Merry Christmas!

To all my readers: customers, friends, family, and anyone else that reads this little blog, I would like to wish you a happy and healthy Christmas and fun warm up to 2012. It surprises me that anyone reads what I write and I appreciate you all! ((hugs)).

The lead in to Christmas day was a little challenging. As you know, I had the flu. On the 23rd, I felt well enough to get out, send the outstanding Sana orders for PO Box and rural and do some present shopping.  I was about 2 minutes away from the post shop, crossing an overpass, grooving to some loud sounds in The Programmer's red car,  when said car gave a violent shudder and lurched to the side. I didn't know what was happening until I saw the concrete barrier (kind of concrete fence along one side of the bridge) split.

Without engaging brain, I put my foot down and got the hell off that bridge. Then I came to a 'stop', if you could call it that, and observed that all cars in the busy intersection in front of me were at a wildly wiggly standstill and gridlocked at some very strange angles. 

Unsurprisingly, we had another earthquake. Actually there were two biggish ones. A 5.8 and then a 6.0 later, with a few large aftershocks in between, afterward and, of course, all through the night. Yay.

I continued to the Post Shop with low expectations and indeed they had evacuated. Feeling a little bit shaky, I sat on the lawn with the girls that work there, making jokes about how much disquiet the EQC (Earthquake Commission) must be feeling. Every 'damaging' aftershock is taken as a new insurance event, which I'm sure causes palpitations to the execs. that have to administer the process. The glass wall of the post shop building was bulging alarmingly with each aftershock, so they decided not to reopen.  

I finally got The Programmer on the phone and he confirmed that all malls were evacuated and I'd better come home ASAP.  Hence cancellation of my shopping plans. Slight panic...

After a very shaky night, like good, hardy Cantabrians, we got ourselves prepped (threw a few emergency supplies in the car) and headed to Westfield. It was remarkably empty for Christmas eve. I had a moment of nerves going into the parking building, but otherwise managed to focus on the task... getting gifty.

On the way there we saw something not-very nice.

The historic Post Office, which was in the process of being restored and rebuilt, is now.. not. They have started demolishing it already.

As you can see it was not only a fabulous piece of Christchurch history, but also practically the only building still standing in this area. 

There used to be a historic church beside it. I do get a bit upset about the loss of history in Christchurch, but perked up later when the Christmas socialising started.

First there was drinks and nibbles at the house of Sistaprogrammer.

She has an enormous (several hundred) collection of Barbie dolls, and I snuck in there to say hi to the girls. They are all fabulous, darling:

I was pleased to see a safety rail erected to prevent quake injuries.

Question: do you have a collecting hobby? I don't. I'm interested in things that other people might collect.

Then it was home for present wrapping, and up early today for a Skype with Miss J and then to Casa Familia Programmer for Christmas lunch. They go all out with the Christmas-ifying. The whole house gets a sparkly, happy, magical makeover.

Breaking up the class act was my glass. As I'm still a bit 'snotty', my champers was marked so that nobody else accidentally swigged it and caught the Wombat flu too.

Sistaprogrammer was so offended that she replaced the clothes peg with some gold wrapping ribbon. Much more harmonious to the surroundings.

Familia Programmer always do the traditional communal present unwrapping ritual that I remember from being a kid. It's really fun, even as a grown up (bigger kid).

After lunch we headed over to Mamasana's place for more of the same and to hang with the cousins and their babies. I haven't processed those pics yet.

Well, that's it from me for the night. The Programmer is giving me sad eyes because I'm blogging instead of playing Wii with him. I got him Wii Sports Resort as a present and it looks like it will be double the fun once I head over there to uphand my Wii-mote.

I can take him on the Kendo Swords game, I know it.