The FBR (First Big Rumble) Anniversary, 4th September 2011

  

I like celebrations. Any reason is good enough for me. Especially in earthquake country, more laughter, more food and more fun is always welcome.

                               

But how do you celebrate an earthquake? It took only a few seconds to come up with the tried and true idea of 'more stitching'. It felt right to shift on from the hearts, healing and powerful as they were in the weeks after the Febuary earthquake. 

                                                              

We all have moved on, we are in a different state of heart and soul than we were in Febuary. So we decided to stitch wooly medals, to celebrate that we are still here, to celebrate our community, to celebrate life.

                                                                                 

The obvious spot for that was the Petanque Club, situated on the old 'Ground Delicatessen' site in Lyttelton.

So on Sunday, dozens of people turned up at lunchtime. We stitched and ate and made music and listened to music. We talked and laughed. Played petanque.

                                                                              

I usually like to waffle on, use language and words to make sense of the world around me and through this share my impressions with others.

But I can't say a lot about this Sunday. We were there. People, strangers, friends. Breathing together. Picking up pink, blue, green felt, a gold button, a ribbon and creating symbols of love and survival. All our hearts beating in unison.

                                                                                 

How can words express all of that?

written by Bettina Evans

An attitude of gratitude

I happened to be awake with my toddler in the small hours yesterday morning. A significant day for people in Christchurch - 4 September. I found myself reflecting on what has been going on in our lives during this journey around the sun, and where we were this time last year. On that cold morning back then, I remember sitting in the dark listening to Radio New Zealand, my then 1- year-old-son playing with a torch as we rode out those first few hours of rockin' and rollin'. A story in today's newspaper entitled, 'A Lone Voice In The Dark' describes the experience of the Radio NZ presenter who happened to be working that day.

But even with no power or landline phone, we did not feel alone. Texts flew among our Lyttelton-adopted whanau, making sure everyone was ok. Neighbours went out on the street in the minutes following that first quake and checked on each other. At dawn our friends arrived to have breakfast cooked on the log burner, cold from being in a house with no working heating. Later in the morning, the Lyttelon Farmers Market got going, a chance to lay eyes on friends and faces from the street and check in. And while that first day was not as 'big' as events that followed, it set the tone for how we responded: taking care of each other.

In the last year I have become acutely aware of things to be grateful for. The rhythm of our lives these days is driven by things that keep us grounded and firmly connected to each other: Wednesdays at the community garden... wandering the farmer's market;...craft groups among friends where there is often not much actual craft going on but plenty of love as we share a cup of tea...walking through town and realising I know many more people by name than a year ago, with real heart connections abundant...Friday afternoons at the Top Club... trading on the Time Bank..random hugs from a friend bumped into on the street who really means it when they ask how you are...going for walks through the town and admiring the view...enjoying wood fired pizza at the new Brewery ...listening to songs from our town on the Harbour Union...checking out theatre on London St, relocated from the damaged Loons to the ruins of the Lava Bar...being together. 

It hasn't all been fun, this last year, but the bonds between us are stronger than before, we know each other better and we know all about what resilience means. Have a listen to this great story on Radio NZ.

Yesterday morning I was happy to snuggle back in bed to snooze and think about the many things to be grateful for.

Written by Jodi Rees

Shared office space in Lyttelton – not just a dream

Many of our work situations have changed dramatically since February. Businesses have moved from the city centre to more industrial zones or closed permanently, public transport routes are different, congestion on the roads has increased, and cycle routes are in some cases more treacherous because of both increased traffic and earthquake-damaged road surfaces. Many of us have been forced to come up with new ways to meet work expectations. Working at home is now more common as people choose to put up with the challenges of working in isolation as they exercise choice about where they spend their days. 

Back in March I wrote a small piece in our local paper, the Lyttelton News, about the idea of a shared office here in Lyttelton for people who had flexible work arrangements and who would prefer to work on this side of the hill.   There was plenty of interest, and a group formed to discuss needs, timeframes and visions. The drivers for me in this include: wanting to be near my 2 year old son who is cared for at home while I work part-time; building community; and making new connections in my home town.

Now the dream of sharing office space is about to become reality. Starting this week, a small group from diverse backgrounds (ecology, telecommunications, and cycling) are sharing an office on London Street, with plans to refine the setup and evolve over time.We were keen to just get started, to show people that there are few barriers.  This project is building on the culture of possibility that Lyttelton is famous for. We will keep each other company while at the same time providing a professional work space. We will help revitalise our town centre by just being there. The aim is for this to be a long term arrangement, with possibilities for accommodating a wide variety of work needs. Right now the shared office provides desk space, wireless internet, phone and printing capabilities. Future space may also include workshops, or any other element that we figure out we need. It's even looking like there will be more than one shared office as interest grows.

Now is the time to have input into the plans of property owners that are considering rebuilding. Imagine a purpose-built shared office in the heart of Lyttelton! Once again the earthquakes provide us with the opportunity to think about a new way of being.

Written by Jodi Rees

celebrating anyway

After Monday's further major shakes, there is a lot of brokenness here in Lyttelton as you can see here and here.

There is sadness and loss.

There is also a continuation of trying to imagine a future with such unstable ground.

One thing that isn't broken though is our community spirit and with Matariki and Winter Solstice upon us and the Festival of Lights postponed, a good local crowd decided to gather and celebrate anyway.

Friends had already bought ingredients for a warming chai tea and had organised a yurt to put up on the old Ground site. Music folk from The Harbour Union played and everyone rejoiced to see a bunch of us stitching hearts and came and joined in.

These two young women held down the fort serving up warming chai and love. 

The lovely Paige, local belly-dancing goddess brought delicious cakes to share with families. She confessed it had been a personal therapy to get through these shaky times; an ancient way for women dealing with crisis.

We all encouraged her to continue this particular therapy and share the results.

Community therapy through baking and eating

Music, chai and community togetherness was served up into the evening.

With much of every new day uncertain at the moment, living in a loving, creative and resilient community is the certainty I stand firm upon right now.

Written by Jacinda, also at www.watchingkereru.blogspot.com

festival of the lights

• Masked parade - everyone welcome to join in. Begins at the Recreation Centre. Gather from 5.30pm
• Stalls, food and drink.
• Performers from The Loons and others.
• Homegrown musicians: 

Amiria Grenell, Unfaithful Ways, 
The Eastern, Lindon Puffin and others.

Always a great night. 

This year in particular we all have good reason to gather together and celebrate the shift towards the light again.

See you there. 

gaps

I tell her that the gaps won't be there forever.

She says: "A bit like London Street....."

It sure is nice to inhabit our main street again.
Nice to have the town's heart beating with our footsteps again.

Welcome back London Street.

...and farewell to the Camping Ground food caravan and from next Monday, to the Higher Ground Cafe.
Our heartfelt thanks for being there during the difficult last couple of months.
Witnessing our local favourites opening up in new and creative ways gave us strength and hope (and a coffee) when we needed it.
Enjoy the break Jenny and crew.
We'll continue to  enjoy Ground's goodness at the Farmer's Market until you return.

posted by Jacinda, also at www.watchingkereru.blogspot.com

the final grind.

We all have different ways of coping with the loss and destruction of the many
Lyttelton buildings. We might take a few minutes to stand on the pavement,
watch the diggers and reminisce, but then we can carry on with our lives, meeting
friends in different settings, trying out a new cafe somewhere else. But it is
harder for the people who lived and worked in those buildings, whose dreams and
hopes and futures were interwoven with the fabric of those houses.


The owner, Jenny Garing and the staff of the Ground Delicatessen and Coffee shop came up with a
meaningful way of saying goodbye to their building.
The mother of a staff member is a potter and with her help they created a pot, middle-eastern in shape.
They embedded star anise and cloves into the clay. Star anise of course because it
features on the Ground logo.

Each staff member decorated a tablet of clay with their favourite spice,added patterns or inscribed it. The tablets were placed in the pot and given to the demolition person,
who carried the pot into the building before it was destroyed.
For the crew of Ground this symbolised 'the final grinding of the spices'
and they wanted the pot to merge with the rubble of the building.


After finishing the pot, they were a bit regretful to see it smashed as it had
turned out rather beautiful. So they made a second pottery dish, decorated it
again with spices and embedded the front door key of the old Ground building in
the clay. This dish will be fired and kept, a reminder of the great place that
Ground was, a pointer to the future when another key will unlock a new Ground.

Ground, the business, remains operational although in an altered form.
Ground sells it's spices and other tasty treats at the Farmer's Market each Saturday morning from 10am - 1pm.
'Upper Ground'is situated in the Top Club and offers meals, takeaway food, coffee, a small selection of delicatessen goods and a stunning view. 'Camping Ground' sells lovely take-away sandwiches and salads from a caravan opposite of it's old site on the corner of London street/Canterbury Street.


written by Bettina Evans

farewell harbour light.

For two months not much happens and now, we must have most of the available diggers on the South Island.
The Empire, The Royal and The Albion have all come down.
The Harbour Light is still in progress.
The work they have been doing has been sensitive and thoughtful.
They brought the rotundas down so carefully that I expect they will be kept.
Someone mentioned that they looked like the bare tops of a bald man's head.
The progress on The Harbour Light keeps us all interested as we get up in the morning and peer out the window to see how much less of her is there.
From our deck, I can see 5 diggers, 2 cranes and a fire truck all working - all working to make our town a little safer and pave the way for the future.

written by Sarah van der Burch.

farewell no.6

When I headed down to London Street today in the rain and wind the wrecking ball was poised,waiting for No. 6.

As I watched I was amazed to see the 'life' still in No 6 - the wires dangling, the light 

fixtures still up and intact, and the door banging in the wind. 

The digger driver seemed to want to be so careful as he plied his wares - or so it 
seemed to me. 

I felt sorry for him and the job he was there to do today.

I will miss that building, especially the café of which it bears the name. 
It was in the Café in 2004 that I realized that Lyttelton was the place for my family. 
I had looked around Christchurch for several years and never felt like I found the place
I wanted to call home. 
And then some mid-morning on some mid-week day, I was sitting in No. 6 and saw a 
friend crossing the street. She saw me so she came in and ordered a coffee. A few 
minutes later we saw her husband and another friend both walking down the footpath 
and we waved to them and they too came in and ordered coffee. Then my husband 
(knowing I would be in there having a coffee) also came in.
I looked around the cafe and almost everyone I knew from Lyttelton was in the café 
having coffee together in the middle of the day in the middle of the 'work week'. 
I realized at that moment that the 'home' I was looking for was right in front of me.

                                  

We all have such different ways of processing what is happening in our community. 
I feel as though I really want to mark and honour this as a rite of passage.

I want to see at least a portion of the buildings coming down so I can witness this 
moment in the history of our town.


by Sarah van der Burch

farewell sweet volcano

How do we respond when our main street begins to be demolished?

Some of us watch; some of us turn away.

Some of us talk with others; others stand in silence.

Some of us bring candles, acknowledging the pain of not being able to repair our treasured buildings.

Of course, some of us stitched.

How did you respond?

Farewell sweet Volcano.

Thank you to Lois, Peter and all the people who worked to make this a special place.

A place that we carry with us beyond the earthquakes, the bulldozers and the fences. 

Written by Jacinda, also at  www.watchingkereru.blogspot.com