A Week Can Seem a Long Time.

   Yesterday as the Nation of New Zealand stopped for 2 minutes silence at 12.51 pm to reflect on the events of the week gone by since the Canterbury earthquake, it seemed to me an incredibly long time. So much had happened in one week. It has for us been a week of media overload. The rest of NZ knew more about the big picture than the residents of Canterbury who were just struggling with day to day activities, many still without homes ; power; water; sewerage; job or places of work. The clean up there still goes on, at many sites painstakingly slowly.
   The sights that are now encouraging are people ( with )  helping others ( without )  with simply tasks such as free use of a washing machine, or free battery charging. Folk with the skills to set up water tanks, are obtaining the materials and doing it themselves. Again it is tradesmen,  handymen and farmers who have the skills and tools to use.  We were amused to know that the Resource Consent needed by a power Company to put up an above ground power line across Canterbury took just 20 minutes  to obtain - instead of the 2 years it normally would take! ( why couldn't it always be that simple? )
** Last night the Wellington area  ( North Island ) had quite a sharp earthquake so everyone there is on alert and checking their emergency supplies and escape plans.**

 This morning I took my coffee outside and sat on my red seat under the copperbeech tree. I was joined by 2 little fantails ( piwakawaka) who were singing their hearts out to each other. They came very close to me and said , " hello." Where was my camera - inside.

R grew these ( one of my favourite vegetables ) and they now have become roast capsicum and cashew dip. Yum yum yum.

There still is a surplus of these wee beauties, which really need to be eaten raw - we just aren't eating enough every day. All the red varities we have can be cooked and the excess frozen or sauced but these are a raw vege really.
 No sewing happening here at present. Never mind - it will happen.