Aftershocks

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Poor Christchurch! Three big aftershocks yesterday! When will they end?

When I was a boy, just across the road lived Uncle Charlie (Mum’s brother) and Auntie Thora his wife. Their three  daughters, Marlene, Robin and Judy played with my younger brother Doug and I throughout those wartime years.

I had a letter from Marlene yesterday: ‘My mind doesn’t seem to e functioning properly since the big earthquake. Can’t seem to think of much else. It’s a strange feeling having the ground trembling under you most of the day, every day, with bigger shakes every now and then just to remind you that it’s not over yet.’

‘The bigger aftershocks always wake me at night so I lack sleep and feel like a walking zombie. I’m not the only one and we try to carry on as normal but its very trying. I suppose the time will come when the ground under us stops moving. It’s like living on a boat, and women seem to notice it more than men.’

‘My cupboard doors are still tied up and big ornaments lie on the floor or on chairs, and all crystal and glass vases are packed away. We had another 4.6 quake last night, which jangled our nerves again.’

‘Ron and Robin lost many possessions, a chimney and damage to cars etc. They were hit pretty hard. Judy and Barry lost a chimney and some glass ware and their lawn is still sopping wet caused by water coming up from below. Every home will have something broken I’m sure. Even TVs and fridges were thrown over. The noise and shaking had to be heard and seen to be believed. Very frightening indeed.’

‘Nearly every house lost a chimney in Sumner and at least 10 houses are no longer liveable, probably more by now. Everyone thought my place would be history but by some miracle it was spared. A few things broken inside but nothing of great value. I’d taken down my chimneys so no worry there. Sorry my news is all about the earthquakes but nothing else exciting has happened in my life recently.’