This afternoon, a couple young people with learning disabilities asked me – what do I want a Christmas wish come true or one day! Oh bless them for their curiosity.

I said well, all I wish to have an extra height on top of the current fence to keep dogs in our property. Because I have got a new disability – chronic C5-C8 Radiculopathy with degenerate disc disease. I can’t do the fencing job on my own for my partner is working 6 days a week. I put an advertisement in the Neighbourly and our local newsletter this week. Nothing happening so far.

The young people with learning disabilities – Tania and Ryan responses they would like to help and not good at doing fencing. They love to help me out when I am at work some times even at the library.

Late afternoon, coming home and becoming exhausted quickly. I was unable to do any light weeding in the garden or to prune lavenders back for the next flush of flowering. Some days I am okay with some strength to do something like cooking tea, light rose cutting, walking around the fields than suffered nasty or deep painful and unable to do anything for another day. The worst of all, daily trip to/from the house to the gate, I have to check the road is clear when there is not a nuisance lady of State Highway walking her dog. If the coast clear, then I let our dogs out for a good run with my eyes on them for I cannot hear anyone walking down the road.

I have another day of meeting tomorrow and getting paperworks, preparing New Zealand Sign Language Class for next year. I am working with Jacek this Saturday before we head out to Auckland or half way to meet my partner’s son and hopefully seeing the grandson. Then another four more working days before 21st.

Seeing the sunset out of our kitchen window while having tea late. Here hoping wishes come true or not!

This rose come from our rose garden and it is the oldest for I am not sure what is called. This rose was there when we moved here four years ago.

Four Years have gone since we moved here in Eureka, Waikato. Walking around the property where I grow many flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables this afternoon.  Many of flower plants, fruits like strawberries, vegetable crops producing more than before and surviving the harsh weather in the past. Even battle with rabbits, possums, birds and mice/rats pecking foods before us.  

A planter box full of strawberries under the silk tree – it showing display of fruits when they are ready to eat BUT I need to pick them before the birds and rabbits even Joseph – our oldest dog loves eating strawberries. It is better than last year because of the weather. The strawberry planter box is in front of our kitchen window where we always look out toward the field and the road.  

 Bright and cheerful colour bottlebrush trees displaying at the driveway when we go or come home from work and shopping every day. It reminds us it is nearly Christmas time this month. I looked back this year and how peaceful and relaxing times for us and our dogs here. For my health – chronic C5-C8 Radiculopathy and degenerated disc disease impacted my life this year. Nothing will stop me from doing activities here and at work! The only option is effortless – start maintaining lifestyle, change or to adapted types of equipment for gardening, cooking and housework.  I was lucky for my workplace gave me the opportunity to work from home when I am in great pain overnight or in the early hour of the morning. We would not move back to Hamilton City because we choose to live here in Eureka, out in the rural lifestyle. We knew the city of Hamilton is growing fast and no space of private, the lack of growing vegetables or fruits gardens in a small section and for our dogs to run freely etc. 

Garden is my favourite hobby and it helps me to relax a lot of times in the last four years. This year I am taking easy as along when doing weeding, pruning and growing seedlings.  It is NOT alway easy when my partner is not at home where I need help with shifting or digging up. 

One evening I was looking out through the kitchen window and saw the beauty of sunset out in the field and across the farmland of our neighbour. We get many beautiful sunsets every time we see out there, and it bought us wonder and the peace of goodwill for us.  This is how we choose and to enjoy living in Eureka, Waikato. 

Shifting through old photos which left from our uncle Norman via Uncle John through our late grandmother – Biddy Masters nee Watkinson. 

I came across this photo – a chap and a car outside the homestead or one of the worker’s homestead at Ruakura Research Centre. I don’t recall it was one of the Watkinson boys except for Uncle Johny Watkinson. 

Surrounding Ruakura lands, there were many wetlands and forests in the 1800s then came in the 1900s, the wetlands and forests were removed to make a way to establish intensive farming activities and the Ruakura AgResearch Station was formed in the early 1900s. I will type more about the history of Ruakura in the next blog. 

Our ancestors – the Watkinson families, came down to the Waikato area before moving to Ruakura and Hamilton from Walton which just outside our home – Eureka. For I know that uncle Johny worked there after shifting to Ruakura from Walton and his nephew Ernest Watkinson helped him out. Then came along our grandfather – Alan Masters for he was called ‘Shorty’ at the Ruakura Research Station. He met Hilda – Biddy there at the dance club. 

During the school holidays, Shorty always took me out to Ruakura Station and helped him out or to meet other families who have children to play with me. I have had so many memories during my childhood. The homesteads are not there anymore for I will try to find the map and buildings back 1920s. 

Today Ruakura Centre – AgResearch Centre is a hub between Tauranga, Hamilton and Auckland. I travel to /from work each day and I noticed there has been a lot of developments out there. 

Radiculopathy is a condition due to a compressed nerve in the spine that can cause pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness along the course of the nerve. Radiculopathy can occur in any part of the spine, but it is most common in the lower back (lumbar radiculopathy) and in the neck (cervical radiculopathy).

C6-C7 degenerative disc disease
The disc acts like a cushion between the bones (or vertebrae) in the neck. As the disc positioned between the C6 and C7 vertebrae starts to lose its cushioning and height during the normal ageing process, the facet joints endure more stress resulting in degenerative problems. This can lead to pain generation arising from the disc itself, from the settling of the joints, and/or irritation of the adjacent nerve. Cervical Degenerative Disc…

Looking back to the first diagnosis early this year. How I am managing so far this year?

The biggest challenge is activities around home and work such as doing weeding, cooking a Christmas cake, carry shopping, communicating in sign language, let the dogs out for a run, gardening and the list go on. Of course, there is still one nuisance problem from the neighbour over our dogs, and she refused to help us for four years.

A small change makes my life easier which are to work from home during recovering, one hour doing light weeding, away from doing the computer/laptop from evening to the early hours of the next morning, taking a day off in between work days/meetings. Let the dogs out for a run with an eye on them and to check the private road if a nuisance woman is walking her dog or not. I am going to order plants as hedges along one side of the private road to reduce the distraction from the nuisance woman of State Highway 26.

Gardens bought me relaxing when I do walking around in the morning or in the evening but without dogs often. Other times, my partner is at home, and our dogs come with me while my partner uses his ear for sounds and distraction.

Too many medicines make me tiring and finding difficult to get up in the early hours of the morning. I changed to a different medicine which helps me and reduces the pain, for example, recovering 72 hours in the past and now it is about 55-45 hours. I take the prescription medicines only when I really need it.

I go to physio once a month with my own income – not cheap, and it helps me to relax. I am unable to seek funding such as Disability Support Funding even I need to put up an increased height of the fence. All I am asking around $5,000 to help me to get back on the track plus the fence. Our dogs are working/assisting dogs than pet dogs.

Two months ago, this was me with Mark Hadlow at the Central Library in Hamilton, and it was great to catch a quick chat. We met many years back where there was an event – people/children with disabilities. On that day, I put up my brave face for I was in pain, and I met several students with learning disabilities for their lesson at the library.

It is about the hidden pain syndrome I am suffering daily and how I am managing daily life.

Sigh!

More work to be done in the community before Christmas and New Year…. I am having a long break but I dont know how I am over the holiday.

Cheers!!

Radiculopathy is a condition due to a compressed nerve in the spine that can cause pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness along the course of the nerve. Radiculopathy can occur in any part of the spine, but it is most common in the lower back (lumbar radiculopathy) and in the neck (cervical radiculopathy).

C6-C7 degenerative disc disease
The disc acts like a cushion between the bones (or vertebrae) in the neck. As the disc positioned between the C6 and C7 vertebrae starts to lose its cushioning and height during the normal ageing process, the facet joints endure more stress resulting in degenerative problems. This can lead to pain generation arising from the disc itself, from the settling of the joints, and/or irritation of the adjacent nerve. Cervical Degenerative Disc…

Looking back to the first diagnosis early this year. How I am managing so far this year?

The biggest challenge is activities around home and work such as doing weeding, cooking a Christmas cake, carry shopping, communicating in sign language, let the dogs out for a run, gardening and the list go on. Of course, there is still one nuisance problem from the neighbour over our dogs, and she refused to help us for four years.

A small change makes my life easier which are to work from home during recovering, one hour doing light weeding, away from doing the computer/laptop from evening to the early hours of the next morning, taking a day off in between work days/meetings. Let the dogs out for a run with an eye on them and to check the private road if a nuisance woman is walking her dog or not. I am going to order plants as hedges along one side of the private road to reduce the distraction from the nuisance woman of State Highway 26.

Gardens bought me relaxing when I do walking around in the morning or in the evening but without dogs often. Other times, my partner is at home, and our dogs come with me while my partner uses his ear for sounds and distraction.

Too many medicines make me tiring and finding difficult to get up in the early hours of the morning. I changed to a different medicine which helps me and reduces the pain, for example, recovering 72 hours in the past and now it is about 55-45 hours. I take the prescription medicines only when I really need it.

I go to physio once a month with my own income – not cheap, and it helps me to relax. I am unable to seek funding such as Disability Support Funding even I need to put up an increased height of the fence. All I am asking around $5,000 to help me to get back on the track plus the fence. Our dogs are working/assisting dogs than pet dogs.

Two months ago, this was me with Mark Hadlow at the Central Library in Hamilton, and it was great to catch a quick chat. We met many years back where there was an event – people/children with disabilities. On that day, I put up my brave face for I was in pain, and I met several students with learning disabilities for their lesson at the library.

It is about the hidden pain syndrome I am suffering daily and how I am managing daily life.

Sigh!

More work to be done in the community before Christmas and New Year…. I am having a long break but I dont know how I am over the holiday.

Cheers!!

Photos are wonderful to look at for example how did we look like, what did your Aunty or uncle do? What the clothes were like in the old days? Many of photos were not list any names of the people or landmarks on the back. But I recognise some of the mystery people and children which bring some luck of joy in finding them.

In doing the Deaf history, the research help me to find the clue through books, journals, newspapers and video even onlines. The hours has gone by then I realise it may be tea time and don’t have time to cook meals. Because all the works of researches and exploring absorbing me into the works for nothing or least of little income. Some research through archives can be very expensive to order or less expensive to print out or to save in the files.

Just like doing the detective works.

“People will make a life in their own terms, whether they are deaf or colorblind or autistic or whatever. And their world will be quite as rich and interesting and full as our world.” – Oliver Sacks

Yesterday it was a special day since Oliver Sacks’s death on the 31st of August 2015. I read his books including ‘Seeing Voices’ over many years. I have got the book – Seeing Voices which I found at the Book Fair.

I gave an article ‘Musicophilia’ to my sister who their son had an accident during his high school many years ago. The accident caused my nephew to lose some of the physical ability and the memory ability – mild concussion. The best of all, my nephew loves to play the guitar before the accident happened. After the accident, he retreated himself to the top of the garage or in his room and played the music which helped and calmed him down. I often visited my sister at their place and I saw my nephew playing the music at the top of the garage. Today he is a father with his lovely wife and the twins and another one on the way. He plays music when he have times.

With the Deaf community, Oliver decided to explored the visual language – sign language and the Deaf community in US. He wrote a book called ‘Seeing Voices’ for everyone, not just for the Deaf community.

His quote – “I had never thought about what it might mean to be deaf, to be deprived of language, or to have a remarkable language (and community and culture) of one’s own. Up to this point, I had mostly thought and written about the problems of individuals–here I was to encounter an entire community.”

Seeing Voices

This is me – Jean living out in the rural life since moving out of the Hamilton City four years ago.

Currently, my work roles – a deaf community support worker, an advocator for people/children with disabilities, tutor, a deaf historian/researcher, a Health & Safety Representative and a blogger. My past work roles were a data entry/bank officer/payroll officer/budgeting adviser, a data entry for the Farming database, a deaf health carer/assistant/home help for many disabled people/children/seniors including cancer patients and a teacher aide for children/teenagers with disabilities and behaviour problems.

WOW! that is a massive amount of skills I have experience in my work area.

Yesterday I posted a blog about cancer and a shock new to the Deaf community. When someone died or passed away, and this person had a unique gift/skill to share or to use the ability back in the community. Cruel cancer or another kind of life threating such as in a car accident, become paralysis and ended up in a wheelchair, robbed a person’s life and skill away.

Recently I got the report back from the specialist at the Waikato Hospital and I visited my GP last month. After discussing with my Gp and I spoke to my hearing partner about my diagnose. We accepted to change the mobility adjustment/modification things at home and in the garden. I must force myself to rest the day before the work/conference/workshop appointment and the day after as well to take a physio treatment if I need one. My symptom is not a life threating, but it is a life changing of my abilities around the home, garden and work. I must take care of myself before I do something STUPID!!!  It is called Probable chronic right C7/C8 radiculopathy (including C5/C6) – Cervical DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE.

Over the previous three years, I was suffering a lot of pain and getting exhausted almost daily, and my ability to do around the house and at work were difficult to get the tasks done. I visited the specialists and have the EMG & Nerve Conduction studies twice, and two MRI scans in the past.

The photo of me above, this was taken on one beautiful frosty morning with sunshine over me on my work to work – the library where I teach a small group of learning disabilities youths and their staff in NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language). Inside me, there were hidden pains and I went to work with a brave face.

Today I stayed home and woke up to find a bit of sunshine peeping through the window while the dogs slept with me in a large bed.

YEP – Three big dogs in one bed!              

Fancy seeing the cherry tree is full of blooming cherry flowers on a gloomy morning. The weather was horrible – rainy, windy and cold morning for me. The sign of this mean SPRING is almost here!

Starting a new way of changing the adapting things and equipment around the house, garden and workplace NOW.