Thursday, June 16, 2011

Hanging In There... Keeping Warm, Dealing in Realities...

Been a long week. The fine grey dust from the roads has done its best to cover everything in sight again. The house is covered, the grass, the garden, the cars. At the supermarket today, we joked, Mr EB and I, about which of the cars we passed were from Aranui. How? Cos they are all covered in liquid splotches of mud, silt. grey liquefaction. The cars from across town are not.
This is our reality now. We deal in the cracks, the shovels and wheelbarrows, the stresses, and the shortcomings. School goes back tomorrow for Mr 11. Im not sure he is ready to be honest. We still are a bit shaky about the aftershocks. And he isnt keen to leave Miss 4 and I. Im not keen to let him go back, and I think I would be better if he went back on Monday...
So. We have continued the de-cluttering this week. Our garage is looking tidier. Still a wee bit to go, but I had done a good mornings work on Monday, and then had to redo it yesterday. Lots of *stuff* that we had held on to is gone. Ahhh. It feels good to get rid of it. Makes me feel lighter :-)
Next is getting the landlord motivated, and I have to say... He has made the right noises. Ive seen him twice since this earthquake. It all sounds good, but we shall see. Im wary of the promises, been here with him before..weary...wary. He came tonight to measure us up for curtains and carpet. As I say. It sounds good. We shall see.

Ahh, the Garden... I am so looking forward to the new growing season.
I love Spring. Blossom, Buds, promises of new things to come... Im planning the new part, and now have the landlords approval for *anything* as far as he is concerned. He said to *go for it* ... We talked. He likes the sound of peastraw - I liked the sound... and look... of his new Ipad he showed me. Whoa. I would LOVE one of those... As far as gadgets go, that one looks awesome...

Another reality is the cold here in the South. Mr EB says theyve had snow out on the farm, brrr.
We have started to fall into Winter. It is seriously cold here from late afternoon until mid morning. Sometimes the sun is warm, but the wind blows it away... making for a chilly start. Since Monday, we have been very fortunate. And our Hot water bottles are fantastic for night time.
I do worry about people not having power, and from my standpoint, keeping my children warm at night and during the day is a constant concern. At night we discovered last eq that sleeping in your clothes is crappy. It didnt work. As part of the Be Prepared thing I have to note here --- Essentials at night with no power are your Mohair/Woollen/Polyprop underwear/leggings/beanies and a really kickass warm sleeping bag or blankets by the dozen. Really important to keep your head covered, and your blankets up round your neck as much as you can. Oh... and ALWAYS having socks and shoes on. Good habit to get into... My kids are sick of me harping on about shoes and socks. Woollen socks, good grippy shoes... Or boots.

Sleeping in the same room is good, but in the same bed is better, cos you generate body heat that keeps you all warm...  Thats fine if youre a mum with two kids. Probably not so appropriate in some circumstances I guess.
I gave my spare blankets and such to one of the local charities last week in a fit of getting de-cluttered. We were grateful to recieve a blanket from St Vincent DePaul. I have to say, they made an impression on us last time, with the most beautiful Sister (Nun) from France, Deborah coming to cuddle the kids... and again, ST Vincents were awesome. Arlais LOVES her new mink dinosaur blanket, and the ladies are just so friendly and caring... My girl has had a harrowing time of it this week, THANK YOU for your kindness to her!

Well I think thats enough for now... We are hanging in there. Its nice to talk amongst the neighbours, theyre all doing well on the outside for now. I hope they can hang in there too. Its not easy, but it is Real.

Dealing in Realities
Love to All
EBUTTERFLY
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