Tony | Māngere
“Sometimes my responses to people, responses to my wife, and I think around here.
I guess being more loving towards her, and not being argumentative. It’s healthy when two people can get on with each other, function well together, enjoy each other and laugh at what you’re doing, and I suppose from the odd time to cry about things almost. I’m an emotional sort of person, and I can shed tears, and I don’t have any qualms about that.
We went on our first trip since she had a stroke four and a half years ago. We went to see Aussie last year to see two of our children and grandchildren. It was a trial run to see how she would function, because when she had a stroke it was over in Switzerland on the first day we were there, which was a bit of a rough time. She came through it with flying colours, thanks to many people and excellent physio people, but not this year I guess, if things changed over in Switzerland, which I’m not going to go into that, we would have tried to go back for another trip. But in the interim, we’re going to book our holiday for probably up in Papa Aroha, up from Coromandel and do a bit of fishing up there, which I enjoy doing, and so does my wife. She’ll get on the end of a rod and fish beside me, and that’s probably going to be March. We’ve still got to make our booking, and hopefully, we can get booked in there or somewhere else, but as far as other trips away; don’t think so. We’ll just wait and see where the Lord leads us.
Rangiora is my home town in the South Island, grew up there. I shifted up to Auckland quite some number of years ago, but South Island is definitely part of me. I enjoy coming down here, being with a group of people that are like-minded, there’s all different ages in the walking group, and I guess I enjoy growing vegetables at home in the garden. I enjoy fishing but around this area here is great, because you’re so close to the airport, you’re so close to Māngere Mountain where you can go for a walk up there. Admittedly my wife, that’s one of her goals, is to get up there again, but no just, being around here not being right in the middle of the city with some of the other things that happen around Auckland.”