Sorry to bore you with yet another sunset picture.
Two years ago I took my eldest son down to Christchurch to start University. I thought we would spend a couple of days together exploring the city before I left him behind to get on with his life. He had other ideas, it was a bye Mum, and he was off into the scrum of freshers week. Leaving me to explore the city for myself, which was great, I had a wonderful time going to all the things I would enjoy, and felt so proud of him. The pic above is one I took on that trip. Since leaving him there, in what I thought was a safe city. He has gone through two major earthquakes, with out a scratch on him, thankfully.
The beautiful, garden city of Christchurch and a lot of its people have not been so lucky. The devastation of last Tuesdays' earthquake is still difficult to understand. Much has been said all over the world's press about it, about all the big things that have happened. I would like to mention some of the little things that made me proud to live in this country.
A big thumbs up to the large companies that have bent over backwards to do something.
Air New Zealand - They almost immediately increased the flights in and out of Christchurch and lowered their fares. Also made it possible to move flights either to get out of Christchurch earlier or to get back to Christchurch without any extra charges, for the next few weeks.
The Warehouse - Giving out free food and water to anyone that could go and collect it.
Fisher and Pykal - Setting up three free laundries in the city. A very little thing, but a very important thing.
Sanitarium (the breakfast cereal company) - Giving out water from its factory.
Telecom - Free phone calls from all phone boxes that they have got working in Christchurch, so people can let family know they are ok. Telecom are also collecting up old type house phone,s that can be plugged in with out any electricity, from all over the country and shipping them down to Christchurch residents.
Five of the large banks - Suspending payments and interest on loans for Christchurch residents.
The local health board - All visits to Doctors and all prescriptions are free in Christchurch.
These are just a few of the amazing helpful things I remember hearing about. I do not know if this would have happened anywhere else. Then there are all the little small businesses helping out. Like the bike shop that was offering free repairs to bikes, to make it easier for people to get around a city where the roads are mostly torn up. The people who were giving away water from their bore hole. All the thousands of students that volunteered to help. The people all over the country that are offering their homes to the people who have been made homeless by the quake. The people of Wellington who opened their homes to the displaced tourists who lost all their documents and luggage.
On the flip side I have got to say a big thumbs down to the idiots who are taking advantage of the situation. The looters, need I say more. The store that was charging $15 for a two litre bottle of milk that should have been just over $2. The individual who went to the queues for water and tried to sell water containers for $20 each, while others were giving theirs away for free. The petrol station in a town 2hrs away from Christchurch that hiked the price of petrol up by an extra 25%. And especially to the looters, who seeing the teenage children getting the news that their Mother would not be coming out of the wreckage of the CTV building alive, calmly went to their house and burgled it.
For all this gloom, it is very, very heartening to know that the good massively out ways the bad. For every idiot there seems to be hundreds of people who want to help, and who want to make a difference.
One idea that was suggested to me yesterday, sounded really good to me. It is not something that will help now, but something that could be done in the future when the people of Christchurch are starting to rebuild their lives and their city. In every community it is the small businesses that help gell the community together. The hairdressers where you can go for a gossip, the local corner shop, the drycleaners, the bakers, the local chippy and takeaway shop. Even if their buildings are not damaged I would imagine that their fixtures and fittings are. How long does it take for them to get new from the insurance? Small businesses don't have the capital to refurnish from their own funds. And without an income, will these businesses be able to continue? Wouldn't it be good if other small traders, from all over the country, could get their spare items to them. I don't know if its possible? I don't know how you would go about doing it? But if you or somebody you know has the expertise to do this, pass the idea on, maybe there is somebody out there with the knowledge.
In a few weeks time I am going to take part in a triathlon as part of a team. I have been volunteered for the swimming part, a swim of 600m. I am prepared I have all the gear - hat, togs, goggles and rashie top. I decided that a wet suit would not be a good idea at all. The distance did not bother me, I swim between 1000m and 800m in the pool at least a couple of times a week. That was until last week when one of the other members of the team accompanied me down to Pandora Ponds to take a look at the course, to have a go at swimming in the cold sea and against the current. Now the distance bothers me. I have to swim out to that far off distant white dot on the horizon and back over to the other side and then down to the shore. That seems to be a very long way! Then there is the other bit I had totally forgotten about. The clambering out of the water and running up the pebbley shore, dripping wet in my togs to tag the next member of my team. If anyone dares take any pictures of that bit they will be in very big trouble.
Its that time of year again and Art Deco madness has hit Napier once again. The city is full of old vehicles of every shape, colour, size and era and the feather boas are out in force. Its quite a spectacle.
While rushing to an appointment at the ophthalmologists the other day, I noticed this daisy on the door of the council buildings. I have past them lots of times and failed to notice it before. Either they have changed their logo recently or on the past occasions I was too busy looking at something else, or perhaps the door was open. I don't know. What I do know is that I should look around more often instead of being wrapped up in rushing to get everything done.
We needed to use the study as a spare room for a couple of days. It was good to know with a minimum of fuss the bed did fit. One day it will be finished.
A couple of days ago I was lolling about in the garden, as you do on hot days. When a white rabbit hopped on past. After checking it did not have a pocket watch, I realised I was not asleep and dreaming of Alice in Wonderland. There really was a large white rabbit hopping around the garden. The next place I found the rabbit was sitting happily on top of the compost heap. Apparently, our next door neighbours have decided to allow their rabbits to free range. Which is very nice having them in the garden, but I just hope they keep safe. So far our cats are very wary of them. The white one brought his friend over to visit too.
Just around the corner from the office I work in is a little public garden.
With an huge waterfall.
I was just going to walk around the garden, but decided to go a bit further up the hill.
Past some lovely little cottages
and some weird cloud formations.
And eventually ended up outside Napier jail. Which is now run as a back packers.
I decided to take the little short cut down to work.
Which has amazing views out over the Pacific and
over to Cape Kidnappers.
For a year our kitchen has not had fitted work surfaces. It had a patchwork of old bits from the old kitchen. The sink has been balanced on a couple of lumps of wood. Not really very easy to clean or hygienic.
I kept checking Trade Me to see if I could pick up some lumps of rimu that we could convert. After months and months of looking we found this couple of table tops complete with chewing gum.
Next step, lots of sanding, staining and oiling.
The end result three sections of work surface completed and in place.
Now all is needed is the long section under the window. I have a cunning plan more about that soon.
The kitchen looking like a proper kitchen almost.
The sink is at last fitted into a work surface, the wrong work surface, but at least there are no more gaps.
No extra bits of work surface sticking out to catch your arms or clothes on.
The french doors will eventually get put in place, just not for another few months, maybe next Spring. The nights are too cold now to have a large hole cut out of the wall.
After all the work we were shut out of our lovely kitchen while my eldest son and his mate were working on some software. Which we did not really mind as they were doing it for the Red Cross in Christchurch. Well done guys.
Between my wild garden and our formal garden there used to be a hedge. One day I decided to take it out instead of trim it into shape. The idea was it plant it up with native grasses, flaxes and hebes, so that the two parts of the garden would merge together seamlessly.
My plan has worked and I think it looks brilliant. I love to watch the grasses as the breeze makes shadows and light through them. It is now possible to see the ferns and agapanthis which were hidden by the hedge.
After a lovely lunch with some people I work with, at Milk and Honey, I decided I needed a walk.
It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and everything was beautiful. 
On previous occasions, when I have walked along the boardwalk at Ahuriri, it has been cold and wet. 
About half way through the walk I realised why I don't do this walk on hot days.
There is no shade not a single little bit and I was way, to hot. Beautiful views but next time I will take a hat.
Two years ago I took my eldest son down to Christchurch to start University. I thought we would spend a couple of days together exploring the city before I left him behind to get on with his life. He had other ideas, it was a bye Mum, and he was off into the scrum of freshers week. Leaving me to explore the city for myself, which was great, I had a wonderful time going to all the things I would enjoy, and felt so proud of him. The pic above is one I took on that trip. Since leaving him there, in what I thought was a safe city. He has gone through two major earthquakes, with out a scratch on him, thankfully.
On many occasions I have walked past the Napier Cathedral and thought I should really look in there some time. So I did, dragging Peter with me.
It is very much a monument to concrete and in comparison to other cathedrals I have visited it is not really pretty. But in its own way it has a certain style. I think it is the proportions that give it that awe inspiring feeling of magnitude that you get in cathedrals. In no other building do you get that sense of all surrounding space. In my personal opinion I think the combination of the huge floating cross and the tiny rose window, emphasize the enormity of the height of the ceiling.
For me the main attraction of church buildings is the stain glass lead lights.
Some of which are very, very new.
I spent the rest of the day in the garden sewing and listening to radio 4 over the internet. I started of on the veranda but had to move down where there was more breeze to keep me cool.
I was still out there sewing when Peter came home for tea. He took this sneaky snap while I wasn't looking. As usual catching me from a very unflattering angle.
Buffy was enjoying the breeze and the cooler weather too.
In a few weeks time I am going to take part in a triathlon as part of a team. I have been volunteered for the swimming part, a swim of 600m. I am prepared I have all the gear - hat, togs, goggles and rashie top. I decided that a wet suit would not be a good idea at all. The distance did not bother me, I swim between 1000m and 800m in the pool at least a couple of times a week. That was until last week when one of the other members of the team accompanied me down to Pandora Ponds to take a look at the course, to have a go at swimming in the cold sea and against the current. Now the distance bothers me. I have to swim out to that far off distant white dot on the horizon and back over to the other side and then down to the shore. That seems to be a very long way! Then there is the other bit I had totally forgotten about. The clambering out of the water and running up the pebbley shore, dripping wet in my togs to tag the next member of my team. If anyone dares take any pictures of that bit they will be in very big trouble.
Its that time of year again and Art Deco madness has hit Napier once again. The city is full of old vehicles of every shape, colour, size and era and the feather boas are out in force. Its quite a spectacle.
While rushing to an appointment at the ophthalmologists the other day, I noticed this daisy on the door of the council buildings. I have past them lots of times and failed to notice it before. Either they have changed their logo recently or on the past occasions I was too busy looking at something else, or perhaps the door was open. I don't know. What I do know is that I should look around more often instead of being wrapped up in rushing to get everything done.
Remember that ice cream I ate among the daisies, here are some more of those daisies.
We needed to use the study as a spare room for a couple of days. It was good to know with a minimum of fuss the bed did fit. One day it will be finished.
A couple of days ago I was lolling about in the garden, as you do on hot days. When a white rabbit hopped on past. After checking it did not have a pocket watch, I realised I was not asleep and dreaming of Alice in Wonderland. There really was a large white rabbit hopping around the garden. The next place I found the rabbit was sitting happily on top of the compost heap. Apparently, our next door neighbours have decided to allow their rabbits to free range. Which is very nice having them in the garden, but I just hope they keep safe. So far our cats are very wary of them. The white one brought his friend over to visit too.
