Things I am looking forward to in England

I am back in England on Saturday for the first time in 4 years. Here is a list of things I am looking forward to:

Greggs cheese pasties
Greggs belgian buns
Greggs cheese savoury sandwiches
Greggs chocolate cookies

Yum!

Birthquake

Apparently there has been s surge of births at the Christchurch Womens Hospital because of the earthquake. The continuing seismic activity is setting them off, or maybe it is the stress. I spoke to one of the farmers at work and she says that when her cows won't give birth she puts them in the trailer and drives them up and down a rought track until they do. If I had known that last year I would have sent Jo along when she was overdue.

Panic Buying

Christchurch is mostly calm and orderly but there are some concerns about shortages of essential items and I share those concerns. So on Thursday I braved New World to do some panic buying.

I headed straight for the wine section and scooped up 4 bottles of cheap wine. Over 70% of the regions alcoholic beverages have been destroyed and it wouldn't do to run out. They don't provide booze at the Welfare Centre either.

Now I am feeling much more relaxed about the situation.

Earthquake Survival Story

The huge earthquake to hit just north of Rolleston has been quite undramatic in the town. The house seemed to pitch and roll like a ship in a storm but I never thought it was going to fall down. A plant pot fell onto the floor just beside where Jake was sleeping but he didn't seem bothered by it. He didn't even move.

He has been looking a bit forlorn recently but that might be because everybody has left him.

There are quite dramatic pictures in the papers but there are only a few buildings with dramatic damage I think, although lots might end up being pulled over. There is lots of damage to roads and sewage, with some roads having been dragged sideways or suffering huge cracks. It will be quite expensive to fix.

So that's it. An understated natural disaster. That's the Kiwi way.

Wanting a Pony

The inevitable has happened. Now that Lily is 4 she wants to have a horse. It could live in a stable behind the garage, she reasons.

I suggested that the garden wasn't big enough. "We could just get a bigger garden" she thought.

But you can't just make the garden bigger, we said. "No," she replied, "We could just get a bigger house, in a bigger garden".

Problem solved...

Speedy Toby

Toby is now 11 months old and crawling speedily across the floor. He likes to make a run for it when his nappy is being changed. He crawls like a puppy, wiggling his bottom as if he had a tail to wag, cackling wildly as we chase him.

Kids Fest

In some places, us parents dread the winter holidays when there's nothing to do and the empty days stretch ominously unfilled into the distant horizon. But here in Christchurch the council puts on Kids Fest which fills the days up with stuff.

Yesterday they had a bouncy castle and face painting event in the car park at Rolleston Square shopping centre. And then we went to the lantern parade in Christchurch which was unexpectedly good. Hundreds of people turned up and followed a giant blue sun starlantern thing to Cathedral Square for a free sausage sizzle event. The salsa band from the school of music came along and provided drum and trumpet noise. All the kids brought torches or paper lanterns.