Our Story

Our Christchurch collapsing on the 22nd Feb 2011

I had just gathered Sausage, Little Buddy and Cheeky Monkey to the couch to have a good ol read together. Little Buddy and Sausage were cuddling in close to me and Cheeky Monkey was playing at my feet. I was onto the 3rd book and we were reading Pancakes for Findus – who had just found his keys down a well and was asking his cat findus if he had a long stick. Then the house started to shake. And instead of the usual aftershock – Bang rattle rattle rattle. It was more of a whiplash motion, with shaking left and right. Sort of like those rides where the seat shakes and tips. The kids got closer, Cheeky Monkey leapt onto me, and my mind was fearfully making up exit strategies as the shake continued and worsened. Feeling the need to move, we tried and were thrown back into the couch, so stayed tight until it stopped. The lights were swingin, the piano became possessed and started moving in all directions. And a look of utter disbelief and worry was plastered on our faces (how on earth does a house withstand such a wobble, shake, shake?). Once it stopped I got the kids dressed, not because they had relieved themselves but because my kids are always without clothes and on this summery Christchurch day at a stifling 12 degrees i thought best we get warmer before the next series of aftershock rock on in. We made a quick recky around the house, with a few things fallen, a displaced oven, fridge and piano – we got off lightly. We don’t have many ornaments left after the first quake on Sept 4th. And the ones that were damaged then are now positioned in such a way that they look whole. We found an apple in the toilet???, plants knocked over, books and pin-boards fallen. As the next big whammy hit, i held each child by an arm and lifted them quickly outside, with verbal cues for Sausage to follow quickly. We stood on the driveway in the drizzle, in the cold  our hearts racing, and fear just below the surface. Doc whizzed home and embraced all the kids, and then me who stole herself from tears. Next we were in recovery mode and got the generator buzzing and turned on the tv. Oh NO! The city has been destroyed…..