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Video aftermath of 5.5, 6.0 aftershocks
Video: 5.5 aftershock as it happened
You wash and do other things in a bucket. You get water from friends and relatives and impose on them to use their washing machines.
You don't eat a lot because you can't cook and you lose weight. In the last couple of months the toilet has been flushing and hot showers are back, and the washing machine has been going in a limited way.
Life has got back to normal. So despite the cracks in the house, driveways, paths and constant aftershocks, and wondering if your house will be repaired or knocked down it's been like living in a five-star hotel.
We're now back to what it was like on February 22, but the liquefaction yesterday was much worse. One drain was spared in February, but not yesterday.
That's going to make life uncomfortable. There's water everywhere in the eastern suburbs; some roads are like mini rivers. The Avon River looks menacing, heavy rain will push it over the stopbanks.
It's been a fairly dry autumn and winter, but Mother Nature has been a nasty piece of work to us Cantabrians since September. And we're not expecting her to get any friendlier.
We're hoping Gerry Brownlee, the experts and insurance companies will be able to put together a plan that will determine what areas will never be able to be rebuilt on again.
You can only take so much liquefaction.
* Barry Clarke is editor of the Star Canterbury newspaper.
