Back to Reality

It's pack up, back to Christchurch day. The perennial gather everything up and squash in to fit. Usually it's an overloaded car, today it's a bag I have to get Kahu to help zip up. Without splitting the teeth. I take an old family bag, one that's been around for ages and has been superseded by cases on wheels. As with most old, forgotten things this bag has stood the test of time- one handle is all you need. I freak out about the weight and discard a woollen jersey and whatever else. Airline rules rule. I don't want to pay for extra baggage and I can live without what I've left here for the past two years. 

Lynette drives Kahu and I to Queenstown. The hills are shrouded with mist and there's water cascading through the Kawarau Gorge. We travel slowly. Compared to pre-Covid the roads are quiet. Central Otago is a popular tourist destination and there are usually more rental cars than local but not anymore. 

The airport is quiet too and, as we check in, I pick up the "we're not getting out today" vibe. Visibility is poor and there are some big lumps of rock close by. We don't need another Erebus.

Soon enough the PA grounds us. With no accommodation. I ring my cousin but she's sick. Then Kahu remembers we have closer family in town, Nic and family. We're at her waterfront apartment with limited view because of the mist in no time. We're on a 1:30 flight tomorrow. Could be worse.

                                                                    Kelsey- neice

Recovery on a Dull Day

Another wintry day and we hunker down indoors. Lionel reads the paper... all day. That's his routine. He scans The Southland Times at the table while the world bustles around him. Or, in the case of Alexandra, meanders past. 

The Southalls leave for Auckland and Kahu gets up late morning. I potter about doing odds and ends and pack a suitcase I find in Tui's wardrobe. Over time I have stashed clothes and bought recycled items at the Wastebusters, Salvation Army, SPCA and Hospice shops in Alex and now have a collection of random old stuff which will find a use in my new life in my new house. In the now, not too distant future. The earthquake saga is nearly over and I can nearly go back to normal, except I've forgotten what normal is. From boarding school in my teens, to travelling in my 20's and 30's, I have led a more nomadic life than most. Some of this has been choice and some has been visited on me. In fact, as I often say to Nicki, I am looking forward to lounging round on my verandah sipping a glass of Chardonnay.

The day goes by. Life has got us used to the slower pace of not having to be anywhere. The only transport I have is a bike so I'm not going anywhere today. 

                                          Still reading the paper- Lionel and his evening carer

One Hundred Years One Day

And still counting. Lionel's routine gets back to nearly normal. Mark, my brother-in-law, and I bike up to the airport. It's a steep climb through pine trees then wild thyme to get to the top of a river terrace where you get a 360 degree view. Today the cloud has lifted and the Old Woman looks regally over the basin, sporting a crown of new snow. She's a small mountain with a rock tor on top. A distinctive icon for the district. Watchful in wind, hail, sun and snow. A beacon welcoming the gold miners of the 1860's home after a trip out of the district. I've grown to love her. The Old Man Range sits to the south west. 

Lionel's reading his newspaper when we get home. We interrupt to take family photos then head to the district club for lunch where more of the locals stop by to say happy birthday.

The afternoon is quiet. I bike to the Wasterbusters to fossick for some cutlery and kitchen utensils to supplement Chris's meagre supply. There's any amount of everything down there. Stacked in shipping containers. Overflowing. overwhelming but ordered. 

The family gathers for a quiet evening meal. I go back to the Club to have dinner with the local girls and their men. At 60 I'm probably the youngest.

A Century, 1920-2020

Celebrating Lionel's 100th birthday I realise I have never known anyone reach this milestone. Or anyone who knows anyone who has. Epic. Lionel's party starts at 10am and he's in his breakfast seat at the dining table to receive people. The family gathers first. We put out food and hunt for photos. We can't locate any early ones, those we find date from after he met Tui. His life before that is something of a mystery, compounded by the fact he told us all he was born in Australia when actually he was born in Bredfield, Suffolk. After World War Two he was discharged from the Royal Navy and left England to travel. He did indeed spend time in Australia before he arrived in Invercargill in the 1950's. Sometime during the 60's he cut ties with his family in England. None of them know why and he's never said. Tui put me in touch with them when I was living in London in the 1990's and I spent weekends getting to know them. They are a close family and welcomed me with open arms. We discovered their parents were married 3 years after Lionel was born so it is reasonable to assume the man who brought Lionel up was not his biological father. 

So many mysteries but today it's straight forward. The community Lionel's been living in for the last 35 years turn up to wish him many happy returns. They come bearing plates, presents and good cheer. It's a happy occasion. Nick has organised a cake, iced with realistic looking sheep and three lawn bowlers. It's gorgeous. The day passes with relatives and friends from past and present coming and going. There are cups of tea, birthday cake and ham rolls. Lionel is alert and takes it all in his stride. His brain has slowed down a lot in the last two years and he generally finds conversation difficult to follow but today he loves being the centre of attention. I step outside to make a few calls about the build back in Christchurch.

There's a steady trickle of visitors till early evening. I duck out for a bike ride with Lynette. The air is cold and it resets my system. We sit around playing dominoes till a family argument ends the game then we revert to drinking. This is a big day after all. Lionel stays up, alert and enjoying the company till finally the volume of music he's got no grasp of, and wobbly grand kids dancing, becomes too much and he wobbles off to bed. We're revved up and take turns requesting tunes on the blue tooth speaker. Old hits, even from the younger generation. Everyone takes the floor. It's not till numbers dwindle, Kelsey is outside throwing up and Kahu is looking after her, that we pack it in. 100 years...it's worth celebrating.

Flying Again

It's a hectic morning at school. My Year 11's are still reeling at the loss of their classmate. I gently press on with their next assessment. It's hard for all of us. During one of my junior classes, the predictable but somewhat undermining walk out behaviour continues from two students. Unbelievable. But in the car on the way to the airport I've got my back to all that. Ruth and Kate meet us on the way to take us to the airport. We're travelling together. The airport is busy as usual. The lockdown seems a thing of the past. I go to the Koru lounge by myself. Too much effort to go through security for the others. On the plane Kahu and I are randomly seated together. Out the window is snow, ice and cloud. It's winter wonderland below. 

Owen is at the airport with a stick. In his 90's now, he's rolled his ankle and it's not healing. Kahu and I meet Tash and Kelsey in a hired car. We arrive at Alexandra as the sun is going down.

                    

Tuesday Sort Out

It's a sad day as my first duty is to attend the funeral of one of my students. It's well attended with people spilling out the doors. There are many teenagers and I squeeze in through the crowd at the door  to find a seat behind the catering tables. A place to sit quietly and listen. The speeches and service are solemn and weighty. This boy is too young to be buried. 

After school I stay late to organise relief for my days off. It's warm in the classroom. A comfy spot on a cold day. Build wise, I'm still waiting on the plaster cornices and ceiling roses. In the meantime Cam is putting up architraves on site and I meet Lance to discuss painting the interior. The sky is wintry and grey. Covid continues to be carried through our borders by Kiwis returning from overseas. On the way home I stop in at Nicki's to finalise cupboard framing size and confirm choice of cabinet handles. We also look at light switches and power sockets. Small details but every choice contributes to the whole. It's all got to work together. I realise these utilitarian details mean I must be getting close to the end of decision making. Maybe. I hope. International news Vera Lynn, World War Two English darling of the troops, dies aged 103. "There'll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover. End of another era.  

Mid Winter Monday

It feels like mid winter...with climate change, I figure that's a good thing. But the grey sky makes for a dull day and the kids are sleepy. I won't complain about that. After school I drop in on Pete at Ambrose Heal. He's still hemmed in by roadworks but it looks like it's easing off a bit. God knows what they're doing but the whole corner and half a block down the road are dug up. On the way to Cashmere I call in on Scoff at Radcliffe Electrical. He prices switches from Tradco, mates rates takes about $10 off each switch. Worthwhile over the house. And I look at plug sockets. There's a disturbing array but the ones with USB ports appeal. Solves the phone charger issue, one which I've been fighting lately. And we're almost dependent on our cell phones now. One more stop at Harvey Norman. I look at the LG washing machine I had decided on but the front door big and black. I decide I can't do that to my lead light laundry door, and the wooden joinery. A big black port hole would dominate. I'm on the road to have the most attractive laundry in town. I'm not letting an ugly machine spoil the view.

A Right Good Hangover

I don't wake till 11:30. Can't remember when I last slept that long. It takes a while to get up and the pace is slow when I do. Since I've been building I've moderated my intake but last night was a blow out reset. Blowing off steam. Chris drives me to the beach to pick up my car, and the party glasses. I stop for cake and a catch up. 60 is a big number and I organise a party with destiny for next month. Lock down robbed me of the party I had planned. I visit Armana who is still trying to sort out her earthquake repair. They're not offering enough to fix her house properly yet. I stop in at College Ave out of habit. There's nothing to do and nothing happening but I need a home visit. Apart from a few pieces of architrave, it's just as I left it last week. Kahu has gone to the library with two of his CBHS mates. They are doing tertiary study. If that's their idea of an outing, I'm all for it. Takes the stress out of wondering what they are up to.

                                                                     Brighton Mall