People, Pets and Predicaments. It was tough having to leave my mate behind when I was choppered out .At least he was rescued by the pet rescue people the next day. So hard not getting him back home before he succumbed to an internal growth. The day of the flood one friend carried his dog on his shoulders for some 1 kilometre to some precarious position of safety. Robert was trying to get to the top of a ladder to get on a roof so he could get in a helicopter.He was carrying his foxy and fell off the ladder with the poerful downdraft from the chopper. He dropped the dog and thought he was lost. Later a jetboat turned up at the rescue point and it was truly amazing that they had picked up the dog from the flood water. A neighbour of Robert lost a number of sheep and were unsure what happened to their ducks and a friendly pukeko. They had two ducks and now they have returned with another friend. The pukeko is back along with a rooster .So sad they are moving out. There are many stories of lost pets and sheep and horses.Very tough for many people.

Never Enough Thankyous. Yesterday received a box of items neatly packed and delivered in person by two lovely people on behalf of a wonderful person unknown to me. Here in this box was an array of linen but also some smaller extremely useful items such as scissors and plasters. May sseem trivial but its the little things that count at times. I ask what made a 98 yer old person I do not know , put together this collection over a period of time and then seek out myself for this wonderful gift. I also ask why on earth did it contain plasters , something I had looked for a few days earlier and a notebook ,something I always use to track jobs and contacts. The timing was magic and the thought so tremendous. To my unknown donor a huge thankyou.I wish you well and roll on 100.

Interlude Late July Great progress with gib reinstated along with some warmth and feeling. Allowed for an interlude.A break.A chance to enjoy some forbidden pleasure by partaking in coffee and walks and even a ly in. How bad is that. Comfort zones have to be popped at times (well not really) and depending on presence may be slightly enjoyed. It was a good day to visit the froth and bubble ,the force of nature, the back and forth of the swell as it threw the shingle and flotsam against manmade blocks. Blocks that in time will be challenged and pocked by years of incessant back and forth. Waves bought excitement to pram dwellers and facebooked teenagers giving them a new challenge this time real and touchable. Lovers on the verge and doggies on leads all form a continuing procession of mystified connections to nature.

Update

Now late June. Visiting local friends is still very emotional. The devastation lingers like a bad smell. I drove to the end of a nearby closed road in the weekend.I hadn't had time to go that way since the flood. Hard to believe that milled trees that had been in the yard of a local firewood supplier, had been uplifted and travelled 500 metres. Extraordinary as the trees were likely Macroarpa nd had a girth of 1metre.They were massive trees that were lifted and shifted. One was lying against an apple tree across the road from where it was in a yard. Seeing more houses that have been gutted and sit cold and desolate waiting for atention , is hard to absorb. People are gutted as well. Once this thriving area was green and full of activity.Now the road is closed and all one can hear is the beep beep from diggers and the grunt of trucks passing loaded with silt. My friends are suffering and all the authorities can do is tell us the elevation of land and that those at the lower level received more damge. Wow.Need a few degrees to come up with that. At least they are working on the local store.Essential petrol will be back and the hub of our area restored.

The end of May. Three months since that fateful day.So hard to believe. Have made a lot of progress but still a long way to go.Great to have my silt mountains removed .The Lovely Jenny was great to deal with and is doing a great job coordinating the silt removal. Silt has to be the most disgusting material to deal with. It infiltrates every nook and cranny and even when you think it has been washed,wiped,swept,shovelled and removed it appears yet again. Same with the car.What an amazing job the mechanic did in getting the ute going again. Still a few issues but the silt still shows up in the carburettor.Just enough to cause faltering and loss of power.Hopefully it is nearly all gone. Stress levels still fluctuate.Little things flick a switch and the biggest frustration has been corporates and their accounts. If things don't suit their bill system they can only give you a nice phone reponse with trained responders who dance around the problem and don't forget your conversation may be recorded so all will be well in your life. Time for another day in the world of flood land.

Us Humans

We love our pets. They become part of our lives and part of the family. When the day comes to say goodbye the emotions ebb and flow,overcome at times and guide us through what can be a rough time. To my beloved dog ,mate, friend ,companion,I salute you and say goodbye. We went through so much and you helped me survive. You were calm when I was distraught.You cuddled and nuzzled me at times where emotions were most extreme ,judgement was waverig,changes were traumatic. Who could believe you were placed in danger this year when the flood swamped our home, invaded our space and floated your kennel away from its key placement. You woke me up and alerted me of the rising water.All action until we stood on the landing watching the choppers rescue our friends and neighbours. To leave you was devastatig and another part of the trauma. Well you made a new friend in Matt even though he was chocolate! You had some new hard case habits. Never bought you enough apples. I have missed you since the flood and will miss you even more now.I had hoped to bring you back home to once again chase the rats and sniff out the appples in winter. Always with me.

Called in to see some flood friends yesterday. Have to say I was quite shocked myself when I saw them and Mr friend was looking bewildered and stunned some two months down the track. Their house which was a beautiful old two storied house with many lead light windows had had water up to the second floor.The ceiling was plaster and had begun to sink after the soaking. The worst part was that the cowboys that came in to remove the gib linings ,had exceeded their brief.They had removed doors and windows unnecessarily and the bottom story was a nightmare for rebuilding. Silt had accumulated under decking and would be hard to remove. I believe these guys acted under the orders of an insurance company and it is an example of so many approaches from bodies that don't really know what to do.