The Christchurch rebuild starts here

As of yesterday our house became a construction site. The first thing the workers did was nail a sign to our fence saying that hard hats must be worn and permission to enter must be granted by the site forman (sic). We seem to be exempt from this; the only hazard seems to be tripping over men and their lunch boxes. They are taking down the chimney and putting in a log burner. Then more people will come and fix cracks and paint the rooms. There is dust everywhere and the noise of power tools and Metallica. We have chosen a burner and are thinking about the colours for the daughter's room. It's messy and chaotic and a bit exciting in a House and Garden kind of way.

i have said before we are some of the luckiest people in Christchurch and really we deserve none of this. Assessors came from EQC and told us we have between $10,000 and $20,000 worth of damage. Now they are fixing it. Meanwhile there are still people without water and sewage and people who are trying to find a place to live, and people who are struggling with the uncertainty of the usual gloriously Kafaesque system to find out what they can get and when. We have been careful to be scrupulous about our claims and i do feel a bit guilty about getting so much.

My main hope is that the system is transparent and contractors charge only what the jobs are worth, and people don't rort their insurance companies, and that everyone is honest and caring and thoughtful.

My goodness, why has the sky gone all dark? Suddenly the air is thick with flying pigs!