May 5, 2011

Here in Christchurch, we are well into the Cantabrian Autumn. The weather has cooled off, the frequency of showers has increased, and the trees are all shedding their leaves. Still, we are regularly rewarded with summery days, as was the case last weekend. It was a balmy 22C in Christchurch, and Aya and Rowan were keen to go to the beach, so off we went to the beach at Sumner so they could splash in the waves.

Every time we go to Sumner, we think how much fun it would be to live there. The ocean and the undeniable texture that it lends to seaside towns is very much in evidence when you visit Sumner, from surf shops, to cafes, and sand-caked children. While surrounded by multimillion dollar homes perched high above on the surrounding hills, Sumner itself seems low-key and relaxed. Surfers are almost always present in the beach break at Sumner, and last weekend was no exception. Perfect meter-high beach break had drawn several surfers to the ocean.

Aya and Rowan LOVE the ocean. Regardless of temperature or season, they both love to head down and splash in the waves. Aya, in particular, has inherited her father's love of water, and will happily play for hours in the surf and tidepools.

It was also interesting to see how much damage the earthquakes have caused to Sumner. Many houses are underneath the cliffs of volcanic rock that ring Sumner, and several had been crushed beneath enormous boulders displaced by the tremors. Tragic, to be sure, but it also makes one wonder why they were allowed to build in those sites in an earthquake-prone country.

I finished another manuscript this week. It's based on my MSc work (years ago), and is entitled something like "Factors controlling the distribution of a torrential stream invertebrate: Are top-down, bottom-up, or hydrodynamic factors most important?". I re-wrote most of it in the last two months, and now its nice to have it finally completed.

The heat is FINALLY back on at the University, making Shelley MUCH more comfortable at her work. The boiler infrastructure at the University was somewhat damaged, so there was no heat to campus for several weeks. Its back on now, thank goodness!

Anyways, I should get back to work! We should be heading back to Canada sometime in the next 2 or 3 months, so with a little luck, we'll see you soon!

Trent.