Day 2 - earthquake

This morning I took a walk to some local shops I go to. A year ago similar buildings to these were bulldozed behind where I'm standing and characterless replacements built. They are standing and most were open today, unlike the ones with charm across the road.

I walked onto a friend's place and enjoyed a cuppa and a catch up with her. It's quite different experiencing after shocks in the company of someone else and in a single level wooden house.

I don't think I slept last night. There were many aftershocks and I guess something within just doesn't let you slip into a deep sleep. It's not that comfortable on the couch but I was warm.

The fur child is affected. He doesn't go far and prefers to keep close to me when he's inside. Every now and then he looks up and around at the inside of the house as it creaks and groans.

Other friends text me and invited me to lunch. They live in one the more affected areas of Christchurch, Halswel. The home is on an elevation of rock at the end of a 800m driveway. 600m of the driveway crosses flat paddocks (not their land). From the house you can see the incredible lines of 'volcanoes' across the fields. These are mounds of a grey, jelly-like clay sand mix. It's unlike anything we've seen or touched before. Their driveway is split and cracked. They had china broken and an internal stone wall (non-structural) within the stairwell has lost rock and there are gaps between it and the stairs. But the house is livable and will be fine.

The roads around Halswel have large cracks, splits, humps and holes. The are more 'volcanoes' and surface water is everywhere.

My friends sometimes have water but no power. They may not have power for another 2 - 3 days.

I enjoyed being there. It was the most relaxed I've been since the quake struck. I even slept for a while this afternoon.

Home now I feel more fearful and anxious. Usually I'm fine at home on my own. I'm tossing up accepting of the offer to sleep the night at friends nearby. A hard call as I know the fur child likes my company. He's buried himself in piled up sleeping bag beside me so maybe I can go and he'll be ok.