for me –  guard dogs and pet dogs. They are learning to understand that our dogs are protecting me when my partner is away.

Many Deaf people does not wear hearing aids because they believe hearing aids is a medical thing. They can’t hear any sounds around the city or at their home but they do pick up by feeling vibration sounds. This is another type of sounds that we including myself uses every days life. There is another way of sound which called visual sound e.g. flashing light. The flashing light comes in many ways of communication e.g. fire evacuation, baby crying, visitors uses the door bell, phone/fax ringing, smoke alarm signal and so on.

I don’t have these kind of equipments out in the rural country now but I used to have a few equipments in the city. Now I have got two dogs and they helps me around in the garden and in the house. I kept my special equipments to use something for the future.

Imagine how much do you see or heard the headline “accident on the road” on the new bulletins, radio, online newspapers even hard copy newspaper daily?
Since moving out to Eureka 7 months ago, I notice many drivers drive passing me or passed next to our home daily, are crazy enough to take over or to drive more speed daily. We live next to the State Highway 26 between Morrinsville and Hamilton City.

The life of State Highway 26 can be boring or exciting times for everyone who lives around Eureka, Morrinsville, Newstead and Tauwhare. Recently over the last three months there were 3-5 accidents along State Highway 26 and the nearest location was the most popular spot – Hardbottle Road. A truck with a trailer caught on fire in the trailer and a company car killed a couple drivers. I recalled there was a power cut along Holland Road in the early hours of the morning. A car smashed into a power pole and caused the power cut around the rural country.

When I drive along the open stretch road and many ‘stupid’ drivers decided to over take the long stretch road by driving over 120kph. That was the most dangerous and stupid to do that… It amazes me that there were approximately once every 3 drivers to pass along State Highway 26. The reality of the speed area is 100kph on the state highway motorway. In the ‘back bone’ of the rural roads, it is the same story and many local drivers drive over 100kph in the quiet open farm roads. These are pretty isolated places in the rural ‘back bone’ roads.

There are a couple rural schools along the road – Tamahere-Newstead Primary School, Eureka Primary School and Motumaoho School. The speed zone is 60kph. Drivers still drives up to 80-100kph if there is no traffic police watching. Many times I see a traffic police officer parking near LIC/Dairy Research Centre and this place is definitely a worst black spot area due to high rate of car/truck/van accidents even cyclists for many years. There were several drivers killed in the intersection of this area.

How can we prevent these stupid drivers? There is nothing we can do for them and it is simple tool for every drivers – to learn and keep safe through education.

When I was young and spent my childhood times with my late grandparents – Bibby and Shorty with their sons who raised farming, butchery, carpentry and possum culling. My uncle and aunty were one of them who used possums something useful ways such as to keep the orphan young possums until they are big enough to released, or to skin them out as hides and all the furs into clothes. My uncle was a possum culler through the council even he was a butcher as a homekill (cows and other animals). His wife threaded furs into thread of possum thread that spun on the spinning wheel. How I remember that when I saw her doing it every time I visited her. She turned thread of fur into wool, then into clothes such as jerseys.That was a long time ago where people did not think about using possum furs into clothes or gloves. Today there are many clothes even gloves made from possum furs. As well, possum pies!

Recently in the early hour of this morning, our dogs caught one young possum who entered the sunroom of our house. We have not see any possums around here since we moved but we saw hit and run possums on the road side along State Highway 26. Our dogs had been really exciting to have close encounter possum..They did not mean to attacked or to kill them.  We have no problem with this one and we often get annoying with pest possums becoming destructing in anyone’s garden, native trees and among other things.

Our neighbour – C Duncan who runs the petrol station laughed when Rusty told him while filling up the petrol. Duncan said there are plenty of possums around where people likes us to hate it or to love it.

I thought about rats or mice too and they are also pests. They are becoming the habits of chewing and wreaking everything when they try to get inside the house, barn, garages carports, rubbish bins, water pump house and the list so on.

Well, looking back in my childhood with duck shooting, encountered with possums, rats/mice during the school holidays with my grandparents did not faze me as all. I have had a wonderful times and does not put me off when coming to see possums, rats or mice again in the present times. Life goes on……… We learn to live with it – to love it or to hate it.

Here is one of the book about Eureka, Waikato.. There were a wide range of families living in Eureka back to 1860’s. Hinton family were one of the family came out to live here. This photo showed Thomas and Nelly Hinton were the longest residents in Eureka. Geoff Hinton who related to Thomas and Nelly, and another female family members who married to Tims’s family are the only family still here. My descendent – Joy Yates nee Hinton and her parents were James Hinton and Ada Henwood. James was related to Thomas Hinton as a brother of the large family. James and Ada moved away to Ngaruawhia and raised a new life there. Ada’s twin sister and her husband joined with them because they were very close knit family. So Joy was my great grand aunty who married Fredrick Yates. My father’s mother – Hilda Watkinson’s parents were Henry Watkinson and Alice Yates. I often spent times with Fred and Joy along with my grandmother Hilda (Biddy) during the school holiday and we talked about farming, old days and gardening. Joy often spoke of her father and other families of Eureka especially Tom (Geoff’s father?) These families were not close to James and Ada and the twin sister and the husband since James and the family moved away. there is an old homestead up the road and the second old homestead further out was burnt down. To me in here, it made me feel like a connection to this home here again.