Today is Sunday (day 9 since the first quake), and it is really peaceful in the city. Yesterday was a hive of activity .Cranes on the sky line fixing chimneys, helicopters still buzzing, roads being fixed (so quickly it is astonunding), builders hammering, buldozers 'demo-ing', and people still moving all their things out of houses or returning into their houses from afar, as they slowly work out whether their shelters are habitable or not.. Here is a round-up from my reasonably normal day out and about in 'Quake-town' yesterday. I don't think that name is going to stick for long. There is an awesome sense of optimism and solidarity around.
Al and I have coveted these Vitra chairs at a cheap Thai place for some time. I biked past and had to assert some self control, as they were all just sitting there - along with refrigerators etc to be shipped out somewhere as the building is condemmed. There are scenes like this every 2nd corner in the CBD (note - not every shop like the media have shown)!
Madras Street: this was 'Simply Catering' that we have used for Council functions (and they did the best sandwiches). Now the question (and it feels quite urgent) needs to be asked for spaces left to be re-filled: What design and rebuild will now take place? Check out this fresh new blog asking for all our ideas: Ideas for Christchurch.
Amazing how WORLD - a shop so full of glass and delicate things - is still standing. Whilst shops two down from here are caved in. I was impressed with the speedy spray painted coding on each window and house around the city. The fluro orange and 'numbering' was kind of frightening, but also very clear as to whether places were OK or a NO GO.
These multiple containers are placed around the city - not sure why? Maybe to get stock/furtniture out of bulidings quickly?
This is one street away from us - we were so lucky not to get the 'Liquifaction' at our place (that word sounds so great when said out loud). There is just sand everywhere - literally from the depths of the earth. St Albans (our suburb) was lightly hit on this front - but the liquification still seeped its way in....
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