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The garden of New Zealand gardener of the year Susan Dent is immersed in sewage after the Christchurch earthquake, and it could take three months before her house's shower and toilets work again.
Ms Dent is a solo mum to Rebecca, 14, and Hannah, 11, a pupil of Halswell school, which has closed because of structural damage from the quake.
She became gardener of the year last year after a vote in New Zealand Gardener magazine - but her garden has become soiled with sewage flushed from houses up her street, and she may never be able to grow veges in her yard again.
The family live at the bottom of a cul-de-sac in the suburb of Halswell. The sewage has flooded above her house's drain so if they try to have a shower or flush their toilet, brown water comes bubbling up.
The council has told Ms Dent it could take three months to fix, and in the meantime water continues to flow in and out of neighbours' houses and into Ms Dent's. "We just hope it doesn't start bubbling up in the wrong place," she said.
The family are using a bucket as a toilet, emptied into a 60-litre drum which is periodically emptied.
At least they are not burying their sewage in the yard or emptying it in the rubbish bin like some neighbours, she says.
Ms Dent's garden, which had produced 250kg of veges for the family, has been submerged in the sludge.
"I don't know if we will ever be able to eat out of this soil again," she said.
The family visit friends in rotation to have showers.
"We want to stay in this house. But if we don't have water or [sewerage services] for three months, it will be very hard," she said.
"We'll have to be showering elsewhere for three months and bringing in water in bottles to boil."
Hannah said she was glad to stay home. "The earthquake was scary, but at least I don't have to go back to school."
Ms Dent said her daughters were rattled and would not leave the house. They just wanted to relax.
"We finally managed to get the garage door opened yesterday. We've had a few sleepless nights and I think we're tired."
