Well, we have survived the night. Managed to get some sleep although woken frequently with aftershocks, some into the 5's. The worst aftershocks were between 4-5am (about 4) - significant amount of retraumatising courtesy of the 4.30 events of yesterday!
Ventured into town today to get some supplies. Managed to get diesel, LPG gas bottles filled and food :) The suburbs had a "business as usual" feel although everyone was very quiet, just getting in and getting stuff down before going home. Really impressed at how calm everyone is being and how well stocks and supplies are coming through. I'm glad we shopped when we did though - arrived home to enjoy another 5+ aftershock! Wouldn't have wanted to be in the supermarket for that bad boy.
The most surreal experience today was still having an open home for the house sale - and people came!! Actual buyers not just rubber-neckers. We feel qualified to recommend the house as "sturdily constructed". :)
Went into town a little later to clear the P O Box and checked the routes for work, skirting around the cordons. It's just so sad to see. Christchurch is NZ's prettiest and most gracious city and all around there's horrible damage. So many chimneys down, pulling down roof tiles and walls. We could see some of the buildings that have sustained major damage - facades and building frontages lying on the street with the inside exposed to the world. Huge cracks in a number of roads with the liquefied sand covering massive areas. Beautiful buildings in disarray.
Having seen some of the buildings and comments from others, we're feeling even luckier now. We have water, power and phone. The house is built on concrete with a rock/stone base, hence why we have lasted. Some houses in the area haven't been as lucky.
You just can't envisage the destruction, ongoing anxiety with every aftershock, feelings of being overwhelmed and concern for the suffering of others.
The Rose
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Christchurch Earthquake
Well today has been a long and eventful day that started at 4.35am with a rude wake up from the planet. AKA the Christchurch earthquake, 7.1 on the Richter Scale.
I have never been in a quake like this before. Banging, crashing and roaring and really difficult to stand up and get to a door frame. Power went out immediately so all we had to reference was the massive noise, shaking and crashing sounds around the house. The shaking went on for ages however we managed to get together the tent, clothes, food, cat cage (although cat was elusive!) and some bedding, get the truck out and pile in to tune in to the radio to find out that we were only 20km from the epicentre.
Went back into the house and then an outside survey about 7ish. Amazingly, the house seems fine, no cracks in the roof, tiles, bricks or concrete. Guess that's why you live in a new house that has the highest earthquake specs! The other new houses round the neighbourhood have faired similarly. I understand that some houses in Burnham township and the army camp have been mothered with walls, ceilings and windows blown out.
We've been lucky with damage inside too although a lovely glass plate of mine was smashed. Otherwise, 1 shot glass fell out of the cupboard and smashed to smithereens. Books off the bookshelves, speakers fell over, pictures everywhere on the wall, dvd's on the floor, tv monitor fell off, papers everywhere. Still, having sold most of our stuff there was little to fall over! From the "how" files, my phrenology head fell 2m to the ground and was completely unharmed :)
Power was out until about 5.30pm - amazing job from the power company to get that back on so quickly. Water is apparently contaminated so all drinking water is being boiled although we still have supply. Phones have been a bit flaky although we realised we have no non-powered phones so couldn't use our landline with the power out! Mobile internet etc has been intermittent however all going now.
The quakes have continued constantly all day with a noticeable one every 3-5minutes. It's like being in a storm with the ongoing booming and shaking. Still, we're lucky. There's a hell of a lot of carnage in the city centre, especially in the older buildings.
We look forward to the evening...
The Rose
I have never been in a quake like this before. Banging, crashing and roaring and really difficult to stand up and get to a door frame. Power went out immediately so all we had to reference was the massive noise, shaking and crashing sounds around the house. The shaking went on for ages however we managed to get together the tent, clothes, food, cat cage (although cat was elusive!) and some bedding, get the truck out and pile in to tune in to the radio to find out that we were only 20km from the epicentre.
Went back into the house and then an outside survey about 7ish. Amazingly, the house seems fine, no cracks in the roof, tiles, bricks or concrete. Guess that's why you live in a new house that has the highest earthquake specs! The other new houses round the neighbourhood have faired similarly. I understand that some houses in Burnham township and the army camp have been mothered with walls, ceilings and windows blown out.
We've been lucky with damage inside too although a lovely glass plate of mine was smashed. Otherwise, 1 shot glass fell out of the cupboard and smashed to smithereens. Books off the bookshelves, speakers fell over, pictures everywhere on the wall, dvd's on the floor, tv monitor fell off, papers everywhere. Still, having sold most of our stuff there was little to fall over! From the "how" files, my phrenology head fell 2m to the ground and was completely unharmed :)
Power was out until about 5.30pm - amazing job from the power company to get that back on so quickly. Water is apparently contaminated so all drinking water is being boiled although we still have supply. Phones have been a bit flaky although we realised we have no non-powered phones so couldn't use our landline with the power out! Mobile internet etc has been intermittent however all going now.
The quakes have continued constantly all day with a noticeable one every 3-5minutes. It's like being in a storm with the ongoing booming and shaking. Still, we're lucky. There's a hell of a lot of carnage in the city centre, especially in the older buildings.
We look forward to the evening...
The Rose
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Movie stuff
Due to all the other chaos going around me (selling house, changing jobs with associated endless costs and bills, selling motorcycle, losing the plot etc etc etc), I think I'll blog about some movies I've seen recently.
Inception (2010) - I really like Christopher Nolan's work and I thought diCaprio played his part well in detailing how the mind constructs dreams and ideas. The movie leaves you constantly questioning reality and how we perceive the world. Beautifully constructed. I know some people struggle to connect with Nolan's characters however I felt there were plenty of emotional aspects for each character to come alive. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen with a coffee beforehand to help you focus! 9/10
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden 2009) - I'm a fan of the Steig Larsson books (Millennium Trilogy). Based around a Swedish magazine (Millennium) and their key writer (Mikael Blomkvist) and an antisocial woman (Lisbeth Salander). The first film/book is based around Mikael investigating the disappearance of a woman from a famous family. Well shot and ties together well. The movie skips a lot of the development of the magazine in the novel and focuses on the key story however there are enough hooks to link the next two films. An enjoyable watch. 7 1/2/10
The Girl who Played with Fire (Sweden 2009) - second of the Millennium trilogy. Begins introducing the back story of Lisbeth Salander which is an indictment on governmental abuse (more in no. 3). This one focuses on the murder of two people freelancing for Millennium and Salander is the prime suspect. Again, elegantly shot. Although there is a lot of detail missing from the book, the film hangs together tightly and leaves you waiting impatiently for no. 3. 7/10
A Prophet (France 2009) - based on the tale of an Arabic man sent to prison for 5 years. Details the rivalry between the Arabic and Corsican gangs in the prison setting. Gives a nasty (and yet unfortunately realistic) description of prison life and vendettas. The film is too long (2 1/2hrs) and drags a little towards the end however it's engaging and very non-Hollywood. 7/10
How I Ended This Summer (Russia 2010) - Beautifully shot Russian film set in a meterology spot on a remote island. Nothing to do outside of station monitoring except catch dinner and play in the leftover army sites. Slice-of-life style film involving an old hand and a young, computer bunny. Drama ensues when the young chap becomes afraid to pass on some bad news to the old chap due to fears for his life. You have to be in the mood for a slow paced film however the black humour is excellent. My favourite from the film fest. 9/10
The Double Hour (Italy 2009) - Sonia, a chambermaid in a fancy Turin hotel joins a speed-dating club and hits it off with Guido, a hunky security guard. What follows is a cleverly constructed double story of their interaction and her betrayal. Nicely put together and entertaining. 7/10
25 Carat (Spain 2008) - entertaining Spanish film in the style of Snatch (gangster, good guy/bad guy) etc. Well-paced, not too long. Good character development of the main stars and ended before becoming repetitive. 7/10
Agora (2009) - starring Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, Greek female mathematician/philosopher. Really struggled to connect with this film. Nicely shot and points out the fanaticism and ridiculousness of religion however the characters felt flat and poorly developed. Rachel Weisz lacked the passion to pull off her role - willing to die for her beliefs but not defend them? Didn't leave me feeling satisfied. 5/10 on a slow rainy Sunday.
Room With a View (1985) - I haven't watched this in years. In the days that Merchant Ivory really was Mr Merchant and Mr Ivory comes Helena Bonham Carter's first film. She still has the mighty eyebrows (even at age 19). I like the slow pace of EM Forster and find the pace and snideness of this movie appealing. Stars a multitude of British actors including Maggie Smith. A typical tale of boy meets girl, girl thinks she should marry one chap and then marries another. A classic chick flick. 7 1/2/10
Green Zone (2010) - Matt Damon what were you thinking. He stars as a warrant officer in the Iraq war discovering that WMD don't exist. Cue crusade to bring this all to justice. Good guys vs bad guys. Brendan Gleeson trying to do a British?! American?! accent. This film was very unbelievable and poorly written. Try Generation Kill if you want to see an Iraq tale. 4/10.
The Aviator (2004) - Thought I'd check out some of diCaprio's earlier stuff as I'm enjoying his acting more and more. diCaprio starts as Howard Hughes, early American director, millionaire, engineer and aviation inventor in the period between 1920 - 1950. Directed by Scorsese so the start is really slow - the first 50 minutes are scene setting and it feels a little confusing and dull to begin with. Cate Blanchett stars as Katharine Hepburn and mimics those irritating mannerisms perfectly. The last 90 minutes rushes by so fast and is extremely engaging. Well worth a watch (persevere!) 7 1/2/10.
The Beach (2000) diCaprio stars as Richard, a young American lad touring Thailand. Given a map for a beach paradise by a chap who commits suicide the next day. Finds the island where a bunch of reclusive students have managed to set up a resort for 5(!) years. The film focuses on the obsession to keep the island secret. Not quite what I expected and fortunately the film is only long enough to explore the story in a linear fashion. Entertaining bumf for a non-thinking night. 6/10
That'll do!
The Rose
Inception (2010) - I really like Christopher Nolan's work and I thought diCaprio played his part well in detailing how the mind constructs dreams and ideas. The movie leaves you constantly questioning reality and how we perceive the world. Beautifully constructed. I know some people struggle to connect with Nolan's characters however I felt there were plenty of emotional aspects for each character to come alive. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen with a coffee beforehand to help you focus! 9/10
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden 2009) - I'm a fan of the Steig Larsson books (Millennium Trilogy). Based around a Swedish magazine (Millennium) and their key writer (Mikael Blomkvist) and an antisocial woman (Lisbeth Salander). The first film/book is based around Mikael investigating the disappearance of a woman from a famous family. Well shot and ties together well. The movie skips a lot of the development of the magazine in the novel and focuses on the key story however there are enough hooks to link the next two films. An enjoyable watch. 7 1/2/10
The Girl who Played with Fire (Sweden 2009) - second of the Millennium trilogy. Begins introducing the back story of Lisbeth Salander which is an indictment on governmental abuse (more in no. 3). This one focuses on the murder of two people freelancing for Millennium and Salander is the prime suspect. Again, elegantly shot. Although there is a lot of detail missing from the book, the film hangs together tightly and leaves you waiting impatiently for no. 3. 7/10
A Prophet (France 2009) - based on the tale of an Arabic man sent to prison for 5 years. Details the rivalry between the Arabic and Corsican gangs in the prison setting. Gives a nasty (and yet unfortunately realistic) description of prison life and vendettas. The film is too long (2 1/2hrs) and drags a little towards the end however it's engaging and very non-Hollywood. 7/10
How I Ended This Summer (Russia 2010) - Beautifully shot Russian film set in a meterology spot on a remote island. Nothing to do outside of station monitoring except catch dinner and play in the leftover army sites. Slice-of-life style film involving an old hand and a young, computer bunny. Drama ensues when the young chap becomes afraid to pass on some bad news to the old chap due to fears for his life. You have to be in the mood for a slow paced film however the black humour is excellent. My favourite from the film fest. 9/10
The Double Hour (Italy 2009) - Sonia, a chambermaid in a fancy Turin hotel joins a speed-dating club and hits it off with Guido, a hunky security guard. What follows is a cleverly constructed double story of their interaction and her betrayal. Nicely put together and entertaining. 7/10
25 Carat (Spain 2008) - entertaining Spanish film in the style of Snatch (gangster, good guy/bad guy) etc. Well-paced, not too long. Good character development of the main stars and ended before becoming repetitive. 7/10
Agora (2009) - starring Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, Greek female mathematician/philosopher. Really struggled to connect with this film. Nicely shot and points out the fanaticism and ridiculousness of religion however the characters felt flat and poorly developed. Rachel Weisz lacked the passion to pull off her role - willing to die for her beliefs but not defend them? Didn't leave me feeling satisfied. 5/10 on a slow rainy Sunday.
Room With a View (1985) - I haven't watched this in years. In the days that Merchant Ivory really was Mr Merchant and Mr Ivory comes Helena Bonham Carter's first film. She still has the mighty eyebrows (even at age 19). I like the slow pace of EM Forster and find the pace and snideness of this movie appealing. Stars a multitude of British actors including Maggie Smith. A typical tale of boy meets girl, girl thinks she should marry one chap and then marries another. A classic chick flick. 7 1/2/10
Green Zone (2010) - Matt Damon what were you thinking. He stars as a warrant officer in the Iraq war discovering that WMD don't exist. Cue crusade to bring this all to justice. Good guys vs bad guys. Brendan Gleeson trying to do a British?! American?! accent. This film was very unbelievable and poorly written. Try Generation Kill if you want to see an Iraq tale. 4/10.
The Aviator (2004) - Thought I'd check out some of diCaprio's earlier stuff as I'm enjoying his acting more and more. diCaprio starts as Howard Hughes, early American director, millionaire, engineer and aviation inventor in the period between 1920 - 1950. Directed by Scorsese so the start is really slow - the first 50 minutes are scene setting and it feels a little confusing and dull to begin with. Cate Blanchett stars as Katharine Hepburn and mimics those irritating mannerisms perfectly. The last 90 minutes rushes by so fast and is extremely engaging. Well worth a watch (persevere!) 7 1/2/10.
The Beach (2000) diCaprio stars as Richard, a young American lad touring Thailand. Given a map for a beach paradise by a chap who commits suicide the next day. Finds the island where a bunch of reclusive students have managed to set up a resort for 5(!) years. The film focuses on the obsession to keep the island secret. Not quite what I expected and fortunately the film is only long enough to explore the story in a linear fashion. Entertaining bumf for a non-thinking night. 6/10
That'll do!
The Rose
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tribute to our girl Bree
On 19 July 2010 our dear little girl Bree left us. This has been one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever had to make. She’s had a rough year, including becoming really unwell in February 2010 and we thought we might lose her then. Although she recovered, the wee spark had already left her.
She’s definitely squeaked through the door of reasonable doubt with her previous 8 lives though! What a lot of great memories we have of our adopted kitty.
Our first experience with Bree was when this white shape started sleeping regularly on our front porch. Nicknamed “Cat B” (as we already had cat A), she managed to find a spot to sleep in peace where Eve never went.
Bree formally entered our lives with a moment of daring theft on 26 January 2006. Obviously starving, she ran into the house, jumped onto the table and nicked some leftover chicken from dinner. From that point, we decided to keep her.
She was in pretty bad shape when we adopted her – only weighing 2.2kg, covered in fleas, needed teeth extracted. With an old broken tail and manky fur she wasn’t a pretty sight! With some TLC however she quickly turned in to a lovable pet. Due to her “Cat B” status, an appropriate “B” name was sought. As she was initially pretty anxious, we named her after “Bree” from Desperate Housewives! It was always difficult to guess her age, between 10 and 12 at the time of adoption the vet thought.
Not everyone found her as lovable as we did though! Eve had her furry nose firmly put out of joint with the new arrival. It was weeks until she would stay in the same room with Bree. Still, they slowly adapted although having two female territorial cats in one house could be challenging. Regular yowling, chasing and hissing battles ensued, especially fighting over the catnip.
Bree settled herself into the household. She was never a terribly active cat, preferring to sleep in the sun when given the opportunity. Despite her age, she managed the move down south well and absolutely relished the Canterbury summer (mmm…30+ on the deck) and also enjoyed the double-glazing and heating in the winter.
Bree had some less cute habits though. Regurgitating food was one – leading to an extremely amusing incident where she vomited into The Dragon’s trousers which he put on before realizing what she’d done. Awesome.
It’s been a bit of an eye-opener having an older cat. She’s been through the mill – hyperthyroidism last year (did you know cats can have radioiodine?), has a heart murmur and in February 2010, became extremely ill with vomiting and diarrhoea.
As she’s got older, she’s begun to struggle to move around and wash herself. New experiences for us include brushing a cat, cleaning the ears of a cat, clipping the toenails of a cat, bathing a cat…
Thanks for all the memories little one. We’ll miss you terribly.
Here’s a photo tribute to our baby:
The first pictures of our new arrival taken January 2006. Gosh she was thin! As with Eve, never managed to convince her to keep a collar on.
Looking lovely December 2006:
Out in the garden March 2007. Not sure why she looks so worried!
April 2007. Sleeping in the sun - Bree's favourite activity
August 2007. One of the unusual times where the white cat slept on the white washing...
November 2007. Bree adapted well to the move to Christchurch, discovering that sleeping was possible in different cities
April 2008. She loved the fire in our flat in Christchurch. The cats grudgingly learned to share - although Bree seemed oblivious of the potential danger!
We moved into our new house and bought beanbags for one room that proved extremely popular...
As did the catnip...Catnip? What catnip!
Last days in her favourite place...
With love from The Rose & Dragon
She’s definitely squeaked through the door of reasonable doubt with her previous 8 lives though! What a lot of great memories we have of our adopted kitty.
Our first experience with Bree was when this white shape started sleeping regularly on our front porch. Nicknamed “Cat B” (as we already had cat A), she managed to find a spot to sleep in peace where Eve never went.
Bree formally entered our lives with a moment of daring theft on 26 January 2006. Obviously starving, she ran into the house, jumped onto the table and nicked some leftover chicken from dinner. From that point, we decided to keep her.
She was in pretty bad shape when we adopted her – only weighing 2.2kg, covered in fleas, needed teeth extracted. With an old broken tail and manky fur she wasn’t a pretty sight! With some TLC however she quickly turned in to a lovable pet. Due to her “Cat B” status, an appropriate “B” name was sought. As she was initially pretty anxious, we named her after “Bree” from Desperate Housewives! It was always difficult to guess her age, between 10 and 12 at the time of adoption the vet thought.
Not everyone found her as lovable as we did though! Eve had her furry nose firmly put out of joint with the new arrival. It was weeks until she would stay in the same room with Bree. Still, they slowly adapted although having two female territorial cats in one house could be challenging. Regular yowling, chasing and hissing battles ensued, especially fighting over the catnip.
Bree settled herself into the household. She was never a terribly active cat, preferring to sleep in the sun when given the opportunity. Despite her age, she managed the move down south well and absolutely relished the Canterbury summer (mmm…30+ on the deck) and also enjoyed the double-glazing and heating in the winter.
Bree had some less cute habits though. Regurgitating food was one – leading to an extremely amusing incident where she vomited into The Dragon’s trousers which he put on before realizing what she’d done. Awesome.
It’s been a bit of an eye-opener having an older cat. She’s been through the mill – hyperthyroidism last year (did you know cats can have radioiodine?), has a heart murmur and in February 2010, became extremely ill with vomiting and diarrhoea.
As she’s got older, she’s begun to struggle to move around and wash herself. New experiences for us include brushing a cat, cleaning the ears of a cat, clipping the toenails of a cat, bathing a cat…
Thanks for all the memories little one. We’ll miss you terribly.
Here’s a photo tribute to our baby:
The first pictures of our new arrival taken January 2006. Gosh she was thin! As with Eve, never managed to convince her to keep a collar on.
Looking lovely December 2006:
Out in the garden March 2007. Not sure why she looks so worried!
April 2007. Sleeping in the sun - Bree's favourite activity
August 2007. One of the unusual times where the white cat slept on the white washing...
November 2007. Bree adapted well to the move to Christchurch, discovering that sleeping was possible in different cities
April 2008. She loved the fire in our flat in Christchurch. The cats grudgingly learned to share - although Bree seemed oblivious of the potential danger!
We moved into our new house and bought beanbags for one room that proved extremely popular...
As did the catnip...Catnip? What catnip!
Last days in her favourite place...
With love from The Rose & Dragon
Saturday, July 17, 2010
A day at the bank, a night at the opera
Lovely evening tonight listening to the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra playing at the Town Hall. Despite the 80's interior (there's even a mirror ball way up high!) the acoustics are excellent.
First up, Mozart's Bassoon Concerto in B flat major. As an ex-cellist, I'm a fan of lower-pitched instruments (cellos, bassoons, horns etc). Very lyrical, well executed and typical Mozart.
Second up, Strauss' Metamorphosen. Hmmm. Never been a massive fan of Strauss anyway and this can only be described as orchestra lift music. The middle of the trilogy is always the trickiest...think "The Two Towers"! Conductor didn't help, primarily waving his hands around without paying any attention to the music or pace. Lucky the double bass player kept good time.
Lastly, and the crowning glory, Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Probably the most recognised first movement in the world. The orchestra seemed almost nervous at the start however carried it well. Second movement maybe a little slow. The third movement, which in my opinion is the best, was excellent. Both the audience and orchestra really got into it and emphatically played. Ah Beethoven :)
And having seen the pipe organ in the Town Hall, I'm itching to hear it before we leave!
The Rose
First up, Mozart's Bassoon Concerto in B flat major. As an ex-cellist, I'm a fan of lower-pitched instruments (cellos, bassoons, horns etc). Very lyrical, well executed and typical Mozart.
Second up, Strauss' Metamorphosen. Hmmm. Never been a massive fan of Strauss anyway and this can only be described as orchestra lift music. The middle of the trilogy is always the trickiest...think "The Two Towers"! Conductor didn't help, primarily waving his hands around without paying any attention to the music or pace. Lucky the double bass player kept good time.
Lastly, and the crowning glory, Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Probably the most recognised first movement in the world. The orchestra seemed almost nervous at the start however carried it well. Second movement maybe a little slow. The third movement, which in my opinion is the best, was excellent. Both the audience and orchestra really got into it and emphatically played. Ah Beethoven :)
And having seen the pipe organ in the Town Hall, I'm itching to hear it before we leave!
The Rose
Sigh.
I replied to a thread on facebook quoting an opinion piece about just how busy parents are including never having any time. I asked, why whine about it, it was your choice. Various parents took exception to that comment! I debated adding to the thread and thought, "fuck it, they'll miss the point anyway". However, sharing these thoughts on my blog is valid so here goes:
" "No child people cannot have any idea until they are there themselves". That cuts both ways - you have no idea how frustrating it is to have my time "punished" for choosing not having children. People being late for work or leaving early as they have to "sort out the kids". Who gets left doing the work then? Another example is today, where I have to do everything in the weekend as I worked 60+ hours last week, only paid for 40, will lose half of that in tax and some of that goes on "working for families tax credits"! Time is important to everyone. If you were actually expected to pay the true cost for having children, maybe you'd consider cost, time and the impact on others around you. Still, I'm sure this will be dismissed by all parents who are so selfish that the only thing they can see is themselves or their kids."
I don't think people who have children realise how much discrimination there is against people WITHOUT children. People can't understand making a choice not to have children, "you'll change your mind dearie, it's so wonderful" - then bang on about not having time, money, life, purpose and being jealous that you have nice stuff and go overseas. The childless pay the lions' share of the costs of children in the community with no benefit. You can't do or say things in public - "think of the children". You can't expect to enjoy a child-free environment e.g at a restaurant, as apparently everyone loves a screaming child. And what benefit do we get from all this cost? It's not like there's any quality control!!
Rah, my sweet kitties are better behaved, nicer, easier to live with and more able to be loved unconditionally than any child.
The Rose
" "No child people cannot have any idea until they are there themselves". That cuts both ways - you have no idea how frustrating it is to have my time "punished" for choosing not having children. People being late for work or leaving early as they have to "sort out the kids". Who gets left doing the work then? Another example is today, where I have to do everything in the weekend as I worked 60+ hours last week, only paid for 40, will lose half of that in tax and some of that goes on "working for families tax credits"! Time is important to everyone. If you were actually expected to pay the true cost for having children, maybe you'd consider cost, time and the impact on others around you. Still, I'm sure this will be dismissed by all parents who are so selfish that the only thing they can see is themselves or their kids."
I don't think people who have children realise how much discrimination there is against people WITHOUT children. People can't understand making a choice not to have children, "you'll change your mind dearie, it's so wonderful" - then bang on about not having time, money, life, purpose and being jealous that you have nice stuff and go overseas. The childless pay the lions' share of the costs of children in the community with no benefit. You can't do or say things in public - "think of the children". You can't expect to enjoy a child-free environment e.g at a restaurant, as apparently everyone loves a screaming child. And what benefit do we get from all this cost? It's not like there's any quality control!!
Rah, my sweet kitties are better behaved, nicer, easier to live with and more able to be loved unconditionally than any child.
The Rose
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Musings
Life has been interesting over the last few weeks. We've been busy selling and sifting through belongings asking do we need this? Is this useful? If so, why? We've taken a long hard look at what's important to us in terms of belongings - and the big answer is, not a lot! Most of the furniture has gone, or is on the way out, with the exception of a few key items (fridge, movie set up etc). All the music has been ripped to mp3 and sold, all my important notes are in the process of being scanned to pdf and the paper recycled. Heaps of clothes and linen have been donated. Some of our personal things, such as paintings, will remain however the majority will go. And the best thing is, what a liberating feeling! We've essentially decommissioned 4 rooms of the house and it feels great :)
Maybe the most important thing is to remember? That doesn't take up any space!
Maybe the most important thing is to remember? That doesn't take up any space!
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