Getting_on_with_it

I've said this for years, but I've never written it down. In America, when things aren't going the "right way," we love to talk/think/try to change them. There's a little Revolution in all of us. However this is NOT the right way to approach situations in New Zealand. Instead, Kiwis just "get on with it" (direct quote).

M7.1 Earthquake leave your house in two pieces, a chimney through your roof and over 800 aftershocks? Just get on with it.
Widespread liquefaction leave your house and property under piles and piles of sand? Grab and shovel and get on with it.
Six days of blizzard at the equinox kill over a million lambs? Pull as many as you can from the mud and snowdrifts, and get on with it.
Record snowfall collapse the roof of Stadium Southland? Get the building code, bulldoze stadium and get on with it.
Two weeks of high winds knock out power to thousands in the North Island? Ring your power company, get out the candles and gas BBQ and get on with it.

Since 4 September, these have been the events dominating our headlines. And honest to goodness, everyone interviewed on TV and radio has displayed this tremendously staunch attitude. I think Kiwis are used to adversity and have this amazingly resilient response to disaster. We are stuck in the middle of the Southern Ocean and no one else is going to help us! In fact, the French military actually bombed our ship in 1985, but that's another story.

But the Boulton family story is a better one. Canterbury was spared the wild spring weather, and all those aftershocks just make our house into a seaworthy ship on land-like-water. We celebrated the Equinox in style by going to a new beach at the Rakaia River mouth 35 minutes South of the city. It was a beautiful still spring day and Anna and I loved being nature fairies and finding treasures to hide in old driftwood.

The views to the North of Banks Peninsula:

and to the South of the Rakaia River and Pacific Ocean:

were stunning and the walk was just the right length for Anna. It's such a cute wee town, that I can't wait to go back there camping later this summer.

We also had a nice trip to the Farmer's Market yesterday, where we saw our first ducklings! Anna devoured a chocolate croissant (her favourite) and James and I enjoyed some local kombucha. Seriously, the guy who makes it is slightly bonkers, but it tastes delicious and is so much better for me than coffee.

After the market, Anna played on our new trampoline while I planted raspberries, strawberries, and peas. I am so happy it's spring, Anna has two weeks of school holidays, James is assured a job after Christmas, and our house has more bounce.