The tsunami that wasn't

It’s the school holidays AGAIN here. Seriously, it feels like the daughters are at home more than they are at school. Actually, I think they have been the past few months, what with study leave and winter bugs.

It’s been so wet and miserable there is little point in even getting dressed. Admittedly Daughter-Two has got out of the house every day at least once, to the library or the park. But before noon there is so little point in getting out of pyjamas that often we don’t. So we were mooching about in our PJs when Bernard rang up the other morning saying a tsunami was coming our way. Well, not OUR way since we are perched on the side of a volcano. At worst we would turn into an island and then I’d have to change the name of the blog to “Notes from the side of an island”. But Daughter-One was staying with a friend in the Eastern Suburbs, where it was apparently due to hit in a couple of hours  - and Bernard’s office is right by the beach downtown.

We rang the mother of Daughter-One's friend to make sure they weren’t planning to take a walk down the beach and she said they had been up till 3am so weren’t expected to emerge until after the tsunami had been and gone. Then we just settled down to work as usual, checking the news now and then. Bernard rang me again to say the alert was called off, but no-one else seemed to know as the radio was still broadcasting civil defence warnings and all along the coast poor people were sitting on hilltops for three hours having evacuated their homes and offices.

However, it was no false alarm in Samoa sadly. It doesn’t sound like much – just a 4 metre high tsunami. But it’s more like a continuous wall of water 4 metres high with billions of cubic metres of water behind it. And if you have ever tried to lift a bucket of water you know how heavy water is.

Daughter-Two was, I think, a little disappointed that there was not a tsunami raging up our street. She is thoroughly enjoying her holidays, especially daily creative time. Every time before the holidays I try to be positive and think of how nice it will be to spend more time with them home .... and every time I end up tearing out my hair within a few days. Bernard is supposed to be freeing me up on Saturdays so I can work uninterrupted but if anything it is worse with someone else at home, listening to the rugby (ack!). I am thinking of hiring some local schoolchildren or maybe just a band of midgets to descend on his office with scissors, glue, collage paper, stickers and CDs of loud industrial rock to gather around his desk and ask him to help cut things out, for raisins, money for the bus, what’s for lunch, to read a story ………

 

Actually, he is not Mr Popularity today since he managed to lock Daughter-Two in the car and walk all the way up the steps and into the house before realising he was missing something. She was not happy. Neither is he because she will never let him forget it. Forgetting is something he is good at, but not Daughter-Two.

Before the holidays I did finish a kit (and paperpacks), and it is in store at Designer Digitals now:

 
 

 

I love the page that Patricia from our CT made with it:

 

  
 And I've got some scrapping done too:

 

  
 

Comments

[Heather T.]

Well, I'm glad you weren't tsunami-afflicted. And your new kit is lovely, of course... =)

[Heather G]

I am glad you weren't tsunami hit! and love your leaf especially in your new kit. The striped papers are gorgeous. Beautiful colors. I have some shopping to do :)

[meanmomdigitalproductions]

Hugs so glad that the tsunami didn't hit you guys. I would be even sadder than I am now that it did hit one place. Not fun. Being survivor of the worst hurricane in history, i can totally relate. Hugs!!