Buy me, don't bowl me

That's what the sign says and it's a perennial problem in Christchurch. The tension between loss of heritage and safety.

Yes, the technology to make this building safe is probably available - at a cost. Who pays? Probably not the person who scaled the fence to put the sign in.

Sitting across the road drinking my juice I could observe the myriad of cracks and they're not superficial. If it's restored to meet the current building code is that enough to convince people to use the building? Would you? Pre-quakes I went into this building many times (no, not to the tatooist on the left).

Nothing lasts forever and I'm a pragmatist, if the owners can't (or won't) restore it to the building code, and no one else is willing to buy it and take it on, down it comes. Let's have some buildings that reflect our landscape and geology.

Anyway, the juice was good on my way home. I hadn't been through town for ages and thought I'd have a nosy and pick up some coffee at the same time. Town on fan bake that is, it was another hot ride home.

My thoughts are with the community surrounding Prebbleton on the outskirts of Christchurch. A large scrub fire has destroyed 3 homes, a chicken farm and anything else in it's path. Our land is tinder dry.

Now to decide if I bike or drive to the supermarket.