The window seat

I will be glad when it is a new day.

The poor people of Christchurch have been knocked sideways, over, off balance, whatever. Certainly, the sensations caused by the continuing earthquakes would be hard for anyone to cope with. Their effects even more so. Buildings that had barely survived have come down, and others damaged, perhaps even for the first time. Perhaps hardest of all for those affected is the silt and water emerging from the previously thought solid ground to flood their streets, their land and their houses. In many cases for the third time. And in those same areas sewerage, water and power supplies are once again broken.

My own day started at 0230 when daughter No 1 rang to ask me to come and be with the boys while she and her man went to ED with her sudden, severe and frightening pain in the abdomen. Once upon a time when the world was young and so was I, being woken in the night was no problem. I woke quickly, functioned appropriately, and then returned to sleep. Each stage is now so much slower and harder. The boys woke me at 0600 and seemed delightfully unfazed by the absence of parents. Fortunately, nothing serious was found, and the upside is she is not heading away for four days at the mountains on a school trip.

S has never managed broken nights as well as I do, and got little sleep. Problem: the building project required a site visit. So I drove. Not usually a big deal on a Monday; report writing day. Today, however, agenda reading and review of documents for a pending court case, all had to be deferred.

On return to Auckland, I had a quick obligatory run with an obligatory photo; not as worthy of blipping as this shot of the window seat structure in the Beach House. Note the westish facing window we put in to cater for my sunset pics. The project is going slowly now, it feels, and impatience grows like a canker.

By the time I am sitting here to do this, I want to be able to start afresh. However, tomorrow is an early flight to Wellington for a two day meeting. Perhaps I can call Time Out?