Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Life With Parkinson's 4 Years On

Firstly I very much dislike the term Parkinson's Disease... I dislike it as much as the disease itself.

Is it really a disease? I didn't catch it, I wasn't infected with it. I prefer to think of it as a "condition" or "disability", whereby my body is failing me, very much the same as age does to ones hairline, which I am inflicted with that condition too.

So how am I doing, 4 years in from my diagnosis? I am doing alright I guess. I have some regular issues that are constantly with me... tremors, walk/shuffle, balance and stiffness. There are another 30 or so issues that present themselves randomly from time to time. The issues can range from crying for no reason to struggling with spacial awareness when trying to park the car. So no two days are the same with Parkinson's.

Medication has been interesting. The main purpose of the medication is to try to replenish your dopamine levels that my body isn't producing. However the medication comes with some nasty side effects, and after 3 attempts with 3 different medications, with all 3 affecting me badly, I am currently off medication, by choice. I have a fourth medication here with me at home to start, but I am very hesitant. See the attached picture below with the very real side effects. The last issue was vomiting, violently. So my current position is that I can live a relatively ok lifestyle unmedicated. I can manage my symptoms day to day. So why do I have to gamble with the side effects of medication. The medical professional has advised me that I am over thinking it... really?? A neuro degenerative condition that is not curable... bloody oath I am going to over think it. From diagnosis I believe that you only have 10-15 good years, so I don't want to be adding to my issues with additional side effects. Plus the neurologist said that the medication will do nothing for my tremors.

My Parkinson's is very visual and for that when I meet a new person I am having to introduce myself and my Parkinson's. My line is "don't mind me, I have Parkinson's and my tremors have a mind of their own". I think I do this as I don't want to be mistakenly viewed as a junkie or alcoholic. For the record I don't really drink and have never done illegal drugs.

Parkinson's is also a very lonely condition. When I am on my own my issues are generally very minimal. However as soon as I start interacting with people it sets things off, and Parkinson's is extremely exhausting when it's all go. Even when a customer collects  a gate, just the 5 minute interaction can drain my energy levels. I believe it's an anxiety issue. So when I do leave home I generally have a precise plan of attack. I'm winning when I can get in and out of the supermarket with out any interaction with people. Hallelujah for the self checkouts. So yeah it's the quiet life that helps me cope and I'm ok with that.

Parkinson's is mentally challenging, in that it's an extremely frustrating condition. There's no cure, medication may or may not help you, you may have a long life or not, and you never know what one day will be like to another. 

A good example of this is Gary might suggest on Wednesday to have lunch with friends on Saturday.  Well that's 3 days away... I just can't foresee that far ahead as to what Parkinson's has instore for me. This requires a restuarant reservation and a commitment to our friends... that  is a lot of anxiety for me to make a decision. 

Parkinson's is very frustrating for me, but sometimes I feel more so for Gary as he looks to me for an answer... and I just don't have one this time. I am a very calculated person, and I generally always have a plan in life, but Parkinson's has taken that away from me.

Another very real daily challenge is Apathy. Parkinson's effects your emotions  and your interest in daily life... the lack of energy and willpower to care about anything. The "why should I bother?" I find with myself I'm constantly challenging myself to stay motivated and interested in life. 

So yeah, 4 years in... I just wish that the people studying Parkinson's would bloody hurry up and find a cure!

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - 300!

The last 50 gates seemed to take forever...

but today I finally knocked out Gates # 300 & 301.

A slightly different design to my standard gates. I try not to stray to far off from my standard style farm gates as my Parkinson's brain just doesn't compute. It's a bit like watching a movie with  slow internet, my brain is forever "buffering". So there tends to be a lot of standing around and wondering "what am I doing". 

The above X style gates took me 3 full days to make. If I had been making my standard design it would have been a 2 day job. I don't know how I can monetize the Parkinson's factor when building the gates a little different.

But hey... it got me to 300 gates! 

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Arapawa Fertility

We have had a couple little surprises this morning.

This ewe is Karen... and she only just had twins in early January 2023.

We are now mid August 2023, and she has popped out another set of twins.

I only put the ram, Whiskers back into the ewe flock at the end of June 2023.

So who is the Daddy?

Playboy,  Party boy Blake... who is supposed to be a whether, but he is obviously a total charmer.  I did have my suspicions that he might be functional... and now we have the proof. Blake doesnt really take any interest in the ewes so he runs with the ewe flock all year, but that might have to change.

Interestingly, so Karen has given birth to 2 sets of twins in 8 months. A busy lady.

Arapawa's are very good breeders but I prefer to only let them become pregnant once a year... as the ewes need a break.

The only question that remains... is how many more little Blakes can we expect?

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Considering A Flock of Arapawa's? Ya will need some kit....

Every year when it comes to rehoming our last year's lambs, we receive a number of questions from people who are new to livestock ownership. I don't have any problems in helping people out... but there is a lot of information to share in one conversation and with my Parky brain, often I forget things.

Also, there is also a misconception that as Arapawa sheep are a feral breed and they can manage on their own with little input. Well... sheep are sheep, and sheep come with sheep problems, no matter what the breed. In protecting the breed from eradication, we have taken Arapawa sheep away from their Island home, the habitat they have adapted to, so we are possibly introducing them to new issues.

So, this post is a little guide to basic care and some kit you will need. Disclaimer... I am not a veterinarian, and I have no formal training, this is purely based on my personal experience raising Arapawa Sheep for the last 10 years or so.

Basic Care:

• Shearing once a year October/November. $10 per sheep plus a callout/setup fee around $100. At the same time, we ask the shearer to drench and check all feet. Take note of the type of drench they are using. This is generally the only time I drench the entire flock at once. The rest of the year is a case-by-case basis. Come March/April if the sheep behinds are dirty, we get the shearer back to crutch them, shearing away any daggs etc.
• Flystrike prevention. During the warmer months November to March, I apply a product called Cyrex. I use a 5-litre garden pump spray to apply, and this prevents flystrike and kills lice. Cyrex is also used to kill off a strike. I like it as it works really well and is not as toxic as some other treatments. A small bottle of Cyrex is about $129. Just keep the sheep clean and give them some shade in summer.
• Feet... Just keep an eye out for limping. I feel at times Arapawa's can be a little dramatic, and put on a good display, and so I get them in the yards to inspect and it's like they have just chipped a nail. But the hoof can get a little overgrown due to soft ground, so just tidy it up a little. Watch the shearer or google how to do it. I have only ever had one actual foot rot issue. There is a very good spray that you can get FIL. See pic below.
• Feed... Think about where Arapawa's have come from and what their diet might have been. I personally don't feel our farm paddocks of lush green rye grass is good for them as a sole diet. I find Arapawa Sheep are like goats and nibble on everything. They love clover, dandelion, dock, apples, most trees, and they go crazy for sheep nuts. My sheep also eat hay and they love the fallen grass seeds at the bottom of the trolley. I have even seen them eat the thistle roots as I was wandering around the paddock's grubbing them up.  Ideally you want their poo to be little raisins. You want to avoid the scour's or runs. Dirty sheep attract flies. So, a varied diet with plenty dry matter during the wet months. Feed is expensive, so plan wisely.
• Know what bottle jaw is, and act quickly. Drench & monitor.
• Scours, try to work out whether it is caused by fresh green grass or worms. If worms drench. If you feel it is due to something they have eaten, I find an Apple Cider tonic works well but just add some dry food to their diet. Sheep love breed.... but too much and it gives them the runs.
• Rams Horns... make sure they curl away from the head. During summer check for flystrike at base of horns. The ram lambs will sometimes knock them off... apply betadine to the wound and monitor. They heal quickly... sometimes regrow.
• Clean drinking water.
• Shelter from summer heat.
• Yards or pen, which can be as simple as a few gates cable tied together. 

Get to know your sheep... learn their normal behaviour, as you will soon know when something is wrong. Sick sheep tend to stay away from the flock. So, if you have 1 lonely sheep on its own, investigate.

We don't castrate our rams or dock the tails. For several reasons, but I think I have covered that in a previous post.

Some Kit You Will Need:

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Rehoming Last Seasons Lambs

It's that time of year when we need to sell our lambs. 

After trying various ways to sell our lambs, homekill, stock yard auctions, and even becoming licensed to be able to sell fresh meat from the farm... in the end given our small flock, we now just sell via online sales.

Sometimes the lambs are purchased for meat and other times they are sold for breeding or adding to people's flocks.

Whatever their fate... we try to give them the best lives while in our care.

Recently we rehomed a ram lamb to the West Coast, where the lamb will be living a rams dream life... he will have 3 ladies to look after. He was chosen for his colour and is called Charlie Brown.

It's  not often we receive an update from a customer once the lambs have left our care, but below are the photos from the customer, showing Charlie Brown in his new home.

Customer: "Charlie Brown with his ladies. He is such a lovely chap.Thanks for breeding and raising a really nice animal".

Charlie is one of Whiskers off spring. We decided that Whiskers would be our main breeding "Daddy" ram. He has the more traditional Arapawa colouring, a fantastic set of horns, he is a good size/build  and he's great with the ladies. But most importantly he has a great calm character. He is a cruzy kinda dude, very easy going, but he will not tolerate any mischief or fighting in his presence.  When two sheep are fighting/head butting, and Whiskers is present, he rushes in and stops the fighting by head butting one of the offending sheep... then calm is instantly restored. 

I'm hoping Whiskers character is being picked up by his offspring... he is such a great ram.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - A Reminder To Myself...

Down Wattle Lane is our home, and like the beautiful yellow blossoms of a Wattle tree, we have found our little piece of paradise here in the Canterbury sunshine, in New Zealand. For us living on a lifestyle block is a way of life and it’s the pinnacle of our Kiwi dream. Living rurally you soon discover the air is cleaner, the grass is greener, and life operates at a far more relaxed pace. 

Down Wattle Lane is also the home of a rare heritage breed of sheep, the Arapawa Sheep, in which we farm a small flock. We are extremely passionate about this breed of sheep. They are a versatile, hardy breed with plenty of personality & character. Their origins remain a mystery but they have been living in the wild on Arapawa Island long before most early European Pioneers started immigrating to New Zealand. For that one reason, they get my vote in being the most Kiwi of sheep. 

Down Wattle Lane is also the NZ home of Unicorn Fibre Cleaner’s. An earth friendly solution to your fibre cleaning needs. We love everything about wool, it’s such an amazing natural fibre. So whether you are a home based crafter or a carpet manufacturer, Unicorn Fibre Cleaner’s can help you. 

Oh, and not to forget, we also make Farm Style Gates!

Welcome to our home, Down Wattle Lane… pop on in and say hi!"

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - We Miss You Max

It's just been a little over 1 day since we lost Max and the grief we both are experiencing is intense. I feel as if I have a hole in my chest, it's such a empty feeling. 

I find myself repeatedly asking.... 

What now? What the hell am I to do now that Max is gone? Our lives have been so all about Max. So now what do we do? Everything seems pointless. Our leader has gone. 

What if? What if I had challenged the vets diagnosis? What if there was more that we could have done? 

Did we do the right thing for Max? Max was an old boy, he was in distress... but should we have brought him home with us first? It all happened so quick. 

Oh my poor Max... we love you and miss you. 

Max was always a quiet cat, he never had a lot to say, but without him the house is so quiet and empty. When Max is in your presence there was always a conversation to be had, even though it might seem to be a onesided conversation, he would be listenting and looking back with his big eyes, blinking when in agreement. Max would sometimes mouth an answer to a question. When there was the 3 of us together the house just seemed so roudy... but now even the conversations between Gary and I are silent. We have a good strong relationship, but having Max he was the cement to our family stone. 

I MISS MAX... 

I miss coming home and he would be waiting at the door. Whenever I left home I would always be in a rush to get back home to see Max, he would be waiting 100% of the time. 

I miss the sound of his empty cat bowl being lifted and dropped repeatedly when he wants more food. 

I miss him guarding the shower door while I am showering... its as if he is protecting me when I am most vulnerable. 

I miss him climbing ontop of me when Im in bed and sliding off onto his back nice and snug next to me. 

I miss singing to him the Barney song when in bed. 

I miss the sound of him walking on the carpet. When his claws were a little long they would make a flick type sound. 

I miss our moments together with the brush. He really loved his brush. 

I miss sharing my KFC chicken and ham with Max. 

I miss sitting by the fire with Max. 

I miss the many times where I would nearly trip over him as he lay in the middle of the hallway. 

I miss going to the toilet to find it already occupied as Max was using his litterbox, so I had to wait my turn. 

I miss Max's company sitting around my feet when I am working on the desktop. 

I even miss the moments when we would both together hide from the thunderstorms. He hated thunder, the vacuum and the sound of pots & pans rattling. 

I miss turning a corner or walking into a room and finding you there Max... places I would normally expect you to be, you are not there Max.

I really miss you Max.

My mind might do otherwise but I will do my darndest to never forget you Max.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - RIP MAX

This morning we lost our very much beloved boy Max. 

Max was the child we could not have. Our lives were planned around Max's as he always had to come first.

We adopted Max in 2009, after I had finished my chemotherapy. I looked at the situation as a sign of hope and that there is more to this life. Max was my late father's name. Max the cat needed a forever home. I was in desperate need of hope. Having Max join our lives was a meant to be moment.

But after nearly 14 years sharing our lives together, and many adventures... it breaks our hearts that this journey has come to an end. We treated Max as our son.

At about 5am this morning I heard Max struggling, I jumped out of bed and discovered that he had lost the use of his rear legs. Yet the poor fella was still being the amazing cat he was and was trying to use his litter box.  I had never seen him like this before so I phoned the vet and I was barely keeping it together, as I knew he wasn't coming home. 

We rushed him to the after hours emergency vet and he was having heart issues and the vet believed he had formed clots which caused his legs to fail. Something along those lines... all I was hearing was this is the end... I knew this day would come but Max had been doing so well in his old age. We had built him steps to get up and down from the bed, we setup a litter box, he was drinking and eating well.

I was hoping that he would die peacefully at home someday. Sadly that was not the case and the vet said that he would be in pain and putting him to sleep was the kindest thing to do. So we stayed with Max until the very end.

Thankyou Max... Thankyou for being the greatest cat son we could have ever wished for! 

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Celebrating 181 Years

Today, 15th March 1842, the first Andrews arrived in New Zealand arriving aboard the immigrant ship Bolton settling in Nelson.

My Dad's side of the family have been Kiwis for 181 years and I am the 7th generation here. My sister and brother have continued with the 8th generation.

Mr William Andrews age 42

and his wife Mrs Mary Ann Andrews age 33 and 6 children aged from 1 to 19 years  of age, traveled some 5 months departing Gravesend England 29 October 1841 and arriving Nelson the following year on the 15th March 1842.

Sailing aboard the Bolton, a 540 tonne 3 masted ship captained by J.P. Robinson and 285 passengers. 

I was unable to find a picture of the ship but did find a deck plan, see below. Note where the single men and single women are kept.

There is a written account of the voyage by a passenger Sarah Sharp.  "We had a nice time till we got out of the Bay of Biscay, then we had a fearful gale. The sea was mountains high. It commenced on New Year's night, it kept on for three nights; we were all battened down below". ☆

The masts were broken in two, the sails gone, and nearly all the top deck had disappeared. They were adrift with not enough timber to repair the ship.  Miraculously a French ship appeared and stayed by the Bolton for 3 days supplying materials and helping to repair the Bolton.

After arriving in Nelson the first few days were not pleasant, and Sarah continues... "There were a lot of little huts made of rushes and flax... my brothers took it in turns to beat the rats away"☆

Nelson was in it's infancy and the Bolton passengers soon discovered building materials were a problem. 

However, despite the challenges, some of the men from the Bolton became successful farmers as did William Andrews.

"William Andrews exhibits of wheat and barley drew admiration when they were displayed on Nelson's first Anniversary Day. He had a splendid garden in the Wood area, and later established a farm at Wakefield where he ploughed his first acres with a team of goats, as bullocks were beyond his means. When he

built a bakers oven to supply bread to neighbouring farms, he used the goats to pull a bread delivery cart. A man of many parts, Andrews built a windmill to grind wheat, joined the

Massacre Bay Coal Association, and went to Motupipi with six others to dig coal. He also tried his hand at timber-milling and boat building. He was active

in church affairs and in December 1842, conducted one of the first services in the United Christians Chapel. In later years the citizens of Motueka had dif-

ficulty in getting regular preachers from Nelson, and according to C.B. Jordan

in his 'Yesterdays of Motueka Methodism', .... In 1857 Mr Andrews became a recognised missionary, or hired local preacher. He was paid no regular stip-end, but so greatly was he respected by people of all denominations, that he was in semi-jocular strain, known as 'Bishop' Andrews. To the utmost degree of his strength, he sought to discharge all the duties of a regular minister, preaching at Motueka and neighbouring settlements, leading classes, visiting the sick, burying the dead, and attending faithfully to the spiritual needs of the

people during many years.'

A pioneer of the highest calibre, some of his leadership qualities were passed on to a grandson, Sir Ernest Andrews, who became Mayor of Christchurch, while

other descendants still live in the Waimeas".☆

My Direct Heritage Family Line:

William Andrews

b15May1799 d18Aug1873

married Mary Ann Vaisey

              ⬇️

Charles Lewis Andrews

b01Jan1820 d02Sep1888

married Lucy Bedford 

              ⬇️

Edwin Robert Andrews

b03Jun1850 d28may1922

Married Ann Elizabeth Eden

              ⬇️

Edward Robert Andrews 

b8Aug1874 d01Jun1951

Married Cara Stratford 

              ⬇️

Gilbert Lyall Andrews 

b31Aug1911 d23Jul65

Married Elizabeth Norma Wilson

              ⬇️

Max John Andrews

b20Nov1951 d16Jun1995

Married Elaine Atkinson 

             ⬇️

Then Me... Ricky Andrews 

☆ source book Pioneer Passengers written by June E Neale.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Keeping It Simple

With every new order I will ask a few questions and reconfirm the details and quote the order. Reasonably straightforward.

So I recently made this....

But I was meant to make this...

There was a little miscommunication with the order. But all ended well as the customer could still use the smaller gates. So I was back on the tools quick smart to make the bigger gates.

I like to keep it simple.  No deposit is required for small orders, and with all the gate orders, the customer is under no obligation to purchase the gates if they are not happy with the finished product on collection.