Somehow it seems irreverent to talk of trivial matters here while so many Kiwis are suffering terribly. Last Tuesday’s earthquake in Christchurch has devastated a city but not destroyed the spirit of its people. They have lost loved ones. They still endure the uncertainty of those people unaccounted for. They suffer tremendous injuries, some still life threatening. They are homeless, powerless, waterless – and yet they soldier on, working together to survive a terrible natural catastrophe which has all but destroyed their beautiful city. Daily they are faced with numerous after-shocks which must momentarily stop hearts as they wait. Is this one going to finish, or is it another ‘big’ one?

Disasters such as this show us all what incredible humanity exists just under the surface of our normally-too-busy society. We’re hearing incredible stories of bravery and self sacrifice, of care and compassion, of determination to get on with living. More than fifteen thousand students, mobilized by their own volition, show us the true value of today’s young people. They may not have had a war to prove their dedication to their country and their fellow man, but in Christchurch this week, their unstinting work is proving their worth to us all.

Having been involved in many Civil Defence practises during my time with the RNZN I understand how much is involved behind the scenes, away from the actual disaster zone itself. I wish I could still be part of that infra-structure and feel I was contributing my help. But as a civilian many miles away, all that is left for me to do is pray, offer my home as a respite, and donate to the care of those displaced and the rebuilding of Christchurch.

Borrowing the phrase being used so frequently this last week – Kia Kaha Christchurch

As I’m closing in on the last chapter of my WIP, I’ve come up with a new way (for me at least) of checking the flow of my story during editing. I’m sure this is probably touted in heaps of editing book or article available to man, but since I haven’t seen it anywhere so I’m going to claim (tongue is definitely in cheek) the idea as my own. Along with all the other advice available re editing, I’m going to start “reading” the story as it’s written in POV. By flicking past the second POV I hope I can catch areas where my H/h might have missed/been unaware of important points, or even changed boat in mid-stream. Being a pantser, these silly occurrences often pop up in my stories and in the past I have spent an inordinate amount of time tracking them down. By reading and editing only one POV from beginning to end I hope to cut down on this time. I’ll let you know if it works.