Speedy Snail Mobility Archives

A pink sun rise lights the sky, with the brightest part of the sunrise in the middle of the frame near the bottom. The left and right are framed by silhouetted trees

May as well make the most of it?!?!?

Antnz on May 28, 2021

All of a sudden we’re almost halfway through the year, and this month hasn’t exactly gone to plan. In the end, despite a horrific head cold that had me laid out for a week, May hasn’t been too bad; just a little different than anticipated. Once again I remind myself that “life is indeed an adventure” if we look at it from an etymological (background of words) basis. Webster’s dictionary defines risk as:

1a: an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks. //a book recounting his many bold adventures b: the encountering of risks. //the spirit of adventure. 2: an exciting or remarkable experience. //an adventure in exotic dining they were looking for adventure. 3: an enterprise involving financial risk. //she wanted to pay off her debts before embarking on any new financial adventures.

A night panorama of the milky way, trees frame either side and a tree is silhouetted just slightly left of the midline.

April’s Atiwhakatu Adventure

Antnz on April 22, 2021

April began with me trying to get the footage I had taken at Alice Nash edited (I’m still trying!), some meetings and preparing to take 3 friends out to Alice Nash for an overnighter. Then I realized that the deer hunting season had kicked off, that there was a lot of talk of father/son hunting trips and that Aotearoa was in full lockdown this time last year…

An image of a track in NZ native bush. ADNZ Raven can be seen in the bottom of frame. The track transects the picture vertically

And the year is Marching on…

Antnz on March 23, 2021

March kicked off with a visit to the local court to see ADNZ Raven’s support crew many of the courthouse staff all chip in towards Raven’s fundraising effort. The place was a bit chaotic due to a change in Covid19 Alert Levels. I don’t think Raven fully appreciates what “Social Distancing” means! Thank you so much for your continued support of Raven and Assistance Dogs NZ Trust.

ADNZ Raven wearing her blue harness. She standing getting a lower back scratch from a woman sitting down in an office setting. A sticker saying "Thank You" obscures the woman's face — Don’t let the judge catch you not social distancing Raven!!

A picture looking down towards the ground. ADNZ Raven is looking at camera with her tongue poking out slightly. On Antnz left shoe, a plastic brace is attached to above toes. ADNZ Raven's harness and lead are lying on the grasswith a tennis ball,

CHAOS seems to be the theme of 2020

Antnz on September 9, 2020

Once again it feels like just the other I sat down and got stuck into writing a blog, but in reality it’s been awhile since my last one. For me life had been in this weird space of both carrying on and being on pause. While we in New Zealand have seemingly successfully navigated Levels 4 and 3 of our Covid Alert system; the sun rose each morning, yet so much of life was “on hold”. And now we have moved down through Level 2 and now after several weeks of Level 1 some sense of “normality” was happening before New Zealand had a “second waves” cluster/s appear in the last few weeks.

Assistance Dogs NZ Team Training: Day 2

Antnz on June 20, 2020

We haven’t had a lot of opportunity to do public access with Assistance Dogs NZ (ADNZ) Raven while we’ve been on lock-down, and today she rocked it in her new harness. ADNZ Raven’s physiology is different to ADNZ Ben so we’ve been getting the set up right for her public mobility tasks. If you would like to support ADNZ Raven’s fundraising please head to: https://give.everydayhero.com/nz/assistance-dogs-nz-ben-has-retired-please-support-his-succes

Video description: ADNZ Raven is wearing a bright blue harness with a Y-front and small handle attached to a D-ring on the back of her harness, to the right of her body. Antnz is on Raven’s right (behind in frame). They are walking into a bank. Antnz is using crutches.

A picture of a white window, with curtains shut. Behind the glass are several teddy bears on the window sill, a stuffed Kiwi hanging from the frame, two colored-in Easter eggs and one Poster with text saying "Thanks essential workers" surrounded by smaller pictures representing different essential services

WOW in the last couple of months the world went a bit wonky!

Antnz on April 18, 2020

It seems like yesterday I was writing a tribute to Assistance Dogs NZ (ADNZ) Ben, then next thing I know; the world is looking a whole lot different! ADNZ Raven is here and our entire country is in a state of emergency on “Level 4 Covid 19 Alert”; which is essentially “only leave your house for essential services like food or medical care, or your employment is classed as an essential service, the borders are now closed”.

A close up of ADNZ Ben looking at camera

Life is a Series of Chapters; A tribute to Assistance Dogs NZ Ben

Antnz on March 16, 2020

Its time for one chapter to close, and another to open.

If you have met me over the last 6 or 7 years you will have also met my sidekick, Assistance Dogs NZ Trust (ADNZ) Ben. ADNZ Ben has been with me through many ups and many downs over the years, but the reality is that he is now 10 years old, he’s done an amazing job for me over this time but he is retiring. He will be rehomed with a long time friend of mine who will give him a relaxed retirement, where he can just chill. She is also one of the few wheelchair users he will sleep behind so I know he trusts her. I have also been matched with a successor through ADNZ.

A close up of my left foot and ADNZ Ben's right rear foot. — Together our feet get us there

Gary Williams (left) and Jade Farrar in the midst of a conversation

January started quietly then ramped up!

Antnz on February 1, 2020

It’s been an intense couple of weeks that’s for sure!

So after taking it easy for a few months it’s time for me to start putting my toes back in the waters of Enabling Good Lives and being more active again in taking control of what I can control and try to let go of the rest. Which is hard, I seem to be “hard wired” to just get in there and make it happen. I also have a lot going on with the “medical” side of life coming up so I’m prioritizing what I do and how much I take on this year.

I’m still here, I’ve just have been really inconsistent with posting!

Antnz on April 10, 2019

I’m still around!

If you only follow me via this blog, you would be right in thinking that I have fallen off the grid! Although sometimes falling off the grid sounds like a wonderful idea I haven’t gone to that extent! The truth is between working hard on various bits and pieces in the community, going away and looking after myself, writing blogs consistently has been well down on the list of things to do.