Will the predictions be correct?



There's a very subdued feeling here tonight. Home by 10pm from a party with a group of folks well known for partying hard into the wee small hours. But not tonight.

Ken Ring's predictions for an earthquake to strike the South Island tomorrow are looming larger than the full moon. With the moon closer to the earth than it has been for 18 years Ken Ring (known in these parts for predicting the weather by the moon) believes that increased solar activity may result in increased seismic activity:

http://www.predictweather.com/ArticleShow.aspx?ID=334&type=home

this article was written BEFORE the Christchurch earthquake of Feb 22nd.

http://www.predictweather.com/ArticleShow.aspx?ID=338&type=home

Feb 22nd, explaining the planets and earthquakes

 and...

http://www.predictweather.com/ArticleShow.aspx?ID=339&type=home

the article that has many New Zealanders very worried about what may happen tomorrow.

This must be the only party I have been to in which people arrived with their cars fully packed with emergency kits (food, water, tents, gas etc) especially as it was held at a friends house on a hill, safe from tsunami. Others are camping on hills tonight and for the next few nights for fear of a tsunami sweeping through our coastal region. There was a lot of fear and anxiety, people taking rescue remedy instead of drinking wine, worrying about friends, family and pets.

I'm not too worried. We have no particular emergency set-up other than what we require for day to day living out here in the country - gas bottles and firewood,  a good store of food, water, bleach for water purification, candles, fuel in vehicles, batteries for the radio, a large vegetable garden, a hill behind the house to escape a tsunami. What will be will be. At times like this I appreciate even more that I live in the country and have always had large amounts of supplies to hand, something taught to me by my parents and grandparents.

Watching tonights geonet feeds there does seem to be an increase in activity and there is an odd stillness in the night air, often felt prior to an earthquake.

http://geonet.org.nz/

So all we can do is carry on as normal, get a good nights sleep and see what tomorrow brings (I might skip my beach walk though). My gut feeling? - that we are not through the worst of it yet, there will be more to come.

Julia x

Apologies for blurry moon photo taken off the verandah tonight without a tripod.

Kia Kaha Aotearoa

Otautahi Christchurch

22nd February 2011, 12:51pm

National Day of Mourning

18th March 2011

Thoughts are with Japan as well

Can't stop the tears flowing as I type

Julia x



Irony and colour

Meant to post this earlier - another saturday wander, this time at the historical Founders Park. 

 

Tree cosies...now there's an idea for your Christmas tree

..and a little closer, I think you'll have to wing it without a pattern...

even the verandah posts joined in...

and the bike rack came to the party

this region is well known for its creative souls, there's quirkiness and inspiration around every bend

Julia

All images copyright IslandHome 2010. Please ask permission before using :-)

Home Sweet Home

As I contemplate thoughts of leaving this region for a few years

 to work overseas and travel again we are making the most of appreciating what we have so thought I'd share a few photos from Saturday with you. Apologies for the not so great images - my trusty old camera appears to be on its last legs.

Islands in Tasman Bay

Looking back to the city

Rabbit Island (I've been spending a lot of time here lately with the gorgeous warm weather we've had), Ruby Bay and the Western Ranges

Low tide below the aptly named Rocks Road, Haulashore Island behind

Saturday afternoon on the Monaco jetty

The Point at Monaco - the best little cafe ever, only open on weekends which makes me hang out for it all week!

So that's my little Saturday tour of our beautiful region (in my biased opinion of course!), hope you enjoyed it.

Julia x

All safe and well....

Jodi from Curious Acorn left a comment on my previous post to check we are okay after the earthquake that struck over the weekend so thought I had better post an update :-)

We are all safe and well - the earthquake was about 350km from here but we still felt it and the huge number of aftershocks that are still happening.

I lived in Canterbury / Christchurch for many years (left 2 years ago) and have many friends and family who have suffered a lot of damage but fortunately nobody hurt. The emergency response has been fantastic and we are fortunate that it occurred in the early hours of the morning rather than during daylight hours when many would have been on the streets and in buildings that suffered severe damage. Had to cancel a trip as I was planning to head down there tomorrow.

The damage has been huge particularly the many heritage buildings around the city. I think what is scary is that this is not the big one they were predicting and occurred on a relatively minor fault line taking even the teams that study this sort og thing by surprise. More earthquakes today in the North Island.

A few years back I took while living in Christchurch I took a uni paper in environmental geo-hazards and it has been interesting to see that much of what we learnt in terms of at risk areas and structures etc has occurred as predicted.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/  has lots of updates and photos and links for anyone concerned about family and friends.

 Photos: The Press / stuff.co.nz
My thoughts are with those who are going through the terror of aftershocks and the huge job ahead of them.

Julia xx

Excuse the mess...

Thought I would play with a new layout so in the meantime I've lost everything from the old layout. Chaos ensues and dinner must be cooked so excuse the mess for a while as everyone gets fed! I'm close to giving up on blogger and finding something a little more user friendly.

Julia x

New arrivals

Rising 2 year old Hereford Angus cross, TB status C8. Not our usual choice of stock - we prefer to buy stock out of Wantwood Angus bloodlines (founded by my grandfather and uncle and without bias still some of the best bloodlines available) but choices in the saleyards have been limited so these arrived here last night to finish through to next autumn. I'm quietly awaiting the drama - never handled, these cattle have come out of tough Marlborough back country onto our lush lowland feed. The last few days they have endured have quietened them but once they have full bellies again, who knows.

Finally out on to pasture. In the last 2-3 days they have been yarded, trucked, yarded again for sale, trucked again out here, yarded again overnight to re-settle them and against conventional wisdom that says they should be held in the yards for 2-3 days on a new property thay have been released on to pasture as with all the rain our yards are a bog (see the photo above!) They are out there right now grazing and discovering what electric fences are all about.

Spotted in the supermarket carpark today....

He's a bit of a legend in these parts.

Glad to see all is well after this.

Thank you Hone and Barney for a little ray of sunshine today.

Little moments...

Just a day of lovely little moments...

 - visiting with two old school friends from out of town that I've known since we were tiny and their babies and discovering their little girls look just like they did at the same age. Annie's daughter Charlotte was even wearing the same sweet dress her mother wore! Oh for soft baby cheeks and gorgeous long eyelashes :-)

- coming out of the supermarket to find a bag of lemons on the bonnet of the car - my aunt had recognised the car and happened to have a bag of her fabulous homegrown lemons with her and thought I might like them.

 - spending the evening with my best friend and feeding and bathing her wee one (9 months) while we cooked a fabulous dinner together.

- hearing from a close friend from university anthropology days that he is moving here next week to start a new job, I've missed him these last two and half years so can't wait to spend time with someone who just gets where I'm coming from. One of those lovely friendships that you just seem to know what the other is thinking - maybe it's because we're both Pisceans?


- spring flowers popping up all over the garden.

- arriving home to find a package in the mail from Farifax Media - I won a little competition with Life and Leisure Magazine with some lovely products from the Great Barrier Island Bee Company including Manuka Honey handwash and Lemongrass Gardeners handcream, just what I needed for chapped winter hands and they smell divine!

- finally logging back in here to find a lovely comment from the dear Elora over at Just off the One Lane Road. Do check out her inspiring blog, I love her often humourous tales as she and her husband work the land and preserve their harvest and her appreciation of the world around her. Thank you my dear x

Life really isn't always about the big events but appreciating the small things that happen on a daily basis.

Appreciate what you have here and now.
Julia x

On buying local...

New houses, new furniture, new streets, new clothes, new sheets, everything new and machine made sucks life out of us and makes us cold, makes us lifeless the more we have

D.H Lawrence (1885 - 1930) 'New Houses, New Clothes"

Handmade candles from local beeswax, sweet little heart from
Lynda Lines a local potter

Chopping board given as a gift by a local carpenter as a thank you for referring him on to another client after he fitted out our wardrobes and storage cupboards, little tray made by another craftswoman in our region and the salt shaker made by another local potter

You guessed it, made by a local metal worker

Supporting our community - locally made table, candle, candle holder and bread board beneath an old crock my grandmother used for salt storage and hydrangeas from our neighbour

A much loved little bowl handmade by my great aunt, she would have been 97 yesterday

The handmade, the handed down - these are the objects that fill our homes with spirit and love and connect us to our community and land.

For me these things take centre stage in a home. The bowls and cups we use every day are made by a local potter who has signed some of our pieces with 'Love Owen' on the bottom, my laundry basket was made by a local weaver, we eat at a table made by a local woodworker, use wooden boards and cooking spoons made by local craftsmen and so on and so forth.

The current movement towards eating locally serves to connect us to our land and local growers but it saddens me to see these same consumers serve that divine local food on a mass produced plate made in a far away land without a thought to who made it. Buying quality locally made products often means paying more but when that producer proudly hands his piece to you remember he most likely came to be doing what he is because of a passion for the work. Behind that passion stands pride and quality craftsmanship which lasts.

Buy less, buy local and become connected to your community.

Blessings, Julia x