On Saturday we left the baby with my folks and attempted to bring back some normality by going out for dinner.
With the CBD still in lock-down and many inner suburban restaurants damaged or unopened due to water/sewerage issues, our options were limited. Turns out we weren't alone either - everyone on the "untouched" side of town seemed to want to leave their cares behind for an evening and head out for something to eat.
The result? Mayhem. All the restaurants in the outer suburbs (mainly Chinese or Vietnamese) were packed. We had to drive around a bit to find somewhere that could fit us in, and when we did we were squeezed into the corner of a Chinese place at Church Corner. For those who are unfamiliar with Christchurch, this is unheard of. These places usually tick along nicely, but never reach capacity. The staff were obviously totally overwhelmed. Orders were being screamed back and forth to the kitchen, dishes were coming out thick and fast. We sat down and prepared for a long wait.
And no sooner had we opened the menu (and I took the photo above) when a mother or an aftershock hit. Matt and I stared at each other, frozen as we usually are in these situations (you'd think after so much practice we'd get quite adept at leaping for cover, but no). Nothing broke, but there was a decent amount of movement, and someone screamed which was unnerving. Afterwards I saw a middle-aged woman outside the window crying and being hugged by a family member. Then both of our phones went as family checked to see we were ok.
Not exactly the date we'd hoped for. All part of the 'new normal' we have going on around here.
No comments:
Post a Comment