A WEIRD START TO OUR DAY!

This was last Saturday

This is today, exactly a week later!

We had very heavy rain last night on top of a damp week and really plenty of rain. The big one slept through it all, rain on a tin roof isn't exactly quiet! Just as well we had our surprise visit last weekend!

My morning really began at 6.30 when I crept out of bed to make a cup of tea, let the dogs out and put wood on our fire. I had thought it was 7.30 so a bit early for me to be up on a Saturday I'm thinking. I switched on the computer to have a quiet catch up before any-one else is up, our home page is the ABC news and there before me was the massive earthquake in Christchurch where my son lives with his family, Lulu is only 3 months old. You can imagine my instant panic, why do mothers always react this way...or is it only me! They are fine...when I eventually rang his mobile. The landline wasn't working as the power was down so of course i thought they might have been under rubble or goodness knows what! They did shelter under the dining table, sleeping baby and all but their house is all right apart from a crooked chimney and lots of pictures, ornaments, kitchen stuff damaged, nothing serious.

I grieve for the old parts of Christchurch, their lovely Arts Centre which was the old university has been badly damaged my son thinks, along with other old buildings. It was such a beautiful city. No-one has been killed, many hurt so it could have been much worse for so many. Phil's electricity is back on but they will have to ration their water, perhaps I could send them some.

I always feel so much angst for all the different places in the world, where so many things happen, floods, fires, wars, earthquakes. We are all people exactly the same, all feelings, we care for our families and I think how would I cope if I were one of those women, my baby dying in my arms because I didn't have anything to feed it with, my family  I couldn't find. So as a Mother, I have had a tiny taste of possible devastation in my family.....it is not very nice and my family has a happy ending.