It’s Friday
and usually everyone would be at the pub, looking forward to a weekend of fun
and leisure…..but not today. We don’t even really know its Friday.
Time has become a blur. There was Super15 Rugby tonite but we forgot
about it – doesn’t feel like Friday.
First of
all I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has sent us a message.
Yesterday I said I would read them but, to be honest, I have not. I
will try again tomorrow. I did read a few today and they were truly
uplifting but they also brought me close to tears. Being busy, cleaning
up the mess, taking care of guests and flushing toilets is great because it
takes your mind of the reality and makes it easier to get through the day.
I’m glad I don’t have time to think.
We’d also
like to say thanks to those who have cancelled with plenty of advanced notice.
This allows us to plan and is appreciated. To be honest there are
some who do not cancel, do not turn up and these people, maybe without
realising it, take a lot of our time that we could spend on more productive
jobs.
So, what’s
today been like? It’s been a day of aftershocks, the shallowest at only a
depth of 1km which is closer than the distance to our local Fish ‘n Chip shop.
These
shakes are taking an increasing toll on the city, decimating any structures the
first quake spared….and it adds to the stress.
Today we finished
the major tidy up of the residence, it’s roughly back to how it was.
Jeff’s sister and brother in law stayed the night and were a great help
in getting life back to normal. We cannot thank them enough. We
cannot thank them enough. We cannot thank them enough. They have now gone
home to Southland but they have proven the value of having someone around who
did not experience the disaster. Their speed and clarity of mind were a
real bonus and really helped us getting back on our feet.
Today I
went for a quick walk to Peterborough
St. It’s only 90 seconds walk away but today
I felt I was in another world. The block between Peterborough St.
and Kilmore St.
is severely damaged and probably about 80% of the buildings will be
demolished. Many guests ask us about the old house across the road, we
call it the Munster’s
House cos it is just so cool. But we think its time has come, it has a
slant on it which is unnatural….another historical treasure gone.
We have a
new member in our family. Yesterday we were visited by a German short
stay person whose accommodation had been quaked out. Her wallet, passport
etc are still at her English school and so she has nothing but a pack full of
clothes. She didn’t have anywhere else to go, so we have taken her in.
She looked so scared yesterday that we felt we had to do something to
help her. We advised her to register at the Red Cross and she did.
But other than that she had nothing. She was planning to stay with
some guy she had met at the evacuation centre but when the deal seamed strange
over the phone, we decided to invite her to homestay with us. Yesterday
we sent mr12 away and today we gained an older daughter!
What will
tomorrow bring?
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