#52Stories, Week 53, Woohoo !!

This is the 53^rd Sunday of the year. Since I started on the first Sunday (January 1, 2017), it seems right to close out the challenge on the last one.

So, not much revisiting of the goals, because I don’t think I’ve made much more progress with them than I had in June/July.

There have certainly been some thought provoking topics through the year, some that I have really struggled to find something to write about. But I’ve finished.

Maybe I will print them all out and have them bound into a book, maybe I wont.

A lot of other things have gone by the by because of the challenge though. I haven’t posted as much general stuff this year, so I will have to do a couple of catch-ups I think before the end of the day.

It has been a pretty action-packed year, lots of change – and stress – but lots of learning too.

The winds of change and smiles of good fortune had better start going my way though, because I am starting to go a bit crazy with not enough to do. I have lots of plans for my life – I just need to be able to execute them, and a job would be a great help in that regard.

#52Stories, Week 52, 'Tis the season..

Christmas

It has to be my favourite time of the year. I’m not sure exactly what it is about it, that makes it so.

Maybe it is because all over the world people are celebrating together.

Maybe it is all the great (often cheesy) movies…

…or the baking – so many choices

…or packaging – it’s the craft geek in me, I can’t help myself

…or the sharing.

The counting down,

Carols in the park.

Taking time to breathe,

Searching for the right gift – not just a gift for gift-giving’s sake.

Making time to appreciate life…people, and to thoughtfully give to others who might not share the same opportunities.

Following traditions, making memories, reminiscing, starting new rituals.

Summer days – although a white Christmas is still on my bucket list, even if it is only once.

The joy of homecoming (not that there is much of that goes on in our family) – maybe next year.

Ours is always a quiet day – 2, maybe 4 people. Those rowdy, fun cousin packed, extended family events I always long for aren’t really an option. Maybe I wouldn’t enjoy them anyway, as used to solitariness as I am.

Mostly I think it is that cosiness, mindfulness feeling…

…seeing the joy in others – young and old.

It is MAGIC.

B E L I E V E

#52Stories, Week 51, What do you look forward to as each new season approaches ?

Spring

I’ll start here since I have a spring birthday. Blue skies, trees and shrubs bursting into leaf, blossom buds appearing – sometimes even before the leaves, spring showers and soft breezes. Slowly lengthening daylight hours. Cool nights. Birdsong. Baby animals and birds.

Summer

Sunshine, dappled shade, trips to the beach, lake, river. Barbecues. Warmth. Water play. Christmas, holidays, salads. Blue skies and sudden downpours. Stone fruit and berries – picked fresh if possible. Crickets and cicadas singing. Gentle breezes.

Autumn

Cooler mornings. Changing leaves, red, green, orange, yellow, brown. Dew lingering on leaves and flowers, first frosts. Clear skies. Indian summers. Cool breezes, surprise showers.

 Winter

Shorter days, longer nights, cosy evenings, comfort food. Stormy days, stormy nights, rain, frosty air, maybe snow ? Woolly hats and scarves. Camellia, Magnolia, Rhododendron, Daffodil braving the chilly air, a sign of what is to follow.

#52Stories, Week 50, Which of your childhood holiday traditions have you carried on into adulthood. What new traditions have you started ?

Making a fruit cake is the obvious tradition which I have continued. (Although it has been missing the last couple of years since I became a bit of a gypsy.)

I still send cards each year, not as many as I did once. Not because there are less people to send to; more that I make my own and lack of organisation often means I run out of time. It is also more costly these days as postal services struggle to run their businesses. But as connected as I am on the web, I still believe in snail mail. If we all give up and don’t use it – it will be lost forever. (In New Zealand anyway. Other countries who complain about their services still have effective services operating today. Don’t get me started on the indefinite amount of time it takes to send and receive mail on three teeny islands.)

So, making cards is a new thing and there have been many different designs over the years (I just found about 15 or 16 years of photos !).

Packaging. This has become a real part of the process for me. The thought which goes into the gift and then the presentation.

Writing a Christmas newsletter to update friends and family of the happenings during the year.

Decorating with a theme. This too has gone a bit by the by since moving around more. White tree/Red & green tree/Gold tree/Silver tree/Red & white tree

I have a bit of a thing about snowmen – like Frosty who I made some years ago.

I have a couple of other snowman ornaments packed away. I like penguins too – not so many of those ornaments though. Santas too – big fat round ones, tall skinny wizardy looking ones; and then houses. “Claire’s Card Shop” which was given to me one year as well as a gingerbread house and others lit by led lights run on batteries.

Then there is bunting – nowhere really to put this up this year so it is safely in a box with the others waiting for “one day” to arrive.

Carols by candlelight, or just carols in the park. One thing I miss from Wellington is the Onslow Brass Band. They would walk around the streets, stop at intervals and play carols, collecting for charity at the same time. Hearing the strains of a carol played across the valley or at the bottom of the drive always had that “feelgood feeling”. Like Christmas really is here.

Going to church for Christmas Eve carols, sometimes going to the same church each year, other times going somewhere else, a new faith or a church in a different suburb.

Checking out the Christmas light displays. This probably started when we lived in Hamilton when Lauren was 2 or 3 and we went to the lights at the Temple in Tuhikaramea. Lots of late night driving to streets and suburbs far afield ensued. Sometimes we’d go after the Christmas Eve church service as well. This year, no car, so it will depend how far we need to walk.

Some traditions have gone for now; retired – letters from Santa, snowy footprints under the tree, cookies and milk left on a table and water outside for the reindeer.

#52Stories, Week 49, What were some of your favourite holiday traditions from childhood ? How far back do these traditions go - to your parents or grandparents' generation or even beyond ?

For these traditions I am sticking with Christmas. Apart from Easter there aren’t really other specific holidays that we celebrated growing up in New Zealand, unlike Thanksgiving or Independence Day in the States.

Making a fruit cake seems to have been something which has happened every year. Standing on a chair, stirring (with a bit of help sometimes), making a wish. I remember helping Nana and Mum, and then I remember Lauren helping them both – and me, in later years.

Where did that start ? Did Granny Fuller make them as well, and so my Nana continued that tradition and passed it on to some of us ?

We used to get an orange or another piece of fruit in our stockings from Nana and Granddad – never coal though, so that was good.

The postie used to deliver masses of Christmas cards from friends and family all over the country and some even in other parts of the world. Some of these came with notes about what had happened during the year on the inside, others came with handwritten letters.

Thank you boxes of chocolate or similar were left in the letterbox for the milkman - and maybe for the postie too ?

Making crepe paper streamers and paper chains to decorate our bedrooms or the tree.

Decorating the tree – I remember some years having a biggish tree inside propped up in a bucket. We would go with a trailer to collect it from somewhere – a forest? someone’s farm? At some point though a small tree was bought and grown in a pot to come inside each year…then came the artificial ones; and no more hayfever from the pine smell.

We would leave a pillowcase on our beds on Christmas Eve and when we woke up – voila ! No idea how Santa got inside filled up the "sack" and back out so quietly.

Some part of Christmas Day would normally be spent with cousins, and grandparents at one house or another - or on holiday somewhere. One year, in the snow at Milford Sound !

#52Stories, Week 48, Let the planning begin !

In 1978 I got my first passport.

That September I went to Fiji with my friend Jo. We had both been working for a year or so since leaving school. Jo’s parents had been to Fiji before and had a network of friends there.

I travelled up to Hamilton from Wellington (did I fly ? I cant remember) and stayed at Jo’s. Next morning her sister in law Jane took us to Auckland to catch our plane. Our first night we stayed with the sisters at a convent. Interesting people – nuns.

The next morning we waited at the convent gate with our baggage for a bus and made our way from Nadi to Suva. We stayed in Suva for a few days – maybe a week ? with friends of Jo’s parents.

While we were there we met some other people and when it came time for us to head back to Nadi they gave us a ride – instead of bussing again. We spent a couple of nights on the Coral Coast and then about 3 or 4 more in Nadi. Lots of lazing about the pool, a day trip to Beachcomber and Treasure Islands, cruising the waters in a glass bottomed boat looking at the coral and brightly coloured fish.

It was loads of fun !

When I saw Jo just before we moved from Auckland this year, we were talking about that holiday and decided we are going back. For our next big milestone birthdays.

Rather than 40 years since the first time, it will 41 years instead.

Let the planning begin.

#52Stories, Week 47, In what ways do you sacrifice your time to volunteer in your community ? Do you serve at church, at a local school, at charitable or civic organisations, one-on-one in your neighbourhood ?

Right now, I don’t.

I did have good intentions when I moved that I would get involved with things while I was looking for work. But really, looking for work seems a tad more important right now – tricky as it appears to be.

In the past though there have been a few occasions where I have been a volunteer.

Collecting for charities; Red Cross, SPCA, Plunket…

Brownie leader, Pippin leader, Division/District Commissioner/Coordinator with GirlGuidingNZ and all my “other” daughters.

Wellington City Ambassador – greeting cruise passengers and welcoming them to Wellington, answering questions, making suggestions for activites and giving directions

All of them lots of fun – and soon I am sure I will find something else to do as well.

#52Stories, Week 46, What animal welfare causes capture your heart and inspire you to take action ? Habitat loss, pet abuse and neglect, wildlife preservation, animal testing, factory farming ?

All of the above.

Send me a petition about animal welfare, cruelty, habitat loss, wildlife preservation, animal testing and I will sign it.

Fill my social media feed with images of cute furry animals suffering and I will normally take action and/or repost it to spread the word.

I’ll bake cupcakes for SPCA Cupcake Day, sponsor an animal with the zoo or WWF, make donations to charity collections, buy tshirts, bags and paraphernalia supporting said charities.

When our little Sparkle left us for Kitty Heaven we took all her bowls and toys to the SPCA. Last time we moved we donated carloads of household goods to the their charity shop.

When we holidayed in the States we planned our itinerary around being able to visit and volunteer at Best Friends in Kanab, Utah. A long way to go for one afternoon, but totally worth it.

Local cat café’s working in partnership with animal rescue and fostering groups; Lonely Miaow, Kitten Inn, Red Zone Cats. GREAT people doing AMAZING stuff with very little resource.

PAW Justice too, like the SPCA working to eliminate cruelty, animal testing, abuse, neglect.

#AdoptDontShop #SaveThemAll #TreasuresNotTrophies

#52Stories, Week 45, What environmental issues are most important to you ? Air and water pollution, climate change, recycling, deforestation, endangered/threatened species, renewable energy ?

Plastic, people.

PLASTIC.

It is the evil which is destroying our water,

killing sealife, birdlife and in the end the ENTIRE planet.

Stop using it,

stop buying it,

stop accepting that e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g needs to be packaged in it.

Use beeswax wraps, glass containers, paper packaging, take your own bags shopping for produce and any sort of shopping.

Say NO to the plastic bag.

It starts with us.

The more of us saying NO,

the sooner the producers of this evil will need to CHANGE their business plan.

Be a conscious shopper

Be a conscious recycler

Lobby your council to have a regular organic rubbish collection

THINK about what you are sending to landfill

Watch this  
change your ways.

It starts with US

So, there is that rant…

…don’t let me get started on the filthy dairy industry polluting our waterways,

ruining our land, overproducing milk, dumping milk, manipulating the natural breeding patterns of dairy herds

...or deforestation and climate change

For generations we lived sustainably on this ball of earth floating in the universe. The past 2 centuries have seen great changes technologically, but they have come with a total disregard to the planet which has nurtured us so well.

It starts with US

#52Stories, Week 44, Memorabilia

Since I wrote about mealtimes a month or so ago, I’ve been thinking about other childhood memories. Combine that with the focus of my study right now – Oral History – there has been a whole lot of thinking going on.

One reading for my course focused on the memories attached to objects like photos and bric-a-brac or even appliances ! In this article the family photographed every room and wall in their mother’s home after she had passed away, to preserve the memory of how her home looked. That was something I never thought of. The idea was that although someone might think they had no memory of a particular event, the photograph might uncover a lost thought. I can see how that might work.

Anyways, it got me thinking about objects I have accumulated and where they came from.

In one of my boxes there is a 45 (you all know what they are – right ?) in a worn paper sleeve with tracks such as Old King Cole and Little Boy Blue which used to get played again and again on the radiogram at Nana’s. The disc would sit at the top of the spindle and drop to the mat and play the tunes we loved so much. Interestingly that same radiogram is now a treasured belonging of Lauren. It doesn’t work now, need to get that sorted.

I have some of Nana’s cookbooks and a collection of ornaments that used to live in the china cabinet. I think we all chose something from there to keep. I also have a few other little containers which I think came from my other Nana’s home.

In my brother’s garage there is a well loved light brown Morris Minor. We all have memories of that car I think. Trips to the Lake, the garden centre, Whakamaru, the Mount, the pool at Cambridge (and breaking down on the way home and needing to get towed), to Te Awamutu, Auckland and even all the way to Wellington.

Then there are photos, the memories attached to some of these are gone now as there is no-one to tell them. Others still have memories which can be shared – just need to work out the best way to record all of them.

One thing in the reading article was the “magic” toaster – it got me thinking about toasters. Ours was one with doors – is that what you’d call them ? You had to toast the bread one side at a time, opening and closing the “door” to turn it over. A pop-up toaster was along time coming in our house. Toast also arrived at the breakfast table on a toast rack ! I need to get back to that. It seemed like a more mindful way to start the day, rather than the rush it often is – to get up, eat and get out the door these days.

#52Stories, Week 43, How do you believe the human race came into existence on this planet at this time ? Do you believe in religious explanations, scientific theories, or other conclusions ?

So this could be controversial.

Big Bang ?

Creationsim ?

Bible stories ?

Intergalactic travellers ?

It could be any of them. Who really knows ? George Lucas may be right. Alderaan looked pretty Earth like, even Naboo and Tatooine could be mistaken for some parts of our planet.

We are animals. Like other animals we share Earth with, we live in communities – mostly in peace. We have evolved, as some of them have too. We are the same but different. We have embraced technology and are on our way to destroying the planet with our consumerist materialism and excessive waste.

We are homosapiens, but also part Neanderthal, we’ve been here awhile. Were we here with the dinosaurs and managed to survive the big freeze ? Or did we come later ?

Whatever happened and whenever or how it happened every religion has the SAME story in their teaching, with similar values and similar festivals. So maybe there is some truth in those tomes. In our hunger for technology we just haven’t unravelled the riddle yet.

Whichever theory you believe is up to you, and I accept that we will all have different opinions. I'm not sure myself and I don't have any strong leanings one way or the other. Logically science seems like the winner, but I feel there must also have been an event that resulted in those stories in the Torah, Bible and Koran. Surely ?

Anyway, one thing is for sure. We ALL need to take better care of our home. We need to work together in a balanced and controlled way to ensure that neither pollution nor a minor community ends up destroying Earth. That is one big bang we don’t need.

If we are to survive here while searching for our own Alderaan, Kobol or Risa out there amongst the exoplanets in other galaxies we need to be sure we are all on the same page. 

There is no Planet B, we can’t leave home just yet.

#52Stories, Week 42, What do you believe are the necessary ingredients and habits for a good, moral, purposeful life ? How are you striving to live up to those ideals ?

Hmmm, these topics I have chosen for October are a bit deep and meaningful. I will see if I can stick with what I chose for the whole month !

Here is my list of the necessary ingredients and habits for a good, moral, purposeful life:

Honesty

Education

Acceptance

Respect

Tolerance

Trust

Mindfulness

Love

Hope

Curiosity
Diversity

Community

Solace

We should all harbour some intolerance to be able to facilitate change, but should not allow that intolerance to consume our lives or take away OUR enjoyment in life or alter the way that we see people and treat them if they or their actions and beliefs are different to ours.

How am I doing ?

I think I am fairly honest and open about my beliefs and feelings.

I respect others, accept their differences of opinions or beliefs.

I welcome diversity.
I am curious about the world and my surroundings.

I enjoy being part of a community.

I make time to do things for me – alone.

I include activities daily that allow me to practice mindfulness.
I like the simple things, no waste, good food, nature...
I try not to be negative, but to always see opportunities instead.

I love those who are near and dear to me.
I cannot change the world.
I can choose my own path.

I have hopes and dreams…

#52Stories, Week 41, What were the faith and religious traditions of your ancestors ? How did those traditions influence the course of their lives and by extension, your life today ?

One thing about family history research – you get to read all sorts of church records. In English, often badly written. In Latin, trying to remember those lessons from college (Latin is a language as dead as dead can be, first it killed the Romans and now it’s killing me) In French, same thing.

So faith and religious traditions of my ancestors ?

Originally I guess they were Pagan. Eventually they'd all have been Catholic – who wouldn’t be ? The desire to stay alive was probably a big influencer for that choice. Then came the reformation – and for the same reasons that they hadn’t dared to stray from the path before – they switched.

Some though were Protestant in defiance of the “norm”. They were Huguenots, persecuted in France and Belgium and exiled themselves to England from the mid 1500’s. They settled in the Spitalfields area of London and carried on their trade as silk weavers, attending L’Église Protestante Française on Threadneedle Street.

Eventually though all branches on the tree seem to have become members of the established church – the Church of England.

Over time some left, following other protestant evangelists, but many still bound to the established church for ceremonies. Inspired by alternative ideals they joined the Salvation Army, the Latter Day Saints or becoming Methodist, Primitive Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist.

Some were heavily involved with the faith that they chose and followed.

Henry James, great great great grandfather was a lay preacher at his Primitive Methodist chapel in Dudley.

John Daniels, brother of my great great grandmother left Wiltshire with his family to settle in Utah. His eldest daughter Mary married Jesse Gardiner in 1873. He had returned from Utah with other Elders in 1872 to preach the gospel on the Bristol Conference. Mary later contested his will after their marriage was declared illegal when the church changed its stance on polygamous marriage.

Julius Horskins, first cousin of my great grandfather joined the Salvation Army after attending meetings near his home in Notting Hill as a 12 year old. He went on to work in the West Indies, Costa Rica, India, South Africa and became Commissioner of Australia and New Zealand.

Thomas Morrison, first cousin of my grandmother, born in New Zealand to immigrant parents. Joined the Mormon church and sailed with fellow congregationalists to San Francisco and travelled to Utah where he raised his families and established a well known business - Morrisons Pies.

Violet Timms, sister of my grandmother, joined the Baptist Church and trained as a missionary to serve in India.

#52Stories, Week 40, What was life like growing up, who did the chores, what were meal times like ?

Well, the boxes have arrived, but I've not been able to find that list I made back in July of blog topics to keep me busy and catch up. I think I am almost on track - I just have to count to be sure that today is the 40th Sunday of the year...or maybe that was last week.

I did have something else in mind for this week, but I was reading Kim Wolterman's blog posts as part of this challenge tonight and she had a couple which I thought seemed interesting. So I have combined them into one.

Life pretty much ran like clockwork, following a routine set by Mum and Dad - and probably learned from their parents and adapted to suit each other.

Mum did most chores in the house and Dad did the outside ones - until we were old enough to start helping out. So washing, cooking cleaning, vacuuming were Mum's domain and lawns, rubbish and gardening were Dad's. Other things like putting out the milk bottles and dishes were shared - until they became ours to do. They were also a great team when it came to planning and transforming the garden or redecorating. Wallpaperers extraordinaire - a real production line process.

Mum organised the shopping too. She'd phone the butcher and place an order to last a week - and he would deliver it all in his little van. If we had a car - sometimes we would go and collect it instead. Groceries mostly were from the Four Square at Five Cross Roads - where McDonalds is now. A lot of time was spent waiting, waiting, waiting on our behalf while Mum chatted with Bubbles and Digger (the owners, and only staff members I ever saw there). I wonder what their real names were. Last name Morris i think because it was called the Morris Building from memory. Fruit and veges came from the greengrocer over the road - and if we were good we might get a treat from Gailer's to take home (cream cakes and pastries !)

Meal times were all around the table with our best table manners. No elbows, eating everything on our plates - even the PEAS ! Even if it took until bedtime ! We had a jar too that we were meant to put 2 cents into if we said "Eh".

Breakfast too was everyone together to start the day. Big breakfasts as well. Mum would say it didn't matter then if we didn't eat our lunches - she knew we had had a monster meal to start the day. Cereal plus egg on toast , toast as well sometimes and juice to drink.

Both meals were great opportunities to share plans for the day, and later reflect on what had happened.

I've not been so good at keeping that tradition myself. Initially I did try, but lack of space, lack of furniture and busy lifestyles - eating on our laps became our thing. Still together though and still talking about our day. I do miss that. Maybe I will get it back very soon. It is in my plan.

#52Stories, Week 39, Grandfathers Part Two

My maternal grandfather Albert (Bert) Victor Fuller was born in Christchurch in 1906. He was the 3^rd child of the family and the 2^nd son.

They lived in Middleton Road (which was called Bowen Road originally) in the Wharenui Settlement (Upper Riccarton). Their land went from Middleton Rd toward McDowells Road (which is now Wharenui Road) and included the land which is now Colligan Street. It had originally belonged to his mother’s elder brother, but had bequeathed to her before she married. Her family were market gardeners, and many of the other residents of Middleton Road where in the business too. I’m not sure exactly what they grew (fruit I think) – but I KNOW there were a lot of raspberry canes. Along the road, heading back toward Riccarton Road, lived Aunts and Uncles from both sides of his family.

The little cottage they lived in, and I remember visiting is still there – a little changed, and swallowed up by in-fill housing all around it – if you know where to look.

His father worked with the Railways and was based at Middleton Station, just at the end of the road and down a bit. Blenheim Road wasn’t there then, just a dusty track to the saleyards.

At Sumner about 1908/9 - he is the littlest one in white

The family attended St Peter’s at Church Corner, although Bert and his elder sister Edie were both married at St Barnabas in Fendalton.

I will need to do some more research to be sure, but I would guess that he most likely went to Wharenui School which had opened in 1907 on Matipo Street. After Primary School he attended the Technical High School (or College – his reference, which Mum has, from the principal includes both names on it !) in Barbadoes Street for two years from January 1920 – December 1921. After this, aged about 15 he began his 5 year apprenticeship in fitting and turning with P & D Duncan on St Asaph Street.

After completing his apprenticeship he worked for a year or so with P & D Duncan before embarking on a career with State Hydro starting at Lake Coleridge and continuing at many of the construction sites around the country until his retirement when at Whakamaru in the Waikato.

Some things I know – he enjoyed a game of Canasta and an involved code of secret signals between partners was encouraged. He didn’t enjoy Elvis being played again and again on the radiogram so much. He played saxophone and xylophone and played in a band. He also like bagpipes – and Nana didn’t. Maybe there is some Scot connection hidden way back in that branch of the tree ?

He could make a sixpence disappear by rubbing it on his trouser leg ! Once when babysitting me while Nana was out at a meeting, she came home to find us playing cricket in the hallway – oops.

I remember enjoying tinkering with tools with him in the garage, and lounging in the shade on deck chairs.

He was Grandad as opposed to Poppa, but I always called him GonGon…which was apparently Gone- Gone, as they would come to visit and then go home. Gone. It makes perfect sense.

#52Stories, Week 38, Grandfathers - Part One

Back in May, I wrote about my grandmothers – now it is time to do the same for my grandfathers.

My paternal grandfather Thomas Walter (Walt) Davys was born in Taupiri in 1900. His father had a sawmill there, on the banks of the Mangawara (Mangawhare) Stream. That is the one that you cross as you leave Taupiri driving north, just next to Taupiri Mountain – flowing into the Waikato River.

He was the sixth child in his family and the 4^th son. His second christian name, Walter, was for his Uncle Walter – the gold miner. He became a big brother two years later. Some of his uncles must have also lived in Taupiri working at the sawmill. They had previously had a sawmill at Rukuhia. They were pretty talented cricket players the Davys brothers (senior) – often being mentioned in the sporting columns for their bowling and batting for Taupiri. Somerset cricket must have been bereft when the family left for New Zealand 40 years earlier.

The family lived in Taupiri until late 1907. His last day at Taupiri School was 30 September. From there they moved to Tamahere, south of Hamilton. He attended Tamahere School and later Hamilton High School. At Tamahere they lived behind the shop that was on the corner of Cambridge Rd/Tamahere Rd and what is now Airport Rd (but I don’t think it would have been known as that in 1907 !) leading to the Narrows bridge.

The shop also served as the Post & Telegraphic Office. In 1914 just after he had begun High School his father died. At some point after this, they moved into Hamilton. He left school in July after just 6 months and worked with his elder brothers as a baker in the bakery they ran in Oxford (known as Tirau these days, but if you look you might spot some buildings which still have the old name)

When he was 18 he joined the Territorials, his elder brothers had signed up and appear on Nominal and Reserve Rolls for WW1 but he was just too young.

I have heard he was a great gardener – that must be where my Dad got that from. He was the Chief Accounts Clerk at the Central Waikato Electric-Power Board.

I've heard stories about how annoyed he was with the Labour government's "black budget" of 1958 in which the Finance Minister Arnold Nordmeyer increased taxes on beer, tobacco, cars and petrol. So annoyed in fact that he had a picture of the culprit inside his tobacco tin and would curse him each time he opened it.

I don’t remember him at all, he passed away suddenly just a week before my brother Mark was born. I have recollections of other things at about this time in my life, so the memories must be there locked away for now – if only I could find the key.

#52Stories, Week 37, What are some of the stories you loved hearing about from your father’s youth ? Or from your grandfathers’s younger days ?

Dad had lots of stories which he shared about his childhood. They made the best bedtime stories.

I’ve already mentioned the rabbit they found on the embankment by the railway line one day. So tiny it fit into a teacup !

Another was about a solar eclipse. They knew it was going to happen and had prepared pieces of smoked glass so they would be able to look at the sun safely. On the day, he was so busy playing he didn’t notice the sky getting darker until it was too late.

Somewhere not too far away from home, there was a pond where they used to play. It was here that he was, the day the sky went dark and he had to run all the way home. I think there were tadpoles there and I know there was a mishap with his Mum’s favourite glass bowl. Maybe on the day the sky darkened !

Also nearby there were piles of sand where they used to go and make tunnels and play. Imagine parents today letting their kids go off for hours and hours and do this. They’d get reported to the authorities quick as blink.

At school he was in a production where the children were soldiers, nurses and the like – and he was the littlest soldier.

Sometimes in the school holidays he would go and stay with his Aunt and Uncle and cousins on their farm and help with jobs – like removing the thistles from a paddock !! Hard labour for many of today’s kids.

There were plenty of others too – but I think I need to make a more concerted effort to get them recorded. Maybe that will be a goal for my Oral History paper coming up.

#52Stories, Week 36, Fathers' Day

Dad was born in Hamilton. An inland town fast becoming a city. With a lake and a river running through the centre to separate it, east from west.

His grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins from both sides of the family all lived relatively close. If not in Hamilton, in smaller rural towns or on farms in the Waikato area.

He helped build our house, working with the builder after work and at weekends. He and Mum were a great wallpapering team, transforming rooms. Dad is very precise and has a strong attention to detail, so pattern matching was thorough and always perfect. Symmetry is key.

Dad went to computer programming classes at night school. Back when computers were so large they filled a room, and you had to feed punch cards into them which contained coded messages hidden in the binary numbers row upon row. Who knew that would catch on ?

He built a stereo too, importing all the little bits (fuses, valves and little transistory circuit things) to solder together in the right order and places. Speakers too, including building the speaker boxes.

There was always a good vege garden to be cared for and lots of lawn to mow. A little less once the double garage was built in place of the old toolshed and lean-to.

Dad liked gem collecting too and many holidays and weekends we went searching for rocks. He always talked about wanting to be able to polish them smooth, but that didn’t eventuate. I think this fascination with rock must be in his blood – passed down from those first settlers who went goldmining in the Coromandel.

Dad was also a stamp collector, we used to help with this. Carefully tearing the stamps from the corner of the envelopes and soaking them with water so that the stamp could be separated from the envelope and then leaving them to dry face down – ready to go in to an album.

He also loves astronomy – not astrology. I remember watching the moon landing on the tv early one morning. It seemed incomprehensible that people were actually in space, on the moon. Now they stay for months at a time in the International Space Station and fly over us at least once a day ! Dad started to build his own telescope, something that began with a thick chunk of glass cut in a circle, which needed to be ground to become concave. That seemed like a neverending task to me. Planetarium meetings and running sessions for the public kept him busy too. Committee meetings negotiating for premises in Harris Street and then starting again when the council decided to expand the library and carpark and take back the building and land. That move took them to the top of the cable car in the Botanic Gardens, where the Planetarium is still located.

Later, much like the stereo, he and some friends began to build their own home computers. The Commodore 64 came along though, and the home made version went on the back burner.

Dad was always calm and didn’t seem to lose his temper very often, he likes to do crosswords and read. These days Suduko have become a favourite pastime as well.

Genealogy is still an interest today. Search methods have changed from the way they were though, so much is available online. Although you can still go and search old and original records, not so much time is spent in library reading rooms anymore.

He’s a great story teller too, he would read to us at night – a chapter or two from whatever was the current novel we were reading. Or he would tell stories about when he was little and the adventures they would get up to. The eclipse of the sun, finding the teeny rabbit by the railway tracks, so small he fit in a tea cup and more.

As a grandfather too, he would read stories, putting on voices for each character in Goodnight Owl and the BFG – among others.

He’s a great Dad ! All wired up and techy; emailing, texting, whatsapping, skyping - you name it. I hope we are as on to it and willing to try new things too.