MUD,Mud,Glorious MUD and Christchurch Devastation, **18 Years**

Today has been fun for our kids.  They had a scouting adventure with a large mudslide.  This is one of the annual events that they hold for Scouts in North Otago.  They have a sausage sizzle and let the kids get as muddy as they like.  It was Abbeys  first time at this event and she took a bit of encouraging to give it ago - but the grin says it all.  The kids loved being covered in mud. Some of the kids took great delight as getting as much mud as they could on their parents too - and needless to say both Richard and I have muddy pants too.  My washing machine is now going full tat to get the clothes clean again. 

This week has been full of sadness for our country as Christchurch experienced a large aftershock stemming from the original one on September.  It was only 6.3 on the Richter scale but caused widespread damage.  Unfortunately it struck at lunchtime - in the central business area of chch.  Many buildings collapsed - trapping and killing hundreds of people.  It is a time of morning for our country as we all try to come to terms with this natural disaster.  Thankfully all of our family and friends have been accounted for, and no major injuries encounted.  Some of our families have lost their homes but we are blessed  that we are not grieving for missing family.

Ohh that's a bit cold

Typical boy - loves getting dirty

WOW mum and dad let me play in the mud

It feels a little naughty to be out with the kids enjoying the mudslide when so many families are grieving, traumatised, and homeless.  The people of Christchurch are very much in our thoughts and prayers at present and our community is busy doing what they can.  Already we are hosting many displaced families, providing food, and assisting with man power as we are able. 

I quite like this mum

On a more special subject today is our wedding anniversary - this time 18 years ago we were getting married in a small stone church in TeAnau.  It was stinking hot and a lovely day.  we plan to celebrate by going our for a meal a Riverstone - which is an award winning restaurant just out of Oamaru.  Both of us are feeling a little low because of the Chch devastation and are struggling to stop thinking about all those families that are grieving for their loved ones.  The stories keep coming of tragic loss - when someone has stopped to help another and then been crushed by falling rubble - or the baby that the TV fell on and broke his neck, or the professor that would not normally be in CHCH and his wife didn't want him to go that day, to the little miracles where the office worker couldn't get the scanner to work and was there instead of at her desk that was crushed by rubble, the counsellor who realised that she was at ground level when her office was on the fourth floor, on and on they go.  There is not one New Zealander who hasn't been affected at a personal level by this disaster.  That is what happens when you live in a small country - everyone is connected to each other in some small way.  RIP all the victims - over 150 now and more to come.
Here is a link for our overseas friends to see the pictures of just how bad the quake is.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/photos