Progress on repairs

 We're nearly halfway through the earthquake repairs on our home, and things are moving along! Every time I go to the house something else has been done. Probably the most dramatic of which was the removal of all the bricks on this end. This was necessary for the jack 'n pack - basically the floor and walls are jacked up, then packed with a strong timber to level them again. Then new bricks are put back on again.

 We used the opportunity to make a couple of adjustments to this area. I'd always been frustrated with the lack of light in this room - it faces southwest, has small windows, and the previous owners had built a cupboard in the corner to house the washing machine. Convenient, but it blocked another window! So the builders have removed the laundry cupboard which will be relocated to the small porch outside our back door.

Above is a before and during picture. You can see what a difference it's made just removing that cupboard!

This is the back door. It was so badly out of alignment that we broke the lock trying to use it, and had to put this bolt on in order to secure it. After the jack 'n pack the door fits perfectly in its frame again!

 Instead of reinstalling the small window, the builders put in a lovely big window that I'd purchased beforehand. And not only that, a set of French doors! And soon there will be a deck running the length of this wall.

See how much beautiful light is coming into this room now. It's made such a difference. The best thing is that I can now see the garden out the windows.

I'm counting down the days until I'll be back home again... the job is almost halfway finished (I hope!) But I know it will be so much better when everything is fixed and improved. And, although it took so long to get started, I count myself very lucky to live in a country where we actually do get earthquake repairs done. There have been so many terrible earthquakes around the world recently, and my heart goes out to all affected.

Temporary accommodation

As I mentioned last time, our earthquake repairs are finally underway. It's been quite the process getting to this point - we were originally told that our repairs would start in September last year and I spent quite a bit of time getting ready for that. But that ended up not happening, and everything went on hold for a few months. 

After the big earthquake in 2011, my house was damaged along with thousands of others. In New Zealand we are lucky that earthquake cover is part of our house insurance, so it was always known that the repairs would be done, but no one realised quite how long and frustrating the process would be for everyone! I'll cut a long story short and say that thanks to my builder's determination to start the job we managed to push forward and get going on things. I'd been slowly packing my belongings into boxes (since last August!) but there was so much stuff... plus there are always the things you can't pack till the last minute... not a fun job and I'm not really anticipating the unpacking with much joy either!

I found a house to rent not too far from home. Luckily our insurance company also pays the rent for this place. It's an ok place to stay in - it's furnished and comes with phone, power, internet and Sky TV - so there's plenty of entertainment, but it's just not home! I brought all my houseplants and put them on the windowsill so that helped a bit. And of course, we brought Mr Lui. He took a few days to settle in but he's fine now, sleeping on the couches like he owns the place. And when he's not on the couches he's on my computer case, an even better bed apparently.

I miss having a big crochet project like a blanket to work on. Since we are doing a few renovation projects on the house my spare money has to go towards that, so I'm not going out to buy yarn for a new project. And my stash yarn is all packed! So in an effort to create something cheerful and colourful, I've been painting my nails. Nail polish is cheap and there are plenty of ideas on Pinterest.

So that's the update from the holiday house. There are plenty of things happening at the real house too - I'll tell you about them soon. I also have some updates on my vege growing this season. In the meantime I'll be scouring Pinterest for manicure home decorating ideas.

One year on

 Last weekend I went for a walk around the neighbourhood. My bike seems to have a constant flat tyre these days, there must be a tiny piece of something sharp embedded in the tyre or something. So rather than combining exercise with errands, I'm having to actually make an effort and Go For A Walk. The most scenic place to walk is still along the river, even though it's a pretty sad place now. The roads are rutted, cracked and full of holes. Even when the holes are patched it doesn't take long for the asphalt to wear away, since the land is still unstable and settling itself.

The saddest thing of all is the houses: lopsided, windows broken, waist high grass on the front lawns. Gardens which were once lovingly tended have gone wild and all but disappeared.

 For the anniversary of quake day, someone came up with the idea of putting flowers in all the road cones. There are A LOT of road cones around Christchurch, and that morning as I drove to work, every cone I saw was sporting a bouquet. Some were simple - agapanthus and dahlias were popular - and some were mixed posies. It was beautiful and uplifting.

The rest of the day was strange. Memories and emotions kept surfacing, especially at 12.51 when I was sitting in the exact same place I had been when the quake struck. 

I find myself thinking back to how things were a year ago - the first few days without power or water, the weeks that followed where we were unable to use water from the tap without boiling it first, the inconvenience of sewage pipes not working properly. The traffic congestion and bumpy roads (neither of which has improved much in the following 12 months!) The time spent with family who looked after me when I needed it, and friends whose support and kind wishes kept me going.

This is a bridge over the Avon River in Dallington. There was a commemoration ceremony here where people gathered to throw flowers in the river.

A couple of days before Christmas last year our neighbours came to the door. They were holding this beautiful quilt, which was made by some lovely ladies in Australia. The quilt was sent along with some others to my neighbours' church, to be distributed among people affected by the quake. They are the pastors of the church and they very kindly brought the quilt around to us as a gift. I was very touched - both to be thought of, and also that people in another country had worked together to make this loving gift to send to Christchurch and show their support.

I put the quilt of love on our bed straight away. I've spent a lot of time looking at the individual squares and feeling the good wishes of those who made them.

My thanks to the Coolum Quilters of Queensland, Australia.

♥ ♥ ♥

Christmas fireplace and earthquake update

I'm going ahead with this post because I already had the photos organised. Not feeling very Christmassy here though! We had another series of big aftershocks this afternoon. It began with a 5.8 which was followed a while later by a nasty 6.0. This is the fifth big quake event we've had since September 4th last year. Mother Nature, we get your point... you can stop now!

Small and not so small aftershocks followed throughout the afternoon. Malls and shops had to close, on one of the busiest days of the year. I'm so glad I was at home, not in a supermarket! I stayed home, rather than get stuck in traffic jams or risk encountering flooded roads or bridges that were out.

Our power was out for about three hours. My cellphone also chose that point to run low on both battery and credit. I was so relieved later when I could charge it and get online to buy more credit! (After the September quake I swore I would never let it get down to one bar again, but it still happened, of course.)

Lui went to ground for a while. I wasn't too worried because I knew he wouldn't go far, unlike the several scared dogs and cats I saw running down the street in various directions. I hope all the frightened pets are reunited with their people soon.

We had no liquefaction this time - BIG YAY! I'm so sorry for all the people who are cleaning up for in some cases the fourth time. That stuff really is nasty. We only got round to waterblasting the garage last month, so I'm grateful not to be doing that all over again.

I had some things I was meant to do to get ready for Christmas, but I didn't do them. Tomorrow is another day right? To be honest I forgot about Christmas today. Earthquake days just exist in a time of their own.

All these decorations are now all over the floor, and there seems no point to picking them up. The adrenaline is wearing off, and I'm getting tired. It will be a shakey night. I'll get through it though - there's nothing else to do. Hopefully tomorrow is a brighter, quieter day!

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! xxx

Last week

Last week began with more earthquakes, more liquefaction, more mess. We have learned how to deal with this situation and so we pick things up, clean up, and try to move on. The piles of sand and mud are collected that very evening by council trucks working long into the night.

Mud and muck is piled outside my back door. The cat walks through it and tracks mud through the house. I wipe the benches with paper towels, because the water supply is off for two days.

Last week Jon's dad passed away. It was unexpected and we grieve his loss.

Garden flowers are confused. Bulbs and spring-flowering shrubs are blooming. I wonder what will be left, come September.

Harvest dinner

 

This is the post I meant to share nearly a month ago, before the damn earthquake interrupted everything. Anyway, here are the results of a late summer harvest... Desiree potatoes, zucchini, red onion, carrots, basil, chilli and assorted tomatoes.

I chopped them and put them in a dish, then made up a white sauce and poured it over the top.

A bit of grated cheese, bake it in the oven and then... yum! I served it with some crumbed chicken and a tomato salad.

 

Remember those blueberries I picked one day? I did make friands and they were delicious too. The rest of the blueberries went into the freezer, although sadly I had to take them out when we lost power. I ended up taking them to my mum's so they weren't completely wasted, I'm a little disappointed that I won't get to use them myself but glad that they weren't just thrown out like some of our food had to be. Anyway, I know my mum will enjoy them and maybe there will be some yummy blueberry treats waiting for me next time I visit! Till then I'll be savouring the memory of that friand.

In Memoriam

Today was the service in remembrance of the Christchurch earthquake. We went along, on bikes, and sat in Hagley Park with thousands of others. Thinking thoughts of sadness, loss, but also hope and unity. It felt right to be there. My city, I grieve for you but I also believe that we can rise up and, eventually, build you better and stronger than before. We just have to be strong till then.

I'm also thinking of Japan and the terrible events unfolding there. All around it has not been a good start to the year. So I do what I always do in such times and retreat to the garden, look at the flowers, and hope for a better day tomorrow. Kia kaha.

Sandy soil

It's hard to believe that over a week has passed since the grey and dreadful day that changed the face of our city. Slowly, we pick up the pieces and try to move on. We are cheered by messages of support from all around the globe, comfort from neighbours, help from strangers. Kia kaha, they say. Be strong.

At home we have power, and a trickle of water that increased a bit in pressure today - enough to finally make it to the hot water heater. The irony was, when I turned on the shower and jumped in, there was not enough cold water pressure to temper the hot! So my shower was rather short and very hot. I'm sure it will improve over the coming days though, as people are working around the clock to rebuild the infrastructure.  I am so grateful to them.

Above is the lake of silt and mud that poured into our backyard about 2 hours after the initial quake. It poured out from the corner of the house, flooded the garage, and raced down the drive.

A yummy mixture of sand and liquid clay.

Which left an extremely sticky yet slippery layer to navigate. (The wheelbarrow lies, useless, with its punctured tyre.)

The sand was almost 20 cm deep in places.

This is a video Jon shot of the liquefaction as it happened - gives you an idea of the powerful forces under the earth.

Here you can see it starting to drain away, leaving a thin layer of mud and a huge pile of sand... time to get those shovels out.

I was gutted when I saw the flooding in the potager. However, most of the water quickly drained away and there was not so much silt here, just a thin layer that will be easy to scrub off.

Here it is a week after the event. I really need to get out there and start weeding, some day when I have time! Luckily a lot of the plants are finishing off and don't need water. They do need harvesting though - tomatoes are actually rotting on the vines which is annoying! I also noticed the borlotti bean pods are dry and ready to split, and the spuds have needed digging up for a while now.

But lookie - I've finally got flowers in the vege garden! The cosmos is providing a beautiful backdrop to the elegant leeks, and the calendula Sunset Tones are opening their little faces. The yellow one is Common Calendula (horrors!), but the others have their bright tones muted by burgundy edging on the petals.

Pretty. And in other good gardening news, I won a competition on Flaming Petal for a new echinacea plant. It's called Pink Poodle and is covered with frilly pink petals, a bit like a dahlia. Looking forward to growing this new treasure!

 So here we are with the sun setting over the potager, and the bright faces of the pansies reminding me that tomorrow is another day. Thanks for stopping by to visit me, and I hope that wherever you are in the world, someone is taking care of you. Kia kaha.

Earthquake update

Just a quick update to let you all know I'm safe and well. Our house suffered a bit of damage in the form of cracks and jammed doors, as well as some liquefaction in the back yard which flooded the garage and dumped a huge amount of sand right outside the back door. The house is liveable though - amazingly our chimney is still standing!

I'm staying with family in Timaru at the moment, but hoping to return soon to begin the cleanup. Jon is still in Chch as he had to go to work. Power is now back on, but no water.

Thanks for all the messages and emails. I'm as well as can be, although heartbroken at the loss and destruction all around. We've had so much help from family, neighbours and strangers that I will be forever grateful for. Thanks again everyone, it's heartening to know you are thinking of me.

Take care
xx

Aftermath

Today was a glorious day. The weather was balmy and warm, and everything was happy and sunshiney and just peachy-perfect... oh, as long as you could ignore the cracks in the roads and the rubble and the tarpaulined holes where chimneys had been.

For most of the past two days I've been staying at home, keeping safe and trying not to use too much water. On Sunday morning I went to the supermarket, which was busy but well stocked (not running out of milk and bread like the rumours said). I stayed at home for as long as I could but eventually I had to get out and just see for myself what was going on. Not being suicidal I haven't gone near the CBD, but here are some pictures from round and about...

Burst water pipes.

Formerly a dairy.

Condemned shops. I used to like shopping at Madame Butterfly's vintage emporium...

This is the fish n chip shop where we got our tea on Friday night.

Formerly a hairdressers.

I used to work in this building - not anymore. I still have a job, but we are relocating to temporary premises until a new location is found. (If I had been at work here when the quake hit, the outcome could have been so different...)

The Gayhurst Road bridge crossing the Avon river. You can see the tarmac has lifted up in chunks. I'm standing on Avonside Drive to take this photo - most of it is open again now, but further down the street is blocked off where a lot of cracking happened.

This church on Edgeware Road really took a hammering. See how the gates are all twisted at the front. A stained glass window has fallen out of that round hole.

This is the building behind the church. Such a shame to think of those beautiful stained glass windows being demolished.

I'm glad this is not my car.

I forget which street this is, but there are a lot of these potholes around. In a lot of places the ground actually liquefied which caused sinkholes, and in other places there are big piles of dirt and sand which has just bubbled up from somewhere.

Amidst all this catastrophe, mostly what I am thinking is lucky, lucky, lucky. Lucky no one died. Lucky that the city had plans for dealing with an event like this and that they seem to be running smoothly. Lucky that power is on for most of us. Lucky that most people will be able to claim insurance on the damage. Above all, lucky that me and mine and my little patch are safe and whole.

I am sure that in the weeks to come there will be plenty of things to be annoyed about, but for now I am counting my blessings.