Life in Eureka

Looking at many options from now to the future because my puzzling injury has been not diagnosis prior to the waiting list from January 2016. I have been told by my GP that the nurse of Neurology department that it may come between mid-August to September last week.  Blast – my project in garden planning is on hold because it is in late winter to Spring and it is a good time to start working on the second stage of our garden project in our home. The other problem is one of two workplaces where I am working, is not 100% to the decision of closing down or where I will be going…

I am starting looking for a job in order to earn extra income for our home, garden project and bills. There are no luck of finding jobs and many applicants I applied have been turned down. What a disappointed for me! Too many call centre where there are data entry, accounting in payable/receivable, bookkeeping and so on. That is a barrier for me because I am unable to hear the phone which I don’t need to answer the phone.  Speaking over the counter is not a problem as a frontline and in the past where I used to work as a Bank officer for BNZ and I spoke to many customers over the counter. The customers were aware of my deafness and they don’t have the problem with it.

I read an interesting article from Huffington Post last week and it was about ‘a wonderful opportunity’ for Deaf employees to work in Starbucks Cafe in US. It opened up many people who don’t know about people with disabilities or not aware of our skill to communicate and the abilities to work as an equal opportunity in many work places. I posted the article for you to read it.

Today we have a several Deaf cafès that runs by the Deaf Employees or partnerships with the largest business to support them. Here are a couple of the examples in Wellington

http://www.hotelwellington.co.nz/accessibility

http://www.co-ed.co.nz/http://www.co-ed.co.nz/

There are more than 8 Deaf cafès and restaurants around the world and they are spreading their news about their skills and abilities for everyone to communicate with them. The Deaf people are talking about their rights to work as an equal opportunity to everyone in the world.

I have been thinking of setting up a garden project or horticulture tutor in teaching Deaf people/people with learning disabilities even a tutor in literacy & numeracy for Deaf adult in the Waikato area. There is one place which provide for the Deaf community and it is a community garden under Grandview Community Garden. They are learning and supportive to us. BUT the main problem is funding and income for me to generate to establish the business to run or to find a business as a partnership with me.

The first crops grews by a disabled man and for us.

Our vegetable garden in one of the many garden plots in our home

This year my injury forces me to restrict from activity in the garden and working in the city of Hamilton. It was really frustrating that my garden projects has not starting up yet and I managed to do weeding, fencing and light pruning along with my partner during the weekend. It is a very limited of time for me to do gardening and the need of recovering before working in the city of Hamilton.

mmmm Where will I go from there?

• to continue to find job and earn income
• to continue to write books on Deaf History, Hamilton Deaf Units and my biography
• to continue to research in Deaf History
• to continue some of the garden projects from time to time
• to continue to make Deaf Adult literacy and numeracy in NZSL (video and materials)
• the lists so on…….

Who am I? mm I alway want to identify myself who am I, where do I come from and the possibility does anyone in the family has got a disability or not in the family ancestry.

I do not recognise myself as a deaf person until I was in high school. Every day I put my hearing aids on and take off from early age and my communication were oral and sign language. I lead an ordinary life as everyone else in the community. The only thing I do notice that I can not hear any sounds days or nights without hearing aids except vibration sounds. I lip read a lot when I am talking to any family, my partner, staff and friends around.

As a genealogist myself, I have been tracing my parents’ families since 1982. My late grandmother (Mama) – ‘Biddy’ Masters nee Watkinson passed away in 1979. Shorty – Poppa as we called him, left me one book and a few photos of our Masters and Watkinson’s family in 1981. He said that he does not wish to do research genealogy but he knew that I will do it because Mama always took me to visit cousins, aunties, uncles during the school holidays.I put Mama’ stuff in the storage box because I was working full time at the BNZ in 1981. The following year Shorty died in December 1982 and it was just a couple days after Christmas. Our families were collecting and sorting all the stuff at the Masters’ home in Hamilton East. One of my uncles took a large box of photos with him until a few years ago he gave me a large box of photos because he decided to not to keep it. He knew and understand what I am doing as a genealogist. That was happened after Poppa’s brother passed away. I was amazed how many photos and negatives slides that Mama and Poppa took photos for many years… I was also given a large box of Mama’s diaries too.

One day I came down with the flu and I decided to look through all the stuff in the storage box. I came across many photos and a book which Mama wrote down all the names of the families in the book. I was baffled at all the names of the people where Mama took me around many places in New Zealand during the school holidays. I asked my mother – Joan about this even my uncles… It turned out all the names of the people were related to us through Masters, Watkinson and Yates. I came to understand that Mama was a bit of genealogist since she read one article from England in the Waikato Times during the World Wars 2.  The article was about looking for Watkinson family who came out to New Zealand in or around 1840. Mama replied to the woman – Mrs Ellis of Nottingham, UK. They became friends for many years and one of our grand uncles went over to Nottingham for a holiday. It was Ernest Watkinson and he met a future wife who worked in Boots’ Chemist and a friend to the Ellis family.

From 1981, I start doing genealogy until now. My family ancestry goes back to England and Prussia from my first work in genealogy in 1981. Today in my DNA result showed that I have 50% from England, Wales and Scotland, 26% from Ireland, 16% from Scandinavia, 3% from Italy/Greece, 2% from Finland/North Russia, 2% from Europe East, <1% from Europe West and <1% from Iberian Peninsula.

Today I collect more than 5,000 names in my family ancestry from my mother and father’s side families. On my mother’s mother – Nana’s family as we called her, came from Prussia to New Zealand and left a bit of blank piece along with puzzle family connection for Nana (mum’s mother – Ruby).Her family – Rohde and Marsh and they grew up around Kings Country, Manawatu-Wanganui and other areas.I am still collecting the missing pieces of the Rohde family for my mother’s wish. My mother’s father – Gee’s family came from Somerset, England via Scotland and Wales including Ireland. My father’s father – Shorty/Poppa’s family came from London, Sussex, Kent and Midlands. My father’s mother – Mama’s family came from Nottinghamshire, Warwickshireshire, Yorkshires and upper Midlands.I keep in touch with the cousins and new found cousins each year. For many years until 2008, I visited my cousins and their families in England, Australia and USA. I am firmly planted in the ground of my home and settle down to pursuit on works and research now.

I have not been able to trace further back to Itlay/Greece even Spain prior to my discovery in my DNA result. So how, during my travelling, I alway drew back to Ireland, Italy, Europe, England, Wales and Scotland and it made me feel connections there. I am so delight to discover that I am a mix of Irish, English and European blood and my full interests in the histories and cultures were Irish and European. I love Italian cultures but how am I connect to this one?

Moving on, I decide to have a look at the occupations from my family ancestry and to my discovery while doing research through Ancestry website – Police officer, Music teacher, Goldmaker, Piano teacher, Solictior clerk, painter and the list of occupations so on. I alway knew that our family are labourer, farmers, politician, clerk, driver and bushman etc.

What about disability, health genetics and twin/triplet in the family??

Yes, we have disability and genetic health in our family ancestry during my research. It showed me a wide range of health genetics like heart disease, Paget’s Disease, diabetes, cancer and very little in disability area such as learning disabilites, deaf, physical disabilities and mental illness. Yes, we do have a set of twins and triplets in the family ancestry. Currently we are having a twin through my sister’s son and his new wife…

Definitely in my life is I am today….. I was born deaf by rubella that does not stop me from doing anything and anywhere I go and live around. I grew up in a family of four chlidren and a young solo mother with supportive family and friends. To me, I am a bit of spoilt rotten by Mama according to my family, not just of my deafness she cared about. I was often a bit of a “Tom girl” who did the crazy and wild things throughout my life in the past, full of surprises to everyone that I can do anythings.  I am still doing some or little crazy activity today.My late grandparents and other families taught me an example of life meaning even simple life to do things around at home and in the garden. I return to live in the rural as a home living because it is in my connection. This is where I am belong becasue of my family upbringing in an old fashionway and to continue to work with my skill. I continue to use my skill to survivial and basic essentials expereince from my grandparents of my mother and father’s sides. I often miss my travelling days….. but the prices are stupid and gone up very expensive. I am grateful that I did my travelling days between 1981 to 2009 and the prices to travel, staying, etc were reasonable for me to afford it.

A home in the rural with plenty of fruit trees, lovely flowering and vegetable gardens, a water pump hut, flat section – 1 acre (connected to one of my family -Watkinson’s wife’s family who owned farming around here), a partner with two dogs.

What more could I ask for!

“The problem is not that the (deaf) students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen. “- Rev Jesse L. Jackson ( American Civil Rights Activist, Minister).

Report in UK = BBC news in Down’s Syndrome people finding hard to get job

Pondering on the problems for people with disabilities finding jobs, working lower class in the workforce or unable to get a job.

Everyday we read many articles, stories and reports about workforce in the medias. Many people left the job due to financial problems, tired of working in the same job for many years or moving to a new location with the same company.

What about people with disabilities?? Does anyone know about it? How many people with disabilities are out of work or finding difficult to get a job in New Zealand?

Powerful message to urge many people with disabilities to have job equal right as everyone else

This photo show us really an excellent example that many Deaf workers who are working in a cafe – The Tradeblock Cafe in Melbourne,Australia in 2013. Deaf cafe in Melbourne, Australia

There are more Deaf cafes around the world.  It is starting to open up and reaching out to all customers to learn to communicate and enjoys their meals/drinks. Yes, we do have one in Wellington Deaf cafe in Wellington    We used to have one cafe in Auckland but they close down a long time ago while I was in overseas.

The main problems were the detail of the job roles such as call centre, answering the phones, face to face receptions and it was no match for some people with disabilities for example a deaf person who can not speak on the phone. In the Job advertising, they put down “looking for an experience”, “must have phone manners and excellent communicate, “good pay and hours”,”…. could be an entry level opportunity …… aspirations for a career in sales. Ideally the successful applicant will have a strong background in sales and customer service and have previously worked in a retail sales role.” and so on….

There are plenty of job advertising in the media like Facebook, Seeks, Indeed or Trademe. Not everyone has got a computer or laptop to access this kind of job seeking/advertising from home, in the library, in the government buildings such as WINZ.

Many people with disabilities put thousands of job applicants through Job Advertising and here are a couple articles for you to read it and think about it. I am sure there are many people with disabilities went through many years and no luck of getting a job. I was one of them for about 2-3 years and still looking for a different direction of work at the moment due to my health. Yes I am working under two different part time jobs but not enough…

Finally got the job after 950 applicants for 5 years

One successful Down’s Syndrome man got the job

WINZ (NZ Work and Income) – it is really a horror experience for many people including people with disabilities. But sometime it can be okay if there is little help on benefit or finding an odd job. I went through benefit for many years since I left Banking job (1981-1999) until I managed to find part time jobs which helped me a little bit more to pay the mortgage and bills. I chose to take redundancy than shifting to a new location and remaining as a Data Entry/Bank Officer role. I asked them if they were willing to promote in the next level as a bank manager/team leader even I was involved with banking for nearly 20 years. They refused to give me promoted and they said I can’t hear the phone and a bit worry of language barrier. Shame on them – many of customers who came and spoke to me first than other staff because of my experience, accurate to solved the problem in banking and prompt to answer their demands within 2-3 days for their enquires. Of course they knew that I am deaf and it does not bother them. I was careful to balance the income between paid salary from work and benefit income according to WINZ guideline rules. However I decided to quit on receiving benefit because of too much paperwork every years and WINZ staff poking in my life and background. For me, living on benefit was not helping because of my ‘disability’ – deaf and the disability allowance does not cover inflation financial cost of living and special equipment. Because WINZ have a limit of support payments under disability allowance and they don’t keep up with increasing inflation/financial cost of living and equipment such as hearing aids costs $4,100.00 a pair for many years….I live with 2 hearing aids, special equipment such as flashing lights for door bell, text mobile, transport to/from work/meetings and health issues. I use interpreter during the workshop or meeting and I don’t pay for the interpreter because there are some funding by Isigns or the manager of the work paid for the interpreter. People with disabilities rely on funding and income for ‘accessible’ equipment around the home and workplace, interpreters in the meeting, workshop, to become independent at work and home.

Many of the businesses in NZ (New Zealand) are not so friendly accessible to people with disabilities. The worst of all are the people’s attitudes and the lack of understanding in disabilities or know a very little understanding if they have got a family or friend who is disabled. Also most of the business fear of scaring away their customer, paying an extra cost to make the building more friendly accessible for everyone to come and go by losing their financial profits if they employed a disabled staff in the work. That is so stupid… especially if the building is not friendly and accessible then we won’t go there.

In the fact of financial loss by many businesses were the result of the lack of profits in cash-flow, overspent products and unable to sell off, high cost of selling marketing, high cost of rent for the building, not enough advertising for people to buy products and so on. Online marketing becoming more popular for everyone by internet or phone marketing..

Disable people finding job really difficult in US

Here is an interesting article by a person who researched and published by WHO (World Health Organisation).

clear facts on Deaf people in the employment/unemployment by WHO

Economic impact

In developing countries, children with hearing loss and deafness rarely receive any schooling. Adults with hearing loss also have a much higher unemployment rate. Among those who are employed, a higher percentage of people with hearing loss are in the lower grades of employment compared with the general workforce. Improving access to education and vocational rehabilitation services, and raising awareness especially among employers about the needs of people with hearing loss, would decrease unemployment rates among this group.

In addition to the economic impact of hearing loss at an individual level, hearing loss substantially affects social and economic development in communities and countries.

From Disability Employment via Disabled World: Law and clear example/message to everyone about Equal Opportunity work

Can we teach people in work to learn about? It is really important for them to take a good look at themselves and where they have done wrong, perhaps change the attitude….

How can business to learn and understand that there are better chance for many disabled people who have skills

excellent example based on one of the largest business in US that hired disabled people

looking at the rate of percent in Deaf people in US

One of the writer who wrote Deaf blog and it is worth reading it….

Here is another quote from 2006 – a deaf person posted the blog Unemployment in the Deaf Community…….

According to this link in ASL: NetSignNews.com – Unemployment Rates In The Deaf Community The unemployment in general public (USA) is 4 to 6 percent. Among the Deaf Community in USA, it is 60 percent. Among the Deaf Community in Australia, it is 67 percent. In the developing countries, 90 percent of the deaf people aren’t working. Why am I not surprised?

Our vegetable garden in one of the many garden plots in our home

The first crops grews by a disabled man and for us.

We looked back to the first Christmas in 2014 and that was the year we moved here as our new home. We have the Masters, Follett/Armstrong and some of the Wongs family shared with us for Christmas lunch with us here.

Today it was just four of us and spend a wonderful relaxing day… Not any of these families came to see or share with us for lunch or dinner this year… They choose to be somewhere else’s place today. We were hoping that they can join with us more often because we been to their places so many times over the years. Our home have got plenty of spaces and freely to walk around the fields even to play cricket or golf than in someone’s place. A lovely bbq with a couple umbrellas for the courtyard and chairs/tables everywhere – under many large trees for shades or in the courtyard where we have sailcloth.

We will visit mum and a brother down in Ralgan in a couple days – we don’t really want to visit the city of Hamilton over the holidays. The last time, mum and my aunty visited here was in Autumn – just my mum and aunty. My sister visited last April only. My niece with her family came down here for a visit from San Francisco early this year for the first time after 2 years in the city of Hamilton (at my sister’s place). Another person came here often, was a disabled man who I support and assisted him throughout years. He loves and enjoys here as a relaxing place or a memory childhood of his farm in Walton and other places where he grows up. His last visit was a couple months ago. So he and his brother of Wellington,  will be joining with us at the end of this month or next month… He will be turning 65 years old next month.

We love our home and it gave us spacious to do gardening, woodworking in either three large buildings – a shed/double garage and a double carport, dogs runs, an escape haven from the city of Hamilton. During the summer, we choose to sit under large trees anywhere as shade bring us cool, joy to relax and to look at the gardens filled with flowers and vegetables. Everywhere is flat and easily accessible land, not just hilly, two or three stories houses/apartments and high slope land. Our home fills with loves, laughters, joys and experience here. We lost one dog last year and we gain another dog to replaced the one we lost. It gave us joy and laughter here.

Nearby our home – there are plenty of orchards and we still visit any one of the orchards such as Olde Berry Farms, Apple Orchards, Blueberry Orchards. I often stop by on my way home from work in the city of Hamilton. It is handy for me to stop at any orchards and buy fruits or milk even ice cream/ice yoghurt cream. We grew lots of vegetables since we moved here and I made lots of chutneys, jams and relishes.  I gave fejios to local schools around here and my works including the people I supported/assisted. One funny thing i recalled stopping at Morrinsville Countdown car park and I saw a motor scooter parked in the car park. 

That photo was taken in April 2015 because my partner gave me a new car for birthday. I am still advocating people/children with disabilities around New Zealand. My focus area is rural country now because there are many people/children even families with a disabled child/adult living in rural and they are feeling isolated from the city.

We learn to read weather signs like rain, frost, wind here. If I have to go to work in the city, then I will have a spare rain coat in the car for the city. Because if I leave here in the morning with a fine weather and by the time I arrive in the city, it will be raining.

Dogs love here where there are plenty of furry animals in the early hours of mornings or nights…. They chased out to get it even they willing to bring inside the house if I am asleep. Better not!! There are abundance of rabbits/bunnies, possums, all kinds of birds and hedgehogs here.

We are looking forward a New Year especially our visitors of my partner for bbq, and the person and his brother, I am supporting/assisting for visit……………… Who knows if any of my families may turn up to visit if they are willing to come and see the changing of our works here since last Christmas 2014.

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………….