Feb. 22: Anniversary of Christchurch Earthquake

The news today is filled with images of the quake that came 1 year ago today and took the lives of 185 people. Here, we have the sense of loss, having witnessed the city and the destruction that took place. Many stories are about circumstances that beg the question, What if? What if I hadn’t stayed for coffee? What if I’d not stayed to complete the paper before lunch? It is an eye opener for those of us who live in an earthquake belt and may anticipate such an event happening in our time. It is very easy to understand the PSTD that has plagued so many adults and children who survived the quake.

Last night, we shouted for the family at Carey’s Bay Pub; good food and drinks and fun company. It is so nice to connect with my cousins and aunt, reliving some trips to Canada and sharing stories about our relatives. One of the classics came from my aunt about my grandmother—not the warmest person to ever have walked the earth. Some friends of Bill and Lydia’s were staying with them at grandma’s. Harry got up to adjust the TV and asked Grandma if she could hear it okay. Her reply: “Sit down, shut up and leave it alone!” At least you knew where she stood!

Today, Geoff shouted for a few great hours with Nicki in her shop getting a mani- and pedi-, a facial and eyelash tint. I felt like a new woman afterwards! Then downtown to pick up a few Merino wool tops, on Nicki’s recommendation. Dunedin is built on the English model of university towns, ie, the school is in the centre of things, so when you go shopping you can expect to see kids of all ages roaming the streets between classes. Both public and private schools go with uniforms so it would be easy to identify miscreants! Some of the unis are UGLY (Christ College takes the cake) but the kids are very proud of their schools and wear their blazers, kilts and shorts proudly. Maddie and Will, Bruce and Nicki’s kids, are very proud of their schools and happy to be there.

Our plan for tomorrow is to have lunch in Dunedin with Bruce, then come back to Mosgiel for another round of golf at Taieri Course. Lots of hills but well kept and fun. We will spend the evening packing up and getting ready to head to Wanaka on Friday. My Aunt Lydia owns a home there, so we will stay with her and Cath and Karl over the weekend, and head up the west coast after that. We are coming to the end of our time on the south island and already I am missing my cousins. Joce is coming over tonight with some whitebait, which Lydia will cook up for us tomorrow night. Last night, I told them about having received a Graham Kerr cookbook from Lydia many years ago. I couldn’t fathom many of the recipes because they called for ingredients from New Zealand that I didn’t know. She did a great job of helping me develop a connection to NZ as a child, sending me trinkets of Tiki and Paua shell, and annuals full of “amazing” facts—all of which made me formidable in Trivial Pursuit! I have had New Zealand on my list for retirement for a long long time and it is truly wonderful to be experience it finally.

Geoff wants to know what is a pre-ripened avocado. They are selling them for $1.00 each in the local supermarket. His biggest bugbear is redundancies in language, so he can’t stand it when he hears people say things like, “It was a surprise really. I didn’t expect it.” Makes him nuts. It has, however, become a collectable — sayings that grate. Surprising how many occur on a daily basis.

The weather has been less than great, overcast all day today and a little clammy. It is damp New Zealand but we are enjoying ourselves nonetheless. Lydia is soon to be putting a wonderful dinner on the table and we’ve been in to happy hour for several hours now, so things are unfolding as they should!

(Ed. note: No Ed. notes this time)