Pete's Writing Place: August 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Facing the schizophrenic demons as a family...

Facing the schizophrenic demons as a family...

ARTICLE: First published at Fortitude.

by peter petterson

To follow the ongoing story of my grandson's journey with schizophrenia in the latter months of 2009, I would suggest you read my earlier article, "The demons of schizophrenia unleashed"(link below). To help you identify with my grandson it would be easier to know his name. So for the next little while, lets just call him 'Billie'.

You will have read in the previous article that his nurse took some poetic licence in ensuring Billie could be admitted into the psychiatric system. Her comments caused some reaction from the law who descended on our home in force convinced that Billie was determined to do himself some physical harm; actually in fact he had no intention to inflict more than a breath on his person. But the invading posse which included a sergeant armed with a holstered Glock were determined that this young eighteen year old would not be allowed to self mutilate himself. There were at least six policemen that day who entered or were immediately outside his bedroom.

He was taken into custody meekly and quietly, despite his deterioating psychiatric state of affairs. Billie had never resisted police on any occasion he was involved with them. He was met there by his psychiatrist who accompanied him to the mental health unit at Hutt Hospital in central Lower Hutt city. With the necessary paperwork completed Billie was admitted into hospital, something we had been attempting for a number of months. Previously the 'Arm' of the Mental Health Act: Was he a danger to himself or anybody else — had prevented him being admitted. But despite the fact he didn't fit that category, the poor young man badly needed psychiatric treatment regardless.

Now that he had been admitted and would be examined by one of the resident psychiatrists in the unit, we, his grandparents and caregivers, could get some badly needed rest and leave our grandson in the care of the health professionals for a few days. It is the family members and caregivers who are often ignored and disregarded, despite the fact they care for their relations and charges, 24/7, and know by instinct just what is necessary.

Over the next few days he was observed by doctors and nurses, and had his basic medication changed...this time to Clozapine, the gold standard medication which was once the basis of a Time magazine leading article. Clozapine was reserved for patients who resisted all other anti-psychotic medication. But there were strings attached to using this medication — because of the danger of deterioation of his white cells,and also potential dangers of getting infections through colds, flu, cuts and abrasions etc, he would have to have weekly blood tests to monitor his white cells, firstly for eighteen weeks, and then monthly for the rest of the time he would be treated by Clozapine — perhaps for the rest of his life! Clozapine was not actually a new medication, but the earlier dangers of the medication had not been known at the time, and a number of patients had died. As a consequence the drug had been banned by the American FDA for many years. In recent years safety precautions had been developed to monitor the drug, as previously explained, and the drug was now administered widely around the western world. It was now the gold standard of anti-psychotic medications.

After a few days Billie was allowed some home leave for a a few hours at a time. We were then able to take him home on extended leave. But we had not been warned of the potential side affects of this new drug which, along with his existing medication, caused him to become deeply sedated and lose control of his bladder for some considerable time. We would continue to have problems with his medication, for a number of weeks to come, but that is another story for our grandson Billie and we as a family.

Published on Fortitude August 25, 2010

Copyright 2010 peter petterson

All Rights Reserved

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Image via Wikipedia

Those with rheumatoid arthritis have a built-in defence against alzheimers disease...

First published at Qondio:

By Peter Petterson

The latest from the newsroom is that those suffering with rheumatoid arthritis, itself a painful condition, appear to have a built-in protection against the effects of the mind-crippling alzheimers disease.

The memory loss associated with alzheimers could actually be reversed in many cases; scientists discovered that rheumatoid arthritis produced a chemical in the body that works on the condition.

Researchers found a protein triggered by rheumatoid arthritis could undo the 'tangles' in the brain that are believed to cause alzheimers disease.

Memory loss associated with alheimers disease was partially reversed by the protein GM-CSF, which also lowered the risk of getting the condition. Scientists at the University of South florida even found in some cases the memory impairment was completely reversed after treatment.

The fantastic news is the protein known as 'Leukine' is commercially available. The treatment completely reversed cognitive impairment in only 20 days!

It has to be remembered that these tests were with mice; this has to be transfered to the field of human health.

The swollen joints of rheumatoid arhtritis sufferers produce the protein that stimulates scavenger cells in the body. In the tests on laboratory mice, the cells removed deposits left by alzheimers disease.

The study can be read in the 'Journal of Alzheimers Disease'.

Acknowledgements: Telegraph Group

All rights reserved.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

All over bar the shouting - heading down the hill to schizophrenia without realising it...

Image via Wikipedia

All over bar the shouting - heading down the hill to schizophrenia without really knowing it..

ARTICLE: First published at Fortitude

by peter petterson

My previous article concerning mental health was really a historical account concerning my grandson's problematical life in childhood, adolescence and his mental breakdown at the age of fifteen years.

Here we will hit the keys and see where we end up tonight. Do you ever get like that: Just freewheeling your way through some writing, letting you brain and fingers do the walking? Just like an advert for Yellow Pages — let your fingers do the walking!

So what do I remember about his mental breakdown? Not a lot really. In such situations I don't think you really know a lot. Who knows what goes on in a person's brain? They can quiely deterioate without anybody realising it. In point of fact the youngster cracked up, after his session of drugging, drinking and not sleeping. It was all over bar the shouting when he told his grandmother he was a 'pussy' and didn't want to fight with one of the boys anymore.I didn't even know that was what he had been doing to try and prove himself with the 'normal' teens he was associating with there in the neighbourhood. Trying to be just one of the boys in the 'Hood.

Well it happened. He went all quiet; quite a change from the hyperactive kid he had been most of his life. He was taken into the local hospital, admitted into a ward for the night from Accident and Emergency, and the next day was taken to the regional youth mental health unit, about 20 miles away. He was on his way, on a journey he will be on for the rest of his life. The controversial little pain in the backside he could often be, to the frightened little rabbit he was before he went into hospital.

He would not return as the youngster we knew, but he would return and continue developing into the schizophrenic young man he is today. All that in less than a month! He was prescribed and regularly given Risperadol, an anti-psychotic medication he would be on for a couple of years or so. And it had side-affects like other medication he was on and others he would be on in the future. Like the mood stabiliser called Lithium. He had to have blood tests every three months because it could have detrimental effects on his renal functions in time. I can't remember when he started talking to himself — was it when he came back from the mental health unit? I'm not really sure about that. But he certainly became different and difficult. He was obviously hearing the voices pretty early in the piece; but we aren't sure when he obviously began to respond to them.

But we became concerned with the side-effects of his medication in future months. We found it difficult to get our points of view through to his health professionals — doctor and social worker. We did not have a good relationship with his social worker because he did not respond adequately to our questions and concerns for our grandson's well-being. The doctor was nice enough and tried to cooperate with us when we thought he was on too much medication — but we were ignorant and inexperienced with mental health problems. The dosage of his Risperadol was a bit like a yo-yo for a few weeks as the doctor tried to find a balance in his medication.

Finding a balance in the dosage of psychotic medication is something we would learn about in future years. Side-effects are something we would also discover too. It wasn't too long before he had a relapse and ended back in hospital again. He was now well on the road to being a confirmed schizophrenic. We knew also that alcohol was good for him in only small quantities, and marijuana was a poison for him in any quantities. The latter would be confimed by other mental health patients we knew on later occasions. We would also learn that you never recover from serious mental disorders — doctors can only manage the illness through the correct dosage of the right medication. Medication had now become as important to our grandson as food and drink. Yes, he was well on the road, alright!

Published on Fortitude July 10, 2010

Copyright 2010 peter petterson

What does the average person know about mental illness...

Image via Wikipedia

What does the average person know about mental illness...

ARTICLE: First published at Fortitude .

by peter petterson

What does the average person know about mental illness, I wonder? Not very much I would suggest. Until just a few years ago I didn’t know much either and had very little contact with people afflicted with what can be one of the most complex and often heartbreaking conditions possible.

If a person has a broken leg, it is very easy to treat it. Take the patient to the hospital radiology department and have the leg x-rayed. Put the broken limb in a splint and plaster and let nature do the rest. A few weeks later, without complications, the patient is usually back on the road to full recovery.

If a person has a wound, take them to their doctor or the emergency department and get it treated, and stitched up if necessary. But not mental illness. It is so very complex indeed.

There are a variety of mental health conditions: The most common is of course depression, and also very hard to diagnose correctly. Schizophrenia is becoming more known about and also bi-polar as well. However, schizophrenia is the one I have become more familiar with over the last few years. It has become evident right there in my immediate family – in my grandson. He has now suffered with schizophrenia for about four and a half years, and the doctors have struggled to contain it, to find the right balance of anti-psychotic drugs to treat it. You never cure it, just contain it and help them to live with it. His condition is that much more difficult because he has a dual diagnosos — he suffers from a mild intellectual handicap as well.

As a preamble to discussing how my grandson became mentally ill and perhaps what brought the condition on — because that is the difference between physical illnesses, conditions and injuries. Let us just drop back into his past for a few years.

From a young age he displayed some unusual and at times some strange characteristics and actions. He was hyperactive, his behaviour was unusual and he found it difficult to get on with other children. He got into situations that most children would not – he had no consequences for his actions – he didn’t learn from his mistakes that most normal children did.

At school it was discovered he wasn’t able to read or write and had some serious learning difficulties. At the age of six years he was assessed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiance Disorder and a measure of Conduct Disorder. A lot of people still don’t, and didn’t back then accept these as genuine disorders, but take my word for it – they are. It helped to explain the difficulties some children I grew up with and met at school had so many years ago. Back then there were no labels for these conditions – just bad kids who needed a good kick up the backside. They needed some good strong discipline. What they really needed was to be understood, but society didn’t have the knowledge those days to be able to do that.

From the age of six years until his late fourteenth year he had difficulties at all his schools and with senior school authorities who refused to accept that parents, or in our case grandparents, may actually know more about their child than they did. The outcome was predictable and usual – he was suspended and eventually expelled because he was a little round peg that didn’t fit in with the school’s square hole!.

But just shortly before his fifteenth birthday he had what is known these days as a psychotic episode. He had mixed with other boys of his age-group and a little older, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana and not sleeping properly, and having that delicate disposition was pushed over the edge into a mental health disorder. The poor young fellow displayed some evidence of what we used to call madness!

He was admitted into a youth mental health unit for a number of weeks until doctors were able to control his behaviour with anti-psychotic drugs. He has periodically over four and a half years had a number of psychotic episodes, been admitted into the local mental health unit a number of times and had his medication changed as his disorder had worsened. It is also true that he was not treated quickly enough or properly at the time, and his condition had deteriorated to the point he is now on Clozapine, the most strongest and potentially dangerous medication available for mental health patients who have not responded to regular medication.

This then, dear readers, is my grandson that we still look after and have raised from the age of eight years, because there is nowhere else for him to live but in the arms of his family. New Zealand like all other western countries decided to close mental hospitals and homes and keep people in the community. Some of course have no family to look after them and others have been rejected by their families as an embarrassment.

In closing here, let me state I have had a very good education about the effects and requirements to treat schizophrenic patients – the ‘talking to voices’ syndrome. And our now nineteen year old grandson remains with us still . We hope to be able to find some way to get him able to move out into the community more without the family, and in some small way we are working towards this by having support people take him for car rides, shopping and just recently we enrolled him in a local gym to help his physical state – his weight is ballooning out because of his new medication. We hope this will prove beneficial as we try to prepare him for an independent future – we are in our sixties and won’t be able to look after him for much longer. At a later date I will discuss my grandson’s journey in more detail.

Published on Fortitude June 29, 2010

Copyright 2010 peter petterson

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

A green departure from Planet Earth - alternative burials...

A green departure from Planet Earth - alternative burials...

NEWS: First published at Fortitude.

by peter petterson

A green departure from Planet Earth — alternative burials to oldtime funerals, such as cremations, are increasingly becoming more popular. Yes, nearly half of burials in the western world are now cremations.

As land for cemeteries become increasingly more scarce with major cities extending for many miles in most countries, cremation has become increasingly more popular in recent times. About half of all funerals are cremations; something so very different from just a few years ago.

But there are other alternatives to traditional burials and cremations. Climate change is bringing in its own sets of regulations, such as emissions trading schemes etc.

A new option of burial for families' loved ones is now available on Queensland's Gold Coast — the world's first water cremation centre.

Aquamation:

The CEO of a company known as Aquamation Industries, John Humphries, has recently been interviewed by the media and had this to say about his company's new service at the ECO Memorial Park at Stapylton near Dreamworld.

He said Aquamation Industries uses a new process it hopes to revolutionise the funeral industry. 'Aquamation' is a new natural, ethical and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cremation — it uses water instead of fire to return a body to nature.

It is expected that this process will be available anywhere in Australia within a year — and undoubtably offshore soon afterwards.

John Humphries likens the process to that of a dead animal in the bush of Australia. It disintigrates into the natural state of things.

But with Aquamation we have what is a totally natural process, known as alkaline hydrolosis, in a stainless steel tube where the body is washed for four hours, creating the same breakdown of tissue as out in the bush, but at a faster rate. Mr Humphries also claimed support from the Catholic Church for the new technology.

He said further that the equipment is based on an experimental unit in America that uses extreme pressure and temperature to destroy the infectious remains of mad cow disease. Its a natural process, not an invented one.

The equipment has been redesigned so that water breaks down the cells and brings the body back to a chemical component, leaving just chalky bones which are returned to the family in an urn, just like the ashes of a traditional cremation.

This technology answered the demands of new European Union regulations that demand the reduction of mercury and pollution at crematoria by 2012.

Another green burial alternative to Aquamation:

There is another alternative to Aquamation itself, that results in the same return to nature. These are called biodegradable urns that reportedly suit the desire of the baby-boomer generation to have a 'green burial'.

These biodegradable urns, this time from America, also allow the return of a former life to nature. This is in return to those who advocate cremation and eco-friendly products.

Biodegradable cremation urns are designed to allow body remains to dissolve into the Earth.They are made using organic materials that are both drawn from and safe for the natural environment. One urn, called the Unity Heart, by its suppliers, The Light Urns, are actually made from Mulberry tree bark (a bark that sheds naturally). As they have no plastic or metal components at all, they just biodegrade naturally.

Another urn that is available is both beautiful and environmentally safe, and called the Shell Bio-urn; it is also made from ecological materials. This urn is designed for people who want to scatter the 'ashes' of their loved ones into the sea. The shell includes a water- soluble plastic bag for the cremains. Eco friendly glu is also used to seal the lid and designed to float for five minutes before decending beneath the waves. There is reportedly a large selection of urns to choose from.

Published on Fortitude August 18, 2010

Copyright 2010 peter petterson

How to avoid deep vein thrombosis...

A deep vein thrombosis of the right leg. Note ...

Image via Wikipedia How to avoid Deep Vein Thrombosis...

..

OPINION: First published on Fortitude

by peter petterson

You may or may not have heard that flying for four hours or more in cramped conditions puts you at risk of getting Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT. However, even sitting for long periods at home or at the office in front of your computer can affect you the same way.

What then is Deep Vein Thrombosis, you may ask? DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in your legs and blocks normal blood flow. The real deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

Arteries have thin muscles within their walls to be able to withstand the pressure of the heart pumping blood to the far reaches of the body. Veins don't have a significant muscle lining, and there is nothing pumping blood back to the heart except physiology. Blood returns to the heart because the body's large muscles squeeze the veins as they contract in their normal activity of moving the body. The normal activities of moving the body returns the blood back to the heart.

There are two types of veins in the leg; superficial veins and deep veins. Superficial veins lie just below the skin and are easily seen on the surface. Deep veins, as their name implies, are located deep within the muscles of the leg. Blood flows from the superficial veins into the deep venous system through small perforator veins. Superficial and perforator veins have one-way valves within them that allow blood to flow only in the direction of the heart when the veins are squeezed.

A blood clot (thrombus) in the deep venous system of the leg is not dangerous in itself. The situation becomes life-threatening when a piece of the blood clot breaks off (embolus, pleural=emboli), travels downstream through the heart into the pulmonary circulation system, and becomes lodged in the lung. Diagnosis and treatment of a deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is meant to prevent pulmonary embolism.

Clots in the superficial veins do not pose a danger of causing pulmonary emboli because the perforator vein valves act as a sieve to prevent clots from entering the deep venous system. They are usually not at risk of causing pulmonary embolismanger though is that the clot will break off and travel to your heart or lungs where it can have some serious consequences.

These clots can form through a lack of movement, so if you are inactive for very long periods get up and move around, at least once an hour to get the blood flowing again regularly.

Down here in New Zealand there is the local brand of Flight Socks that are reportedly medically proven to help with the prevention of DVT. Scholes have a long history here NZ in supplying a variety of foot treatments. However these foot socks are not only useful on long haul air flights, but on other long trips in the car, bus or train or whe reever you are sitting in cramped conditions.

They reportedly have a graduated compression system to help improve blood flow and ease other problems such as tired,aching legs.

These socks come as black knee-high socks, sheer denier black and Silky Black. The latter is made from new yarn technology that's even more comfortabler to put on. So there's something for everybody. They are readily available fro most pharmacies and don't require professional fitting.

DVT PREVENTION TIPS:

1/ Pull on a pair of Scholes Flight Socks when sitting for long periods.

2/ Use a footrest if your feet don't touch the floor.

3/ Keep legs uncrossed to reduce pressure on lower legs.

4/ Do little foot exercises such as rotating and pointing your foot. This will help contract and relax the calf and ankle muscles.

Other contributing factors:

Other factors can contribute to the development of DVT. If you have had a previous history of clotting disorders or suffer from certain medical conditions like diabetes, cancer,arterial problems, leg ulcers or heart diseasee or are on contraceptives, you should seek qualified healthcare advice.

Acknowledgements: Peter Petterson

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The impact of your middle-aged nocturnal visits to the bathroom ...

A light blue ribbon is the symbol for prostate...

Image via Wikipedia

The impact of your middle -aged nocturnal visits to the bathroom...

OPINION: First published at Fortitude

by peter petterson

What is the impact of your aging prostate guys? Have you started the nocturnal tiptoe to the bathroom yet? I started many years ago and have not had an unbroken night's sleep since!

Until a few years ago I bet many of us men had seldom heard of the P word — the 'prostate' word! But the prostate is the male equivalent of the female breast — both can get cancerous. Both should get checked out regularly. Women have their mammograms and men can get digital rectal examinations — yikes! But after that they can have annual PSA blood tests. This is to check on the possibility of prostate cancer.

But long before the real possibility of prostate cancer rears its ugly head, your nocturnal visits to the bathroom should be ringing a little bell. Its time for a visit to your local GP. A digital examination of your prostate through the back passage will determine the level of the enlargement of your prostate. Your GP may decide the level of enlargement is minor and perhaps another examination should take place in a couple of years or so, but the PSA blood test is your warning sign against the early onset of prostate cancer.

However that enlargement of your prostate could be nothing more than benign prostatic hyperplasia or BHP. This enlargement can continue over a few years, however, and eventually a more extensive examination may have to be undertaken at your local hospital's urology department. The urologist could give you another rectal examination and an ultrasound test to determine the size of the enlargement.

In my case I had a rectal examination by my GP and later went into the Wellington Hospitals's urology department for another rectal examination and an ultrasound test about six years ago. It was only through discussing my situation with my GP a couple of weeks ago, and his check of my medical records established my ultrasound was actually six years ago. I was a little concerned that there had been no follow up by the Urology department of the hospital. My doctor agreed that there should have been some sort of follow-up. Time certainly flies and didn't realise it had been that long — more like four years I thought.

There had been no change in PSA levels, but this is only a check for the possibility of cancer; it does not indicate any prostatic enlargement. My GP arranged another ultrasound test for me just over a week ago. The ultrasound also tested my kidneys and bladder at the same time. Nothing to write home about there — but my prostate is considerably enlarged with an estimated volume of 150 MLS.

He will be arranging another appointment for me with the Urology Department at Wellington Hospital. But in the meantime I decided to invest some of my money earned at my favourite writing site, and buy some herbal Saw Palmetto through an online site. I received notice today that my order status had been altered to 'delivery'. My herbs are on the way and I will soon be ingesting some traditional medicine which allegedly assists prostate problems. I am very interested to discover whether these long held claims are in fact credible. If they are, I will write a follow-up here and perhaps help some other 50-60+ year olds.

So my advice to all men reading this article is to monitor the state of your prostate through a digital examination and a PSA after your 40th birthday at least.

I earlier compared mens' prostate cancer with womens' breast cancer, but womens' problems are far more urgent than mens' prostate cancer. Many men die with prostate cancer, but not so many actually die through it. That is, of course, a pretty general statement not backed up by statistics. I hope this article has created some awareness in those commencing their nocturnal visits to the bathroom.

Writing for the sheer love of it...

Writing for the sheer love of it...

RANT: First published at Fortitude

by peter petterson

The recent announcement that a new writing site's struggle to survive in the short to medium term could continue, will undoubtebly be thought provoking there. As a now member of that particular site, which I was aware of for a few weeks but had decided to sit and think about it, as they often say. I had made sufficient money from writing a commercial blog post on my 'The Green Planet blog' and had been paid out on Paypal. What should I do with my thirty odd dollars sitting in my Paypal account?

Well I made a commitment to invest on something online; I had not done that before. I have been ripped off before at Sidetick and a few other small online sites, and had my Adsense account disabled without any production of evidence that I had broken their TOS. If I had it would have been purely accidental because I'm basically an honest person. So why did I decide to invest in a writing site membership?

This particular site offered something that I have been looking for a number of years. I've been a member of quite a few blogsites over the years that have claimed you can write and earn a lot of money in the process. But earning money was not the prime reason I blogged; I enjoyed writing about the subjects that I was interested in. So in a way the new offer was too good to refuse under the circumstances. The money involved was profit from another writing venture and the modest joining fee was hardly a financial burden.

I have read their latest announcement that they were not intending to turn over and die, very interesting and indicative of a real determination to succeed by the present owners. Such an attitude could determine a members decision whether to continue or withdraw and seek an alternative.

During the last few weeks I have written a number of articles there, have been reimbursed for my initial outlay and now find myself myself in the black. So seriously, why would I want to quit at this stage when there are still guarantees to earn from quality writing? It is actually a strong incentive to continue writing at that site: to research, write well and edit. I intend to do so as long as there 'is' an incentive to continue writing and a solid guarantee that payments for writing, reviewing and refering continue.

While the TOS of the site may differ from when I joined up a few weeks ago, the reasons given why this has been necessary have been convincing in my personal opinion.

I will continue to promote the site in my own way as I have done during the last few weeks, and will explain why the owners consider changes necessary. It is better to have a lighter weighted golden goose, than a dead frozen chicken.

What alternatives to this site are out there in the writesphere and blogesphere? None that I am aware of at this stage. There are still those blogsites out there that continue to inanely claim a fortune can still be made from blogging, despite the lack of credibility and validity of such people, who probably claim the existence of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, and that Elvis was still in the building as well. I still come across other so-called writing sites that are no more than social network sites — not that there is anything wrong with these sites — but I object to the claim they are genuine money making sites, when in fact they only offer cents for impressions, or offer less for non-north American members. I find the latter really objectionable because it is supposed to be the World Wide Web after all.

I will continue to work at my writing site and hope the practise will improve my writing skills and result in some more modest but satisfactory income. I will continue to write for the sheer love of it!

All Rights Reserved.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Times were a changing then - back to the nostalgic fifties...

Times were a changing - back to the nostalgic fifties...

ARTICLE: First published at Fortitude

by peter petterson

As the years I've been on this planet actually begin to increase, time begins to peel back and thoughts turn to a different era. A different, less stressful and more peaceful time — back to those nostalgic innocent days of my childhood, down in the South Island of my homeland — New Zealand way down in the South Pacific.

Back to the 1950's when the population was half of what it is now, when New Zealand was Britain's farm, when inflation was something done to a football bladder,cars were a mixture of English and American; and Toyotas and Nissans were some unknown names along with karate back in Tokyo, and my hometown of Christchurch had as many bicycles as they do now. Peak hours would see hundreds of these push bikes streaming down the main street,(including mine on occasions), Colombo Street — about five and a half miles long with the title of longest street in New Zealand for decades.

Weekends were taken up with sport: mainly rugby union in the winter, and rugby league, soccer, and hockey having their followers, and outdoor basketball(as netball was called then). In summer there was mainly cricket, athletics and swimming. Softball would arrive very soon once the American influence began to infiltrate the former British colony a couple of thousands of miles off-shore from the West island — Australia. New Zealand was closed on the weekends then, no weekend shopping apart from a couple of areas in Christchurch's beach suburb of New Brighton, and up on Wellington's west coast in Paraparaumu.

In the summer the beaches attracted Kiwis by the thousands, and the tens of thousands on the other side of the Tasman Sea at beaches such as Bondi which would begin to attract New Zealanders too, in just a few years.

But out on the Canterbury plains Kiwis had almost an obsession with rivers on Sundays — picnicking up by the riverbeds, thermettes boiling away on the river banks with pristine water from the river. Firewood a plenty — and a .22 rifle packed in the trunk of the car for the inevitable pot shot at the pests of the plains — the damned wild rabbits. Those trunks have now been anglicised and are known as boots. Many a trip back home with the trunks filled with pine cones from the many plantations in the Canterbury area. No television in New Zealand in the fifties — no coca cola, pepsi or hamburgers either; but they were well on the way when the fifties turned to the sixties. Changes were on the horizon. The strongest thing most teens those days were some cold flagons of draught beer, or a bottle of Scotch if you could afford it — or scrounge it from your elders.

For me a couple of times a year, was a couple of weeks during the school holidays on one of the mixed farms — 30 minutes from town — dairy, sheep, pigs, poultry, crops and the annual haymaking. Could there be anything more healthy for a city boy with most of the food grown on site apart from a few staples — and fresh warm unpasterised milk straight from the cow? Great times as long as you watched your footing around the yards and cow bails. And yes, don't tease and antagonise that big black bull way out in his paddock.

New Zealand's foreign policy was British foreign policy — but change was on the horizon. Britain would join the European Common Market, and New Zealand would have to seek new markets for its primary produce, and that American Rock and Roll music would soon see Americans in person down Christchurch way as the American Deep Freeze program down south in the Antarctic in the New Zealand summer was based out by Christchurch Airport, and the American icebreakers berthed at Lyttleton Harbour, just over the Port Hills from Christchurch City.

Change was a coming, so was the coca cola, pepsi, hamburgers and American cream freeze ice-cream. Also in the New Zealand psyche just a few years in the future was a foreign southeast asian country named South Vietnam. The happy city boy would grow up and witness some real and significant social changes in New Zealand.

New Zealand would become a major mens softball world power in a few years too. Elvis would be joined later by names that would become world pop music icons — the Beatles and the Rolling Stones — and Vietnam would become a dirty word, and New Zealand's volunteer returned soldiers would have to be whisked in during the hours of darkness. Times were really changing!

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