Since the devastating aftershock in February that left close to 200 dead and the infrastructure of the city in chaos, I have had little interest in doing anything apart from the basic everyday tasks that keep a body alive.

One cannot reurn to a life that was because what was there is no more, nor move towards a future because the rules have all changed.

Sideways, up and down have also disappeared. We live in a vacuum, waiting for decisions to be made regarding the land we live on, the homes we live in and our city to be. We wait….. totally lacking any control of our physical worlds…. it is enough to wear away the soul, to lose the will to carry hope in our hearts. Apart from our attitude to the situation, to this mystery life we now lead, it is the small things that save a soul from falling into states such as depression.

The rich, the poor, the big, the small – we are all in the same boat.

Letting go of any sense that I can control my life can be quite liberating.

MBW

I spend my time tending the small patches of land that surround the house, not knowing when the Earthquake Commission will come to mend the house and tend to the splits in the earth. It does not make sense to expend a lot of energy digging and planting so I work on the areas I know they will not disturb, and use pots to plant out the vegetables. They can easily be moved should the menders come before the harvest.

I make compost, tend to the worm farm, collect seaweed, leaves and manure to feed the soil.

Next week, one of the fences will be mended, then I can ready the soil alongside it to make a tomato garden. The tomato seeds are beginning their life in the poorman’s hothouse, the hot water cupboard.

The earthquake pundits tell us we have had about 8000 aftershocks since September 2010 with more to come. It’s not over yet, they say. Enough, already, I say.

MBW

It’s a year since we experienced the 7.1 magnitude earthquake. More than 8000 aftershocks have followed since that early morning wake up call. The daily shakes just tend to make the house and land damage more pronounced. What was once solid is now unstable.

Nature has taken the reins and calls all the shots. It is, afterall, what nature does wonderfully, naturally. We humans are merely here for the annual free trip round the sun. We do not drive this vehicle, we ride in the back of the bus, blind to the wonders of the forces beneath us.

MBW