Remembering Canterbury today

Ironic

When the land you love shakes beneath your feet

and even rocks that look so solid

suddenly can shift because of a greater force, you wonder what is certain about your life anymore.

But the waves will still form and break

and the tides come and go.

The sea air is still tangy and refreshing. The sun warm and the sky blue on days like this one.
A wave surge hits the sea wall and exhilarates you with delight as salt water splashes your face.

It is ironic that nature means earthquakes here in Aotearoa but it is nature that we return to for solace and restoration of spirit and hope.

So what about these earthquakes?

If you go here you will get graphs and statistics to show just how many earthquakes have been recorded in Wellington.

We are fortunate here because we are not feeling every one. The people in Seddon and the Marlborough areas in the South Island have been having a much rougher time. There has been widespread damage and the people are feeling most of the aftershocks because they are so shallow.

For a different format from the official Seismic scientists go here:

Here are some of our provisions and supplies in case we are hit by a damaging earthquake:

This is an emergency solar powered radio with a wind-up dynamo. It is also a torch and has an attachment to charge up cell phones.

Candles,matches, emergency radio, bottled water, hand sanitiser

Food supplies for humans and cats,

Bottled water, long life milk, rubbish sacks, wipes, hand sanitiser.

Paper towels and rechargable torch and USB for the car cigarette lighter to recharge cameras, laptops and phones

Gas-fired Barbeque at the ready if we need it to cook on.

Cell phone and charger, headlight.

Bulk loo paper

Small solar powered torch that I keep by my bed and my Rescue Remedy spray

Old fashioned analogue telepnone that plugs into a phone jack and which does not rely on electricity or batteries.

There are still some gaps to fill in our supplies and we need to sharpen up some aspects of our plans
.
This blog post from Moata in Christchurch offers some very helpful tips borne of very real experience. I’m working on some of them.

Cloud contemplation

I am still contemplating these cloud photos and what they remind me of and why they speak to me quite strongly.

What do you see in these clouds and how do they speak to you?

The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy

Further to my post yesterday about our resident Thrush, came a comment from Jo in Scotland, that my post, our winter and recent earthquakes had put her in mind of this poem…..I agree with Jo so here it is for you all to enjoy.

As a side note Jo keeps two blogs on the boil one here “Jo’s Journal” and the other here “The Hazel Tree”, both are stunning and so well written and interesting.

And the Thrush has been in full voice again here from first light. He is “off for lunch” at the moment, thanks to the noise of a local lawn mowing chap.

The Darkling Thrush
By Thomas Hardy

I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-grey,
And Winter’s dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.

The land’s sharp features seemed to be
The Century’s corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.

So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.

Earthquake update

Thank you for all your kind wishes and messages of support and concern.

We have only felt a few of the aftershocks here but they continue unabated in Cook Strait where the fault-line is shuddering. Others in Wellington City and at the top of the South Island, particularly in Seddon and Blenheim are feeling many, many more of them. I think of them often and wish that the earth would stabilise quietly so they can gain some peace of mind.

Today is back to normal routines for us all and it has required some deep inner strength to confidently leave the house and travel to work, study and appointments etc. We watched people in Christchurch do this and take encouragement from their resolve.

For now it is a calm, cloudy, winter’s morning with birdsong filling the air providing a lovely focus.

Earthquakes in Wellington

Just a quick post to let you know that we have been experiencing some severe earthquakes since Friday. We live 30kms north west of Wellington city and have not felt many of the aftershocks BUT we have felt the large shakes.

The most recent 6.8 magnitude tremor was a very large one and we are understandably feeling on edge.

We have not found any damage in our home so far but we are definitely on alert and have checked our emergency supplies.

Link here to GNS for all the data.