Winter is over (or is it?)

Spring officially started on Wednesday and on Friday a complex low pressure system crossed the Tasman and brought wintry weather over the country. I had just got home when the lights dipped, FM radio went off the air, thunder rumbled and a short sharp hail storm began. I know some of you people in the northern hemisphere think nothing of metres of snow that last for months, but here we find a fleeting covering of white stuff very exciting.

And it’s not only me who finds this exciting - note the bricks on the barbie cover – a typical Wellington necessity.

As if that wasn’t enough excitement this morning I was woken up by an earthquake. It was a typical mild Wellington rumble but when I turned on the radio news at 5 am discovered a major jolt had hit Christchurch. There are some pictures here. Listening to the reports it would have been quite scary – and several orders of magnitude less than the 8.0 one due in Wellington. Luckily I keep the emergency water supply up to date – coincidently it was due for refilling today. As far as we know all our friends in Canterbury are ok. Denise’s house may have suffered some damage but not too serious she thinks.