|
It's been a shaky start to Spring, quite literally!
Canterbury, New Zealand you will have no doubt seen through the news was struck by a large 7.1 magnitude earthquake on
September the 4th at 4:35am. Destroying and causing damage to some older buildings in Christchurch city and many homes
made of brick masonry or developed on ancient swamplands. Thankfully our wooden framed home, located north of the city
on solid ground did very well through the big quake and has continued to simply groan and sway through the numerous
"aftershocks" - at last count we were at 2061!
We were very lucky, our damage has mainly been limited to losing one of Grandma's ornaments, a glass jar of tapioca
flour in the pantry and the "straightening up" of one previously leaning power pole on the property. J's
weather station also recorded 3mm of fake rainfall during the big one, much to our amusement. While 40 seconds seemed a
lifetime during that early hour, had the earthquake lasted a few more seconds our losses would have been far greater.
Mother Earth's wriggles and giggles seem to come mostly in the late evenings and very early mornings. September and
now October has contained more than our fair share of disturbed sleep. One of my fairies has found this time
particularly stressful and as a result our routines and schedules have been rather muddled up, to say the least.
Visits to the city have also become a new adventure as each time we find different streets closed off, new buildings
condemned and businesses relocated. We were sad to discover some of our favourite suppliers and
hangouts have lost their premises.
The Victoria Street Clock Tower - a poignant reminder of what hour the earthquake awoke us all.
|
|
However through it all, I have increasingly felt blessed to live in a country so well prepared for this kind of event.
I am impressed with the speed and efficiency of our Civil Defence, Urban Search and Rescue, Fire service, Local and
National Governments. Within hours the basics of clean water, sanitation and alternative shelter were available to
everyone who required them. Within a few days cordons were ensuring an ultra safe environment, many building
inspections had been completed, many road and motorway repairs were under-way and power had been restored to most.
It has been an interesting ride for sure and one we all look forward to disembarking, hopefully, sometime soon.
So although I'm a little later than I hoped to be bringing you this issue, I've been quite glad of the
distraction working on it.
In this Spring 2010 issue I'm feeling a little Japanese-ish, I share some of our family's favourite Salmon
recipes and make the most of Broad beans. I've also whipped up some meringue since 'life gave us lemons'
and flipped a couple of crêpes, a French classic and something more creative. I'm delighted to have Vanille
from At Downunder contribute, sharing a wonderful Gluten Free Spring Picnic she created and enjoyed with her
Paprika.
Plus loads more recipes and ideas to take you through to hopefully a warm and 'quake free Summer!
|
|
