Long Shaking Nights, Cold days...

Have just been out, on my way inside, to check on the plants.

Have suffered no losses so far, thanks to the shelter.

Early days tho.  I see the strawberries have taken off, dancing across the garden and digging in whereever they like. Some even have flowers which makes me kind of keen to nurture them, strawberries in winter sounds awesome! I bet the birds think so too, and quite frankly, they need them more than we do.

Its been very cold today, another sign of impending doom (lol) theres obviously more where that came from and Im not sure Im a winter person. I feel sorry for the school kids with shorts on :(

We had a shaky night - just one, but close, and rather sharp and shallow, which meant I had a small person by my side afterward, which kept me quite warm!

While waiting in hospital hallways of late, Ive felt the need to be getting my Knit on, so Im getting rid of the stash to knit some hats... 

At the moment, I need a good hat eh! Still Im in good company, and I cant knit them fast enough to keep my fingers warm...

Riding on, getting those fingers clacking!
See you next time, not sure when! :)
E B

XX

2011 leaves with a Shake... so what will 2012 begin with?...

2011 is leaving.
Well, ceasing. And The Bitch doesnt want to leave us without a decent farewell - We got that!
Today we had a 4.82 that the USGS recorded as a 5.2! Some serious shaking, more damage for some, liquefaction for others - us, the lucky ones, just a stern reminder that Mother Nature Lives Beneath.
After a drive yesterday, we realised sadly, that yes, there are changes being made in Canterbury, but our neighbourhood is now looking like a series of country lanes, empty houses on funny angles, broken bits and bumpy gravel roads and neglected spaces where gardens still bloom regardless. Sad and Forgotten for the most part. The people who drive by, are just there just to look, to Thank God, maybe, that it isnt them?  and then they drive back from whence they came.

Did the Mayans truly predict that The World Might End in 2012? Im sure the Mayan who was in charge of writing the numbers at the time, lost count of where he was, and then decided, he had to go to the bathroom. When he arrived back, he looked at what he was writing (The Calendar) and shrugged... Meh. It seemed like a good thing to do at the time, but Im over it... and off he went to lunch. Never would he ever guess that he left us all hanging...
Ok, so thats not it at all, but we will never know :-)
Im picking The Changes that are spoke of,  have begun already. Theres an air of unrest right around the world.  Chaotic Economic changes, Natural Change, More water, less food, more people, Earthquakes, Floods, Famine. Civilization is Changing.
It is all part of an energy that means we MUST assimilate Change - Into our lives, our homes, the way we educate our children, technology, it all will change.
Change never happens without some sort of negativity or positivity to activate it. We need to get used to the changes, and its tough!
Its what they say - What doesnt Kill Us, Makes Us Stronger.
Im about as Strong as I can be. No - possibly not, but lets not push that to trial.

... Out with the Old, In With the New...I just want to cruise - no - sleep! through the end of 2011. I do not like New Years Eve at all.
My family are not entirely with me, and never are now theyre older and have Social committments. New Years Eve for me brings back sad memories of people dear who are no longer with us, of past Memories that bring home how much I miss the ones I love.
So Im a sad sack, and I ll be happy just chilling with the littles, watching some TV, then drifting off...

OR WILL I?
This year in Christchurch, it seems half the world wants a reason to celebrate... and why not?
Weve had some kind of wacky stuff to deal with  this year...
On with the good stuff - Celebrate Your New Year Cantabs~!
Parties on each side of the street here, and lots of music.
Someone was jamming on an electric guitar before - It sounded awesome, even from here, and Im picking it was a few houses down. The unfortunate thing, is that next door have Elton John on Replay, and the two playing alongside one another makes me want to run for cover :-)
Shouting can be heard, (the happy kind) and lots of families walking in the night air. It isnt dark or cooler yet, at 7.30pm its a nice time of night for a stroll around our neighbourhood...
Let the celebrating fill your heart, and let go of the fear - not just here, but whereever you are!
We got through, we will continue to make good.

Love, Light and Blessings
HAPPY FABULOUS NEW YEAR

Roll On 2012!!
Love
Earth Butterfly
XXXXXXXX

Tuesday already...Plans... Globe Trotting Teens... Bikkies for Breakfast.

Cant believe it is  Tuesday already. I know, its Tuesday every week, but this Tuesday has come around so quick. Think about what you were doing last Tuesday. To be honest, Im not sure I can remember the details. It involved reenactment of the chicken with its head cut off, panic, frenzied shopping and Lists. Ahh. Thank Goodness that is over!
This Tuesday Im planning. Ive just bought another red currant. And an Autumn Bliss Raspberry that fruits late Summer/Autumn. I think it is the wrong time of year to buy things like this, but they are On The List of Wanted Plants, and they can sit until the beds are ready to go in. Im planning next years garden already.

My list of Wanted Plants is extensive. I think Dwarf Comfrey sounds good. The blue variety. To put right along my fenceless edge that I share with our neighbours. Theres a huge *hedge* of Flax and Bears Breeches, and Im thinking some dwarf comfrey along underneath might encourage some good soil eventually.
It is very dense soil out there, and it has been sorely neglected.

Also, I have a list of herbs Id like to have access to. Not all for culinary purposes, but medicinal too.
Some of the herbs have the most romantic names - Pellitory-of-the-wall, Alexanders, Skullcap and Lovage...
Watch this space, Ive not made my selection yet, still in the Learning stages - ie, Im reading up on things.
Thank Goodness for my aged copy of A Modern Herbal by Ms Grieve. It is great for reading up on herbs...
Yes, this book information IS ONLINE!

So the Pre-teen with the Cellphone has spent the morning catching up with his brothers. Theyre the Globe Trotting Teens that have this morning, hit Auckland and are looking to see as much as possible while theyre at a Family Function. Its awesome theyve had the chance to go, their Dad is very brave taking two unruly teens on holiday with him and his wife, for a week... I hope Auckland looks after them - if youre up that way and you see one very bedraggled, tired looking man and two perky looking teenagers, its them...  :) I hope they have a blast! Its not often they all get away together.

And Im picking Im in line for Bad Mother of The Year award given this mornings fare for breakfast. We have eaten so much of late, and there was a dearth of goodies left, or given... It was bananas this morning, that took their fancy, and shrewsbury biscuits, with milk and shortbread afterwards... Oophs!!

After watching Harry Potter (Deathly Hallows 1) last night, this morning I have the pleasure of watching The Muppets Take Manhattan, with Miss 5. She loves it. The rats are so funny, and she giggles her way through it all... I get more pleasure out of watching her reaction, than the actual movie.

Well thats us.
I hope youre all doing fine, and enjoying the sun if you have it. Remember to Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap if youre in the sun!

Thinking of You,
Love,

E BUTTERFLY
XXXXXXXXX

The Big Wake Up Call...5.1 for Breakfast!

Blue Skies with a tinge of cloud, and an aftertaste of SHAKE!
Good Morning Christchurch, this is your Mother speaking - Mother Nature that is!
WAKE UP! Youve slept long enough... Yeah I know, you didnt sleep a wink... Or you lot there (Us!)
I know youve just got to sleep, but cmon - WAKE UP!!...




Zander

 5.1 should be enough to wake the dead.
Oh wait, theyre NOT dead, theyre just rather badly traumatized and very very tired!
My Littles didnt sleep well. We went for a walk around the neighbourhood last night, checking on their local haunts.
They came home, we watched TV until late. Sleep. Bliss. Shake. Uh-Oh!
We were awake between the hours of 1am and 3am. Sleep again. Wake Up!!! Mother Nature calls... The 4.2 at 5.50ish I almost slept through, rearranged the blankets and cuddled under again.
6.30ish and we have LIFT OFF.
By the time I get off the floor to check the kids, the damn shaking is over, and I realize that I was the only one moving. The only one awake...Oh except for one very scared, big-eyed cat who meows at me.  (And now I think about it, that meow could have been for food, not empathy for our predicament!)

So. Its Saturday, and I have visitors arriving later, Family!
Bring it on. Lets Celebrate all that comes our way.
Best foot forward and besides, its CHRISTMAS EVE.
Joy. Peace. Spirit of Santa - of GIVING, sharing, loving.
The Joy starts when I realize Im alive. Theyre alive.
Im safe. We are safe! We have everything we need.
Most of what we want.

We can celebrate and whilst we celebrate, we can duck into doorways when required...The serviettes may not match, the glassware will be sparse.
It wont matter at all.

Merry Christmas.
Happy Holidays
Blessings!
E Butterfly
XXXXXX

See What Happens... Earthquakes in the East - Christchurch does it again!



Loving Memory


See What Happens... 5.8, 6.0, 5.0 - Today weve had them all, and MORE. The children say its MY FAULT for tidying up!
So I got up today, early. It was my watering day, so I wanted to make the first watering as early as possible. It takes around an hour, and I had things to do...
So... Clean Up! Outside is looking much better, a huge pile to the dump, not once, but twice. The first load goes well. We are coming out and commenting as we get back into traffic that the skies are looking a bit jumbled, theres lots of different kinds of cloud, including those little odd skiffs... over there. Pointing, laughing. We start talking about how we havent had aftershocks. How the Refuse Station with its massive high concrete walls and roof would be horrible to be in ...
So the second load goes well.
Im out of the car, unloading... BANG and rocking. Its a big one. And the children are in their carseats in the car. Mr 11.5y gets on top of Miss 5. Its viscious.
I want to run, but cant, and get in trying to get them out. Nasty shock... We get in and collect ourselves.
Not nice. I just realise. I could so easily have lost them both. All of us. Gone. Nasty shock!
Not something I want to repeat, then as we gather ourselves, theres another one, and we just head on out of there... As we step off the weighbridge after paying the fee, and speed out... theres liquefaction. We look to Sumner, and there is a dust cloud.
Thank God Baz is driving, because I was still shaking. My heart was pounding for ages afterwards.
Theres a flurry of  moving traffic. Pools of liquefaction oozing, some traffic lights not working, some that do. Theres water, and people with phones. And the people with phones are EVERYWHERE. You notice these things. We hear constant sirens. All day Sirens.
Down our side street, and its bumping and cracking and oozing again.
The new strengthened, fixed infrastructure  is to be commended. It sustained.
Eighty minutes later, there is another one. (6.0)
We are standing in a friends drive, Im checking on her as I know her daughter is at work, so she is alone. We are talking, standing together.
It shakes violently as we are watching helicopters checking the bridge down on the corner that joins Avonside to Dallington. Violent shaking and we duck down, like we are in a prayer meeting, holding each other. It seems pointless, because we are powerless against that immense force, we get tossed around. We hold each other like we are in a Rugby Scrum.
We laugh nervously about the strength of the two of us, Strong Avonside Women. Gulp. Tested.
Weve had a number of strong shocks today. We roll with them, but its kind of like *Oh no, not again* ... A familiar stance is to clutch yourself and say Oh God, that was a good one.

Thank God we have power and water. We are blessed, life without power and water is so ... tiring.
Weve just been for a walk around the block. Burning off the adrenaline. My little ones are buzzing.
Today was one of *those* days - another landmark.
Tick.
Got through it.

For now, Im thinking about all those who are flooding, or who have *gone red* because of further damage to their homes or those, bless them, who really are at breaking point.
We may have got through it with homes in one piece, but honestly, who can evaluate the cracks on our stress levels, who can smooth the fear and make things ok?
It is telling on us all, and when I look at the little tired and serious faces in my bed tonight - Yeah, it tells on me too.

Be Strong Christchurch, and lets not live in fear, but in hope.
From this, we have to live stronger.
The choice is NOT to give in.

Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays
Blessings!

EARTH BUTTERFLYXXXXXXXXXXXX