Postcard form Christchurch

Seeing it was a good sunny day I took a walk into the city. The wind was bitter, blowing straight of the snow coved mountains. I had a hat and gloves on and I still was frozen. Now I have come down with a really bad headache, I am sure it is from the icy cold wind.

The shot Top Left is of the Westende House on Manchester St which the first building to be built after the earthquakes. It became a symbol of the Christchurch rebuild. Now it is coming down.. to make way for the street to be widened to ensure there is room for a main public transport route as well as better public space for greater numbers of pedestrians. The widened tree-lined boulevard will run beside the East Frame and will be a priority route for buses. Here is more about the building and photos of what was left of the that building after earthquake.

The Shot on the Right at the bottom is of Christchurch's oldest wooden building the 155-year-old Shand's Emporium. It was saved from demolition by a heritage trust, who bought the building for $1. Property developer Antony Gough spent $100,000 on structural bracing, before selling the building to Christchurch Heritage for a single dollar, to make way for a grand new development called The Terrace. Its new home is two blocks away in Manchester St and is right beside another redevelopment – the city's oldest stone building, Trinity Church. For more information on the Shand's Emporium.

The other shots in this postcard are of new buildings going up and a Star Magnolia in flower along the banks of the Avon. The face is from a food-van in the city. Also you can see the Neil Dawson's steel sculpture 'Chalice' which was installed in Christchurch's Cathedral Square in 2001 to mark the new millennium and the 150th anniversary of Canterbury's foundation.

Thank you all very much for your comments I will try and catch up with all your blips tonight.