My own history

In the last two decades I have spent so much time on my computer – writing, creating websites, adding to my blogs, saving my photos. I started, recently, writing “My History”, from the date I was born (and even a bit before that, because my older family certainly count!).

I was born in 1956. We lived in a house that my dad had designed and built for us. I learned to ride a bike. I rode horses. We went on holidays in Kawhia and Mt Maunganui. He built a fourth bedroom on when the youngest was born. We moved into a larger home that he built for us, for reasons our old property was sold by the council when they built a new road. Dad then started to build wedding gifts for three sisters – the other sister and our brother got the cost of that in their wills when dad died. (This pic is my marriage present.)

I started looking at photos from 1956 right up to now, and started adding some of them into “My History” (that’ll have a better name when I have written much more) – my parents’ families before I was born; me as a kid; where I went when I left home; the Drury Lane theatre I was involved with for 18 years; the NZ Seniors Swimmers which I joined with and went to Auckland and Napier for competitions; what I used to do and do now; the motorbikes I have owned; the Ulysses group in Hamilton and, when I moved to Brisbane, the one in Brisbane – Mt Lindsay; the shows I went to see; where I used to work; where I used to live... So much stuff!

I wondered how many other people do as much stuff as I have done – and why do they do that? What was their education? Are they degree-educated? Graduate Diploma educated? PhD? When did they do their university study, if they did? I left school to work before I started University of Waikato – twice. It didn’t mean anything to me way back then, but there were some issues – not started by Waikato – which involved day cares which Waikato also had. Six years ago, before my surgery and stroke, I got my Graduate Diploma of OHS. I felt I’d made my name! These days I am doing a BA through OUA and Griffith – my recovery for my stroke. I was so damned old when that happened, but I know I can do the BA.

I rode so much for the Mt Lindesay Ulysses group when I moved to Brisbane – we went north, south, west... all over! I used to ride a Yamaha 800 Diversion partly with my ex, but then I wanted my own. So I bought a Yamaha 700 Virago, then a Suzuki 800 Marauder, and then a Yamaha 1100 V-Star – which I loved so much and still would own another of those! After my stroke I thought I’d never ride again, but a friend in Redcliffe took me as a pillion out to her sons home where he loaned me his Indian! I was in heaven as I rode that!!

My present car I bought 8 years ago – it was 5 years old then, a 2006 PT Cruiser which I have held onto and love it! It has a present problem with a noise in the front, but I will get that fixed when I can afford to from my DSP. I had that car when my dogs and I moved out from the home I had shared with my ex, and we moved into a lovely little property in Inala. That community pleased me, and I was a short walk away from the main shopping centre so went there often. So many people I met there, so many different cultures. That suburb may have been one of the best I have been in.

My only problem now is that I can’t work any more because of the aphasia I suffer from my stroke. Oh, I had tried to, with assistance from CPL in Beenleigh, but I only worked 10 hours a week because I got so fatigued, and eventually, after 10 months I was made redundant. Yes, that had already happened to me three times in New Zealand.

And yet I am now 63 years old, I should still be working up to retirement but I am now studying, not reading as I used to before my stroke, will not ride a motorbike again unless I could afford to, and I feel okay, isolated in my duplex in Bellbird Park. Perhaps all people like you should read this and wonder what they do... is it something like I’ve done for the last 63 years?

I feel pretty damned good about my life. Even though it could be better.