We had two big aftershocks, 5.4 and 5.2 around 11.30pm, and I can’t get back to sleep. Life seems to be full of contradictions and quite surreal. Here we are in our unscathed Cottage, while just around the corner roads are blocked and buildings unstable. Neighbours closer to the river have liquefaction, but our garden shows no sign of this. We believe the fact we are a couple of metres higher means our sandy land is too well drained to liquify.
This morning it seemed life was returning to normal. There was a newspaper, rubbish collection, and postal delivery. The “Press” said it’s fine to have baths and showers, but we were already up and dressed, so we did a load of washing instead. Now it seems we should still be conserving water.
Community House, where my office is situated has been given a Green Card, meaning it’s considered safe for its intended use. However it’s sited within the reduced cordoned area, so only a ‘skeleton crew’ will be permitted access tomorrow. Colombo Street and Cathedral Square will be re-opened, but not our part of Hereford Street. Bus services are planned to resume, but not the inner city shuttle.
If the aftershocks continue like this I may prefer to stay home. We’ve just had another but it seems it was ‘only’ 4.7.
Hi Ruth,
I’m a friend of Cathryn’s, though I’m actually living in Germany. I just wanted to let you know, I’ve been following your blog for the past few days, and I so admire the courage and cheerfulness with which you’re dealing with the whole situation. I hope you and Christchurch get back to normal as soon as possible – though it’s going to be quite a hard slog. Thanks for documenting it for us – and do keep on writing! Cathy
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Dear Cathy
After an exhausting day it was just lovely to get your comment – thank you!
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