Posts by Hebe
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Up Front: Twenty-Two Two, Two, in reply to Emma Hart,
Unlimited's is a well-considered plan -- those kids went through hell. Steiner hasn't said, but I guess that a similar plan to last year will happen.
The school was 2km from the Feb 22 epicentre, so it was traumatic for everyone. Though we didn't see the city devastation and panic, I shall never forget the ground roaring and bellowing, and almost constantly moving beneath us all afternoon. It was terrifying; I wasn't sure we were all going to survive. The earth seemed ready to swallow us; though I knew that could not happen. The kids, who are from 4 to 18, and teachers were magnificently courageous and supportive of each other.
I shall never forget it, and finally after a couple of hours doing what I could to help, having let myself think about whether my partner could be alive (I knew he was in his Manchester St office across from Java on the fourth floor) I looked up to see him striding through the crowd with his briefcase, totally covered in murky grey-brown dust so he looked like a ghost coming out of the strange dank cloudy day.
I will be a lot happier tomorrow if it is sunny. Those glowering low grey cloud days still freak me.
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Up Front: Twenty-Two Two, Two, in reply to Miche Campbell,
Right; time to rustle up a possum-fur hat.
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Up Front: Twenty-Two Two, Two, in reply to Sacha,
Heh. I think not; he's old-school Presbyterian. If he were Catholic, that would be different...
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Up Front: Twenty-Two Two, Two, in reply to Emma Hart,
Holy Smoke: bacon, and sublime cheese, aahh. But the brick building gives me the creeps; beautifully done but brick is not my building material of choice. Did you know that the Bread of Europe factory in Garlands Road is the new home of Bridge Street Pies? Broccoli feta and mushroom, is very good.
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Up Front: Twenty-Two Two, Two, in reply to Lilith __,
I have just talked with the family about tomorrow: partner "too busy" catching up at work to be bothered with it, one boy with flu so he's sorted, the other teen's response to "How do you feel about the quake anniversary tomorrow, and do you want to do anything to mark the day?" was a very Kiwi man-of-few-words "Nuh". Me, I might toss a flower or two in the river, and I shall stay with the sick one and roast a chicken for dinner. Nesting feels right.
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Up Front: Twenty-Two Two, Two, in reply to Islander,
Really? How do you know when they are going to happen? Now about Moeraki... after a very lovely January in Golden Bay and Marahau the family has come home to.... the flu; one over it, two down. Never mind but lifeus interruptus again. I had nearly a month with practically no internet then a couple of weeks of no brain left for net interactions. Hope you are well and happy.
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I wrote a moving, elegaic finely-crafted couple of dozen words a few hours ago about the last 2 1/2 years. Just as I hit 'post' a 2.8, epicentre 3kms away, knocked out the internet connection. Life in Christchurch.
Or as my 85-yr-old FiL said when asked how he was coping with a few weeks with no water and sewerage: "You just have to adjust your expectations: eat less, shower less, drink less."Lilith: go well tomorrow. Arohanui
Emma: Hanmer is an excellent idea. I'm aiming for Tekapo this winter: hot pools, ice skating and stars. I really, really want to see the Southern Lights.
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Up Front: Twenty-Two Two, Two, in reply to Lucy Telfar Barnard,
Founded by Vicki Buck because she wanted her offspring to go somewhere out of the rigid Chch school caste system. Great schools, and I know of kids who are definitely not decile 8 or 9 who go there and do well. If mine were not happy where they are , Unlimited would be my choice of school. Very much not National Party territory.
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Capture: Two Tales of a City, in reply to Gudrun Gisela,
One very, very sick aspect to this mess is that the Ministry of Education and the government think it is absolutely fine to make such a huge announcement this week, only a a couple of days before the two-year anniversary of the February 22 earthquake when the city's collective psyche is so very raw. I want to cry just writing this -- and I am not a weeper -- when I think what it means for the low-income parents, often without even one car, more than one small child, and to suddenly find their school will be now 3km away across three busy roads.
The entire comms strategy is a complete fuck-up. The closure plans are in some cases plain cruel.
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Hard News: The economic revue comes to Christchurch, in reply to Russell Brown,
And you Russell. Thank you.