BACK IN PERTH..................

Hello all! Apologies for the blogging absence.

Anyways........the evening after I wrote my last post my Granny passed. I actually was at the Resthome in Nelson with my Uncle and saw the event happen. Over the last few days family had been visiting her up there. My Granny was a great special person whom I, (and all family) have very good memories of. Her last 7 years have been unfortunate with what dementia does and about 4 years ago she broke her hip which confined her to being im-mobile and I think her eyesight went as well in her final years. However it was good to be there.

My Uncle and family spent the next days making arrangements for the funeral. I did a speech at the funeral then we went out for drinks/tea with family and cousins I now don't see often as I live in Perth.

I got to bed back at the motel in Christchurch about midnight....................Then 4.39am..........SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE, TUMBLE TUMBLE TUMBLE!!! Lots of swearing took place and I was half hungover and didn't know what to do! It crossed my mind that my life may even be on the line and the momentum of it kept building. I got out of bed trying to think of the safest place where nothing would fall after a bit. Dad raced outside. Sisters hubby was shaken out of bed. Yep, the Christchurch earthquake! It was the worst one I've ever felt. It died down after about a min. We went to take a look outside, had noticed building faces had fallen down all across the street. Dad went and looked in the window of the nearby booze shop and...............they lost everything on their shelves. Then.............it wasn't finished. We kept getting aftershocks, some of them still feeling particularly vigourous.

The family plan was to stay in Christchurch another night but with no water, not much open etc etc Dad decided to get the hell outta there and get back to their home in Southland. We firstly had to find out if the bridges near Christchurch were in tact. The journey out of Christchurch was scary with blocked off streets, cracked roads, ruined buildings and lots of traffic lights not working! But we got back to their home.

The rest of the week was spent catching up with friends, family, other Grandma and relatives on the other side of the family around Southland and Otago.

On Friday I caught up with my half sis in Christchurch and stayed there the night before catching a shuttle to airport at 5am yesterday. I still felt two aftershocks on Friday...........and heard they are still happening today in Christchurch.

Didn't get a chance to go skiing this trip. But NZ now, (early Sept) was considerably warmer than July last year, (still cool, not hot or anything). Skifields were still open but if you are a good skiier, prob July or Aug would be better so everyone said.

Back to work tomorrow unfortunately. I best go and get housework seen to now. It was really good to catch up with who I did.

Talk soon all :-)