A Numbers Game and Hope

Last week I wrote a post centered around numbers. They were the sizes of the earthquake tremors in Christchurch, while I sat snugly and solidly in my safe little world in Surrey, England. This morning, it is 4:27am, six hours since I wrote my last post from Christchurch, New Zealand. We have had a series of earthquake aftershocks every two hours with the highest of 5.5. To say I am well and truly awake at this moment is an understatement!
I am not sure how to describe it. You lay in bed asleep and then the shaking begins, you first thought is that it must be a dream but then you become acutely aware that it is not. Your heart races, your thoughts go to where your body is situated in relation to the house and your outside surroundings. You listen to the sounds as the house shakes, the windows rattle and you pray that you are on solid footing. You then quickly think of emergency escapes. The B&B that I am staying in is locked from the inside. On my first trip to grab security items, they consisted of the house and car keys and my cashmere shawl. Why I grabbed this over a winter coat is another matter! With the second jolt other items centred within my grasp, passport, shoes, warm clothes ( I don't think silk pj's will do the trick on a winters evening) and water. My thoughts than ran to the mountain we are on with houses above us and the deep valley below. Tomorrow will be a lesson in understanding my surroundings. All the while, the owners of the B&B sleep...I take comfort in that. They know the drill by now.

It is quiet again, I do not hear a peep around me, the city is well lit, not a creature is stirring...just me and my lingering jet lag. At this moment, I am sure there are many more like me, rolling over, lights off and wondering 'when' will be the next time. I can not imagine enduring months on end of this...as I go to sleep, thinking of the people that do.

Through all this my darling daughter texts me to see if I am ok. She assures me she is fine, and says "this is what usually happens but let's hope that was the last of the big ones." xxxx

I am with her, let's hope that is the last of the big ones....

Reporting from my bed, with my iPad and intermittent internet reception:)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad, images..me.

Testing...1...2..3...

Greetings to one and all from Christchurch, New Zealand. I am testing my handy dandy iPad to see if it can stand up to the tests of a bloggers travel demands.

Tis the deep dark hours of the night, not a creature is stirring not even a mouse. I sit in baited breath hoping that the earlier earthquake tremor this evening does not make a repeat performance tonight. There have been a few. A jolt here, a jolt there. As I look about, wide eyed as the owl outside my window, Canterburians casually suggest that they are minor and not worthy of attention. I can appreciate that statement after having driven along the many side streets outside of the city centre. Construction is in full swing with piles of rubble laying to the side. Many homes and fences are supported by beams in the hopes they will stand the test of time until they can be addressed. I imagine the list of people waiting for new construction is a long one. Your heart goes out to the people who live and love this city. It is a terrible feeling for them, now knowing if, when and where the next one will come. In light of that, they carry on, as you do.

Tremors aside, it is wonderful to be with my daughter again. We have been making every moment count. She found a charming B&B for me, perched on a hill ( could be a mountain, I am never sure about these things) over looking the city of Christchurch. This morning I woke to the fog lifting and glimpses of the city below.
Tonight ever inch of the land is covered in a glow of beautiful coloured lights. It is magical. Here are a few morning shots from the garden where I am staying...

I am very excited as I managed to snap up a few things that I think will be perfect for a giveaway.
A few memories from New Zealand coming soon. :)

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad,

The Rhythm of Life

2.7, 3.4, 4.3, 5.5

These are the numbers that come via email to my phone on a regular basis.

They are the size of the tremors in Christchurch, New Zealand today.

I could also say that they are set to the rhythm of my heartbeat.

4.4, 3.4, 6.0, 4.9 

Some of you know that daughter #1, 

Miss Christine, is a University student in Christchurch.

We talk nearly every day.

We last parted in January, six months too many.

4.0, 3.7, 3.4

It is time and my flight is booked for Friday.

I have a few obstacles... 

an ash cloud hovering over the Pacific 

and aftershocks setting their pace 

in the depths of Christchurch.

3.5, 3.5, 3.5

Why am I writing about this?

One of the reasons I picked the title 

of this blog is that life is open ended.

What can you say about life? 

What can you not say about life?

 3.6, 3.0, 2.9, 3.5

Sometimes it whizzes by so fast 

that you feel like you are running

 circles around the globe.

Sometimes you feel like it is not 

happening fast enough.

3.7, 3.2, 4.0, 3.4

Too fast and we want to slow down. 

Too slow and we want to 

crank it up a notch or two.

2.9, 4.1, 3.4

Then, every now and again, 

you get what I like to call the 'stretch'

When life is like one big 

long push in a hammock, you let go,

and glide gently, back and forth. 

Perfect balance.

2.8, 3.2, 3.3

I know that 'stretch' will come

when I hold Miss Christine

in my arms again.

3.6, 3.4...

Breathe in, Breathe out

Life.

Thank you for reading 

Collage of Life 

:)

Image: Vogue Living July/ August 2006

Statistics: The numbers above refer to the Richter magnitude of the quakes felt in the Canterbury region. They are recorded by GNS Science. I subscribed after my first tremor in Auckland, New Zealand, 5 years ago. A small one but one I will never forget it. I can't imagine anything greater. The recordings above started coming in at 10:37pm (UK time) on 12 June 2011. I have noted every one since with the last emailed to me at 1:00pm on 13 June. For more information, click here. 

Something About New Zealand....

If I timed this right, I will be landing in Australia when this post appears. This explains why I have written 663 posts (see previous post).

People often ask me which country I prefer, New Zealand or Australia. The answer is easy- I love both and although they are relatively close they are so different..the land, the people and the culture are both fascinating and unique to their respective country. What is not to love?

The purpose of my trip is to spend time in New Zealand. To that end, I would like to give you a little taste of what New Zealand means to me. I thought the best way to do that was to share some of my photographs from one of my favourite New Zealand magazines,  NZ Life and Leisure. I spent many an afternoon with this magazine by my side and am so attached that I brought the whole lot with me to England. I am glad I did, as I can now show you these....

The people, the land, the culture....there is just something 

about New Zealand that is unforgettable!

PS...I collect postcards wherever I go, 

if you would like to receive one,

send me your address. I would be happy 

to drop you a line!

You can write to me at henrqs@yahoo.com

Images- New Zealand Life and Leisure Magazine

Be it ever so humble....

I have a lot of feelings mixed up in this post. I have been procrastinating all week. Each day I have thought, I must do it, I will write about it tomorrow and then the next day and the day after that and now it is Friday and we are leaving tomorrow.

I think anyone who has moved houses, towns or countries and later gone back to visit the place they left will understand this one. It has probably happened to most of us. In our case it has happened often and when kids are involved it gets a bit trickier. 

This is particularly relevant now as I started these blogs as a way of transitioning myself from one country to another. In this case, moving from New Zealand to England. If you go back to the beginning of Collage of Life,  you will read about my thoughts on moving. If you go back to the early days of In One Place, you will find even more...that was my secret hiding place. If you go back to Finding My Way, you will find photos and thoughts on our new home in England. If you go to the B-Well Report, you will find posts on how I keep my sanity thru all of the above :)  All of this started in October 2009.  

I have written 662 posts since my first post on 24 October . I was told that one of the best ways to deal with emotions is to write about them and I have been pounding away at the keys ever since and loving every minute of it. It all came from one simple line 'shape that thoughts that stir within'.  Hey..it is cheaper than therapy, right?


The best part is that we are hopping on a plane tomorrow and going back to visit two of my children, Miss Tine and Patrick who are attending University in New Zealand and Australia. An added bonus it that we are also going to the welcoming arms of dear friends too.


I had a dream last night and have not stopped smiling since. The doorbell rang in my dream and I opened the door and there were my two oldest yelling 'surprise'. To have all my family under one roof for any amount of time would be one of the most precious gifts I could receive. It makes the packing that much sweeter.


There is a life here that we all enjoy and are settling into nicely. There are points in time when you feel 'the shuffle'..the shuffle of emotions. The ones that make you feel like you are on a roller coaster and you are not sure if you want to get off or keep going. 


Three months, six months and a year are major turning points. Every book written about life changes and moving talks about them. We are at the six month point and traditionally when we go back we leave happy for the visit but also happy to return to our lives in our new home country. It is sort of a rite of passage. Sounds strange but it works. Well, it works but you do have to keep your fingers crossed that it will all go according to plan. We all know what life is like and it is those little mysteries that keeps us on our toes.


Hence, Collage of Life,  all of this is what life is made of. For me it centers around the home.......be it ever so humble, there is no place like home. In our case...make that times four...America, England, Australia and New Zealand. I really do hope it stops there!


I think Miss Claire's paintings say it all. 'Kia Ora' is hello in Maori.  Her first love is soccer and this is her running thru all the countries she has lived in. 

With that I say  E noho ra (good bye)

but not for long...in fact when you least expect it,

I will be back :)

Best wishes for a glorious weekend!!

Jeanne :)

There is something about.....

I think these photos speak for themselves. 

But now that I see them side by side, I wonder...

First came Gerard in an email from Architectural Digest...who could resist? 

Last night I posted this photo of Richie McCaw on my Facebook page. 

Richie is the Captain of the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby team. 

For four years while living in New Zealand, I was a faithful supporter. 

I miss watching them and seeing him:)

Yes, in case you are wondering, 

Mr. H is still trying to find his way home. 

He is driving somewhere between Switzerland and France. 

I just received this photo via text.

I think once he sees this post he will be picking up the pace.

Ah...the crazy ways and days of a blogger :)

(But you have to admit, they are cute!)

Images of Gerard ~Architecutual Digest 

Image of Richie~ NZ All Blacks via Facebook

Travels: Blanket Bay NZ

There are so many wonderful things to do and see in New Zealand. As we now shift into departure mode I can not help but think of the places we have been. One in particular is Blanket Bay on the South Island of New Zealand. It was a 'weekend away' for us and it was just beautiful. These few photos manage to say it all.

images created by me...Blanket Bay, New Zealand