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This story is a true story, and I know that sounds dubious, but this happened,and I still give thanks for surviving the encounter.
Many years ago, when I was only aged 11, our family decided to travel to the Northland of New Zealand, to share our family Christmas holidays with our cousins who lived there.
A whole days journey from our home on the west coast, so this required some stringent planning for a family of five children, two adults and one dog.
When all was gathered together, the car was tuned and ready, trailer attached for all our extra luggage, we set off on the Motorway for Auckland, to have what we thought would be an exciting holiday.
Now not so long beforehand, our Uncle had Gone to live out in a bay area, called Kawa Kawa bay, and then had purchased for his family, a 24ft Hartley E class Yacht.
We were all very excited about the prospect of going sailing, especially around the Hauraki Gulf which was reknown for it's beauty, though it had other attributes as well.
After 8 long hours all crammed into a stationwagon, on a road that ran up hill and down dale, through gorges and over a mountain ridge, we were totally exhausted upon arrival, but thrilled to be near the sea, and to be with our extended family again.
In our family There was Mother, Father, My Older Brother, Myself, my younger Brother, and two younger sisters. The youngest at that time was not even a year old.
We also had a dog, that was a half bred Bassett/Labrador, though she was small in height, but a tad less sad looking. Our Cousins had a dog also, of what breed I cannot remember, but the dogs also looked forward to each others company :)
After greeting the rellies, that consisted of Uncle, Aunty, and three cousins, Girl, boy and Girl, we all settled in with our possessions, made up our beds in respective rooms, and generally relaxed.
Much planning was afoot the next day, as a trip through the bay, then the channel, and out into the gulf had been planned, in order to make it out to an Island in the Gulf, wherein we planned to have ourselves a nice cold Turkey Dinner.
It all sounded so wonderful and adventurous, which in essence was an understatement as the hours ticked by. What we hadn't prepared was a Turkey. This was no supermarket job, or even a Coup arrangement, oh no this lunatic family had other plans.
There was in that area a surplus of wild Brush Turkey's foraging around the open plains, near the bay where Uncle lived. His house in fact was only a approx 40 ft away from the Mud flats, where a high tide would come in and darn near lap up around the doorstep on a full moon.
Of course the Yacht, The OASIS, was anchored in the river inlet within a very short walk from the house as well. This of course was delightful, as we could walk over there to the boat, and jump off of it, into the waters below.
Now getting back to this Turkey Business. Mother and Aunty let it be known to My Oldest Brother, and my Cousin, that in order for us to have ourselves that Turkey Dinner, they would have to take the Slug Guns out and go shoot at least two, to feed our hungry lot.
That request was met with great delight by My brother, who loved nothing better than to shoot at practically anything that moved, so Mothers request was no hardship for him to get his head around. The only problem that Mother and Aunty foresaw was the amount of buckshot imbedded into the Turkey's flesh, so of course they were given strict instructions on where to shoot them, or lookout!!
I will never know just how many slugs were pumped into those Turkey's, but I do know they came back with two of the biggest, fattest birds I had ever seen, and it was no mean feat soaking and plucking the darn things.
I could only take Brothers word for it, as did Mother, regarding the lead still in the birds, to which they replied oh so innocently," oh no we shot them in the head as you told us too" Huh, yeah and if anyone believed those pair, they had rocks in their heads.
Mother wasn't stupid of course, and during the defeathering, preparing, stuffing and cooking process, her keen sharp eyes were ever on the lookout for pesky little slugs, that could easy render someones tooth to naught during our planned feasting!
To be cont.....
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"A thanksgiving Tale...or was it Giving thanks?"
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