Rediscovering Christchurch - because it's Spring!
I pretty much don't like winter. I like the idea of it, of the warm fires and the hot chocolates and the snuggliness etc, but I generally don't like the reality. It's generally cold, often very cold, and there's never as many warm fires or hot chocolates as I'd like. So it is that I always look forward to the advent of spring. I keep an eager eye on the weather and on the places that I know daffodils and blossom appear in abundance. This year, of course, added another layer to the mix. On top of cold, cooped-up-sicknesses, the uncommon snows and all the other normal winter stuff we had left-over quake stuff - silt that still hung around, land that had dropped causing flooding and the ongoing aftershocks. So this year the idea of spring took on an added glamour.
There's one street I always watch - when that street's many trees blossom I know that it's officially spring. It has just started to do its thing but isn't quite at its most impressive, but it's there and that means that for me spring finally came. It feels like it's a bit later than usual but I know my perception has been a bit skewed by the last year. I feel like 'spring' was already here before the first quake, but that could be rose-tinted pre-quake memories. Either way, this year more than usual I feel quite happy that it's warming up and I can start doing warmer-weather stuff.
To celebrate, today I went out and about in the city (and took a few wayward family members who are visiting from 'out there' with me). Despite the cordon not having shrunk appreciably in the months since I last wandered its edges, and despite Cashel Street looking stunningly devoid of any recognisable landmark buildings, it was actually very pleasant. The family members were duly impressed by the extent of the damage, having thought before today that the media had hunted around to find decent amounts of damage to film in front of. To see it and realise that it's actually quite extensive was a bit of a wake up for them I think. It was an interesting experience because through my eyes I could see the progress, whereas through theirs I could see the damage. It caused something of a blurred vision for me, much the way I felt when I came back from Brisbane. Before I went I had a very clear picture of the good things about the city as it is now, when I came back I was actually shocked to remember how badly off some parts of the city are. It was somewhat similar today and yet the springiness of everything made it feel deal-with-able. I took a few pictures because that's how I roll :D
Sitting almost outside at the Boatshed Cafe. I have extremely civilised relatives who thought morning tea was a good idea. I fully support this - especially when it involves wide open windows and views of the river.
My street's blossom may not be out in force but in some places it's definitely doing its thing (and I do wish we'd gone past Hagley Park where the blossom is just stunning right now). This is proof positive that even right by the cordon it's not a terribly, relentlessly depressing place to be. In fact - along this bit of the river you can almost ignore the fact that the cordon is right across the river from you and just enjoy the peace in there.
More views across the river to the cordon. Despite the shagginess of the grass and the fences over there making its not-normalness so obvious, this is all part of the same pleasant strip. It may not be normal, but it's certainly not all bleak and ugly. While I know that Clarendon Tower (the large building to the right of the picture) is coming down I don't know about the Rydges. I've decided to stop going out and looking to see what is coming down. Some of it is too distressing and if I ignore it it'll go away, or possibly not happen, right?
The Bridge of Remembrance. The Council has promised to save this even though it is apparently pretty badly damaged. I'm glad - Cashel Street may be decimated but at least we still have this at the head of it as a reminder of how it once was.
We then moved out to the suburbs and had lunch (outside!!!) at Salt on the Pier. It was again really nice and it was great to see this guy making his sand art right beside where we were sitting. So of course we had to go up onto the Pier itself to look down at what he was doing. One day I'd like to go back and see one of these creations when it's finished. I'm assuming that if that was #1113 then he must be there a reasonable amount of time.
It was a lovely way to finish the morning and it reminds me why I live in the part of the city that I do. I love the river and the trees and all of those things, but there's something about being able to wander down to the beach and take in all that wide empty space that really makes me feel good.
Here's to spring, here's to the city getting itself back into some sort of order and here's to the start of warmer weather and many more outdoor rambles through the place! Because despite all of the bad stuff there still is around, it's still a beautiful place to be - even by the cordon and even in 'the east'
There's one street I always watch - when that street's many trees blossom I know that it's officially spring. It has just started to do its thing but isn't quite at its most impressive, but it's there and that means that for me spring finally came. It feels like it's a bit later than usual but I know my perception has been a bit skewed by the last year. I feel like 'spring' was already here before the first quake, but that could be rose-tinted pre-quake memories. Either way, this year more than usual I feel quite happy that it's warming up and I can start doing warmer-weather stuff.
To celebrate, today I went out and about in the city (and took a few wayward family members who are visiting from 'out there' with me). Despite the cordon not having shrunk appreciably in the months since I last wandered its edges, and despite Cashel Street looking stunningly devoid of any recognisable landmark buildings, it was actually very pleasant. The family members were duly impressed by the extent of the damage, having thought before today that the media had hunted around to find decent amounts of damage to film in front of. To see it and realise that it's actually quite extensive was a bit of a wake up for them I think. It was an interesting experience because through my eyes I could see the progress, whereas through theirs I could see the damage. It caused something of a blurred vision for me, much the way I felt when I came back from Brisbane. Before I went I had a very clear picture of the good things about the city as it is now, when I came back I was actually shocked to remember how badly off some parts of the city are. It was somewhat similar today and yet the springiness of everything made it feel deal-with-able. I took a few pictures because that's how I roll :D
Sitting almost outside at the Boatshed Cafe. I have extremely civilised relatives who thought morning tea was a good idea. I fully support this - especially when it involves wide open windows and views of the river.
My street's blossom may not be out in force but in some places it's definitely doing its thing (and I do wish we'd gone past Hagley Park where the blossom is just stunning right now). This is proof positive that even right by the cordon it's not a terribly, relentlessly depressing place to be. In fact - along this bit of the river you can almost ignore the fact that the cordon is right across the river from you and just enjoy the peace in there.
More views across the river to the cordon. Despite the shagginess of the grass and the fences over there making its not-normalness so obvious, this is all part of the same pleasant strip. It may not be normal, but it's certainly not all bleak and ugly. While I know that Clarendon Tower (the large building to the right of the picture) is coming down I don't know about the Rydges. I've decided to stop going out and looking to see what is coming down. Some of it is too distressing and if I ignore it it'll go away, or possibly not happen, right?
The Bridge of Remembrance. The Council has promised to save this even though it is apparently pretty badly damaged. I'm glad - Cashel Street may be decimated but at least we still have this at the head of it as a reminder of how it once was.
We then moved out to the suburbs and had lunch (outside!!!) at Salt on the Pier. It was again really nice and it was great to see this guy making his sand art right beside where we were sitting. So of course we had to go up onto the Pier itself to look down at what he was doing. One day I'd like to go back and see one of these creations when it's finished. I'm assuming that if that was #1113 then he must be there a reasonable amount of time.
It was a lovely way to finish the morning and it reminds me why I live in the part of the city that I do. I love the river and the trees and all of those things, but there's something about being able to wander down to the beach and take in all that wide empty space that really makes me feel good.
Here's to spring, here's to the city getting itself back into some sort of order and here's to the start of warmer weather and many more outdoor rambles through the place! Because despite all of the bad stuff there still is around, it's still a beautiful place to be - even by the cordon and even in 'the east'