News at Hand - 2015

Change is afoot! 
And I find, Im needing more than a hand to do so :)
Hello from Woolston.
We have a new home!  In a city where exorbitant rents are rife, and fixed homes happen slowly, our house in Avonside is finally getting fixed. We wont be going back, the repairs are going to take months to complete, and after that the landlord has decided he has had enough and will sell it. How sad it was to say Goodbye to twelve years of memories. And my Garden. Oh dear :(
So here we are.
It took me almost four months to find this place, affordable - only just. And it has no garden to speak of. It has however, carpet without holes or mould, and a gorgeous new bathroom and kitchen. A beautiful kitchen, that means I have space to bake and cook and preserve and ... well its just really blissful!
We have no garage at present, which means we have boxes in the lounge. I went to pick up the keys and asked about the garage plans. Oh no, they said. No immediate plans to build the garage within the next eighteen months, but we will let you know.
The following Saturday, a rather large man knocks at the door. Im Andrew, the builder... About that garage... We start on Monday...

So, we have foundations in place for a huge double block garage. And a carport. And here I was, just hoping for the washing line to be erected... It was another casualty of the EQs :)

No photos as yet. I can find the camera, but have no idea where i put the box with my batteries...
We have had to downsize, sadly, our cat family. Sam and Zander , the old boys. remain and we have at present two kitten and their mother. She came to us as a foster cat who was pregnant. Shes a delight and will make someone a really gorgeous pet. I have the tabby kitten, Trudie, sitting in front of my computer at present. She makes it very hard to type, but shes undeniably cute and gets away with all kinds of things.

So Im just taking stock of what I have by way of seeds, space and enthusiasm. Im a little sad at all the plants I left in my garden, but I reckon theres a reason for change, and maybe the next person who goes into that home will need those plants even more than we did/do.

One observation I have made, is that although we only moved a mile as the crow flies, away from our previous home, the soil here is quite different. Not a lot of nutrients in it, it is very sandy with no *guts*. Plenty of mulch and some compost is needed. Give me time, and it will get what is required, I have started the list already. I also need a new compost bin or two.

We have 2 peach trees here, a golden peach and a (yum!) black boy. The black boys have fallen due to the bad winds we have had in the past two weeks. Ive been boiling them up for breakfast on cereal.
The back section has been subdivided and sold on, so we have what amounts to a very small courtyard garden. I have my pots that have lemon trees and tomatoes and strawberries growing in them. Ive planted pots of dinosaur kale and coloured lettuces to get us through the winter. The yard is sheltered and mainly concrete, so I have to remember to water regularly because things wilt quickly. I also planted two rhubarb crowns so we wont lose that valuable nutrient-filled treat!

Next to go into the garden, is the chilean guava - nz cranberry plant. I love these, if grown efficiently in a hedge form, they smell heavenly - like candy floss in fact! They taste like heaven too if the berries are left til theyre large and juicy!
The kids can be found sitting around the bush when they are ripe :) I hope to let this one grow a bit, then take cuttings. The school could do with some to plant in their edible garden.

Wanting to utilize all my space, I have some wall planters here that I want to plant out with something that will attract bees. I also have my favourite chilli - Rainbow Thai, growing inside on the windowsill. It gets full light and some warmth there too. I hope it will grow well throughout the season, as they are handy to have, but also, they sell well.

So there we go, an update on whats happening. Time to make changes, and to plan for more positive things ahead!
Hoping all is well in your world,
Happy Gardening!!

Earth Butterfly 

You KNOW youre from CHRISTCHURCH If...

»The rest of the country offers you a place to stay.

»Munted and buggered are official technical terms.

»You go "pfffff" when Wellington has a 4.5 earthquake that's 40km deep.

»You see a nice park in another city and think it would make a good evacuation point.

»You sleep in one suburb, shower in another and collect water from yet another.

»You drive on the right side of the road and no-one thinks it's wrong.

»You are happy two police officers came to visit.

»Your bike becomes your best friend.

»You think it's fine for a soldier to be stationed at the end of your street.

»You see armoured vehicles driving down the road.

»It's normal to greet people with "do you need a shower?"

»Every house is a crack house.

»Instead of rushing to the clothesline to get clothes in when it rains, You put dirty washing on the line in the hope it will rain enough to clean them.

»Going to Wellington to escape earthquakes makes sense.

»Your doctor recommends having a few stiff drinks before bed.

»You know how to start and refuel a generator with ease.

»You have tied the pantry, liquor cabinet and all the cupboard doors closed - and not to keep kids out.

»You prefer to sit under the table instead of at it.

»You think electronics that have "shock proof" should say to which earthquake magnitude.

»You know and understand the terms and conditions of your house and contents insurance.

»Your en-suite has a vege garden, dog kennel and grass.

»Your teenagers are only too happy to sleep in the same room as their parents.

»Dressing up to "head into town" means putting on a hi-viz vest, hard hat and boots.

»Discussing toilet habits with total strangers is an everyday norm.

»Wee boys don't get excited when they see (another) digger or a dozer - but all the adults in the street cheer wildly.

»Voluntarily staying in Timaru for five days seems like a good idea.

»You have dust mask tan lines.

»When a massive group of students appears in your street, you feel overwhelmed with gratitude, instead of calling the police. And what's more they leave the street in better condition than when they arrived.

»The answer to where anything is . . . "it's on the floor".

»You smile at strangers and greet people like you're one big family.

All At Sea... Post Quakey Blues?... Lost my Lustre.

Ever made plans that, no matter what you do, just dont work out?
My week has been like that so far. Im not really *blue* about it, just kinda lavender, bordering on a blue.. :) but I do wonder how things will pan out.

I have my son still at home from school. A good opportunity, now that Ive caught up on bills and stocked up, to go somewhere for a short stay out of town... or so youd think...
So, I decided we would go out to the Farm. But no. Things just dont seem to go my way... so we are stuck at home. Pointless going out to spend time on the farm when it is raining as much as it is at present...
The kids are disappointed. Im the worst Mum in the world... and I feel a bit at Sea at the moment.
Enter the idea of Movies and Popcorn. Nope, fail.
Or perhaps a walk through the nearest mall - Northlands... Nope. Fail.
Not a lot on, its post-quake, its mid-week, and there isnt a lot to choose from...
Might be time to extend the crafts box and get some new paintings underway or something...Hehe we have plenty of broken crockery for Mosaics?

Still. We have all our pets home, our house is intact, our family is together, and we are complete.
Lots to be grateful for in the bigger picture. Im going to remind them of this.
Miss 4 is wearing my boots. Stomping... Survival boots Mum, she says.
She is also carrying a new little handbag, in the shape of a tiny corset, and her newest My Little Pony, who she has named Rockstar. All set for Survival, indeed.

Mr 10 has cleaned his room in the hope that he will earn some extra dosh this week. He has a new first aid kit that he bought with his own hard-earned money. And a solar shower, he is itching to try it out. However, now he wants to buy a bottle of arnica and some lavender oil. He has been reading up what might be useful in an emergency. Im so proud, he loves learning, loves reading... and has taken to the emergency preparation really well. He has some homework still to complete, but is loving being at home.

After the 5.1 the other night, yesterday around town was BUSY! There were EQC people in groups of three in their bright dayglo orange vests everywhere, rechecking buildings. The general idea was to have things checked before business commences, due to the Damage On Damage thing. No stories of any collapses, although the Linwood/Aldwins Rd corner is looking particular fragile, it needs to come down, rumour has it that will happen on Wednesday - Tomorrow! The roads are particularly bumpy, and the bumps are particularly difficult to see at any speed, so its a crawl, which is fine. The people in the houses on these badly affected streets just dont need speeding vehicles... so Im like a road-turtle if I have to travel at all.

Ahh well, thats me for today.

Lost my Lustre somewhere, but itll pick up.
Theres plenty of good to look for, and Im sure this is a temporary reshuffling feeling, this sea sick, post quake bluesy feeling... Bring on the better stuff. Im ready.
I know there are plenty of people feeling the same way...
Take time to enjoy your family, smell the flowers, smile, love and be at peace...
Love and Big Hugs

E Butterfly
XXXXXXX 

And We are STILL HERE - Life with Aftershocks, a Week of It!

SPRING!

What a week! 
It was busy from start to finish and theres a sense of accomplishment when you get to the end and you look back and see what youve done.
Mr Butterfly is A*W*E*S*O*M*E - he has spent the past week helping a friend (S) shift whose house was red-stickered, meaning it was condemned for removal/demolition. What a long confusing and tiring process when dealing with the Landlord, the EQC people, the Council and other various bodies - just to get one household out to be somewhere safe!
Fortunately, S has found somewhere safe, and in a city where the After shocks are still between 3-4.5 on the richter scale, there ARENT alot of  rental properties available, it looks likely that rents will soar, seeing the need is there.
We have been looking after S's dog Finn. He is her constant companion, and I know she will have missed him, and he certainly missed her... but we loved spending some time being his loyal subjects :)

Hes a Conundrum, Wrapped Up in a Riddle!

Mr E.B's Adopted Furr-baby

 Finn, is a mixture of all sorts - Papillion and more, hes such a little guy compared to our Romper Stomper -Toffee - a big male Golden Labrador, yet what he lacks in size, he makes up for in attitude and noise. He has a constant *talk* that kinda grates after a while, and is only happy when he is on a knee, a bed with his legs in the air, and you attending to him.

Waiting at the door for *Dad*

Both he and Toffee get very jealous, and we have had to separate them on several occasions - not a pleasant thing, but separately, theyre both delightful...

The children thought it was great having a new *toy*, but it took Finn a while to accept them, being traumatised by the EQ, Missing his Mum, and of course, by the time the wee guy left, he had us all missing him.


He slept between us every night - on the bed - no complaints from Mr E Butterfly, even though he was heard mentioning that *I dont let dogs on the bed*

... Right Dear!

Magnolia Flowers look like Candles on the Branches

The Earthquake in Christchurch and the surrounding districts has taught our family that -

* Greed has no morals, and no compassion. - Prices for neccessary items soared, and at our local supermarket (they were heroes!) we got 10 pillar packs of water for $1.99 --- next suburb over, it sold for 75 cents PER pillar pack!!  -- GRRR!  Some dairies sold 2litres of milk for $5 on the Sunday after the big quake... THAT speaks volumes about them.

*You also will find generosity, compassion and empathy where you least expect it, amongst those who have suffered most.
All over CHCH there have been offers of help, of items to help others, of people opening their houses to others who have lost everything --- even from all over NZ there have been offers of holidays - a bed - come and stay.
Such a nice thing to hear!! New friends have been made, and there doesnt appear to be that feeling of debt amongst those who took others up on their kind offers.

Our cat returned, many did not :(

Makes my heart sing when I hear of people helping others out of nothing but kindness.
Helping neighbours that are by themselves fill water tanks/bottles, making sure walls or chimneys are removed so there is no danger while we wait for further after shocks... So much to do. Busy-ness everywhere!
Sitting with children and keeping them happy while Mum and Dad fill out paperwork for insurance or EQC. Childcare offered  from kindly strangers, for Parents who have lost businesses/places of work, but still have to turn up to turn away Staff, or monitor the removal of their stock so their buildings can be demolished.

Even the dog knows where to sit to be safe!

WE HAVE HAD IT ALL this month and it is only the 20th day of September!
Our families lives may never be the same, but hopefully we endure, and we learn, and we progress, because of that awful experience.
One thing - theres a lot more people in Canterbury who WILL endure, because now, we are better prepared, should this EVER happen again.

Bricks from our Chimney

*Neighbours are often your best Allies. Dont wait til you have an Earthquake or similar to make a connection! Our neighbour came to check on us after the big quake. He left us a torch, bless him! I met all my neighbours in the street, in my Pjs :-)  whilst we waited to hear what was going on - it was frrrreezing that morning!  It was six days before we got power, and our street were in the last 5% in Christchurch to have power restored... I think that says something, Id say TYPICAL me ... doesnt it? We fortunately never lost our water, but it did need to be used carefully after being boiled. Apart from Chimneys and fences, cracks and holes in drives and plaster, we were very fortunate in our Street. And ours is an older suburb too!

*Fresh drinking water and having Power and the ability to cook on *something* IS a luxury you realise during/after an Earthquake - never mind any other luxuries!

Pigs In Blankets!

*Doing the usual ablutions and housework takes a lot longer when you dont have modern convieniences - and when everyone helps, it makes things very pleasant for all... We actually ENJOYED doing things together - Shock! Horror!... Cooking on the bbq is a challenge we all enjoyed. Washing up after boiling the water took so long you almost fell asleep... but it got done in good humour.

*There is only so many things you can do when it gets dark if you dont have candles! *Adds a pack of cards to the Bug Out Bag!!* Yeah... and ghost stories? They arent appropriate when youve just encountered an Earthquake *glares at kids* :-)

*You get real tired when youre under constant stress, and sleep is welcome! Especially when you lie awake listening and feeling for the next aftershock, or maybe another biggie - the media kept telling us it was coming!!
Or maybe your children are scared and over tired and cant sleep, so you lie with them in your bed til they sleep...
There are a lot of people finding it difficult to sleep. The elderly, the people who live alone, the Parents who have to watch their children deal with the Aftershocks, the Dads who worry about the Mums and vice versa. I have to say - if theres a god - God Bless the Teachers in Canterbury, because handling up to 30 children EVERY TIME theres an Aftershock, would do my very head in. Im hoping for better things this week, not so many After Shocks PLEASE - BUT - those teachers DESERVE a raise!!

*RESCUE REMEDY IS THE BOMB! Keep some in your bug-out bag.... Even the Rescue Remedy pastilles, we found them this week, awesome for kids!! They taste good! - LOOK HERE
If you dont know about RESCUE REMEDIES take a look HERE!
Arnica is great for bringing out the bruising if youve taken knocks - our son was hit by a falling picture, on the shoulder, the night of the earthquake.  Hes fine now, but he said it was the suddeness of the hit that gave him a fright, because he was confused as to why there was rumbling and shaking. Both our children said they heard music just before waking. Now Im wondering where on earth they were before they woke :)

****BE PREPARED**** I cant stipulate how important that is now - Get some supplies, have a bag organized, know where things that are important are, but dont wait for another disaster - DO IT NOW. In hindsight, we didnt suffer as much as others, and for that Im eternally grateful.

We are getting prepared. Not with the biggest whizzy gismos. I figure basics are good. We have some food organized, some water, torches, batteries, first aid, candles - DONT FORGET IF YOU NEED THEM -  FORMULA FOR YOUR BABY, NAPPIES, TOILET PAPER, - Have your phone charged, Your torch handy and some change for phones or groceries. You also need some way of cooking food - gas is easy, secondhand camping equipment is really easy to get and store...
I have the bbq and some gas in the bottle in the garage. If we had no gas available, then dammit, I would just cook on a fire outside... I was a good Girl Guide years ago, I know about these things ... but y'know, if Ive learnt one thing - its all good *thinkin' ya know* until you NEED to know... and that is your measure.

Special Clouds Adorn our Bluest of Blue Sky

Another Monday has rolled around.
We are still here.
STILL HERE and we are FINE.

Nature has decided it is now having a wee break, and has burst into Spring here in Canterbury. High puffy white clouds and the bluest of blue in the sky, makes it seem unbelievable that Invercargill city to the South of the Island is having torrents of thick white snow. It saddens me, to see the sheep covered, the daffodils covered, and people getting stuck in their cars in ditches and the like.

Daffodil in Invercargill 

It is Mother Earth, telling us she needs a break.

Every Mother needs some time away from it all.
Walk Lightly People, on our Earth.
She needs a Break!

Til Next Time,
Flying By with Love,
    from My Hearth to Yours,
~*E Butterfly*~