Town

Just been into zone 1 to drop Dh off so he could meet the army officer who's offered to rescue his motorbike from the red zone. Although I didn't see much (busy driving) it just felt so wrong! I didn't feel like I should be there despite being on a legitimate reason. I didn't see a lot of damage, but you couldn't miss the poor Provincial buildings, just a pile of rubble. A few new empty lots in the residential bits too. There's still a dust haze from about halfway between Brougham and Moorhouse over all of zone 1.
I drove at 30 most of the time, occasionally under that and I also stopped and let official vehicles through several times. Amazing how some other people were driving though, one guy doing at least 50; not giving way to the official vehicles. I'm really hoping Dh's motorbike runs ok and he can get it home, I really don't want to have to go back there. Once town is cleared and open properly I will want to go in then, to see what survived though, not to see what was lost. There are some businesses that I used to visit a lot and I'm really hoping they're still in one piece. 
I know some aren't; Global Fabrics store is gone but they are planning on reopening. Hoping Fabric Vision is ok, the Honda Motorcycle shop, Bennetts Shoe Service and there are others too.  They're the places you map your life by.  Fabric Vision has always been my choice for fabric shopping, Thomas bought his motorbike from the aforementioned motorbike shop, Bennetts is the best place to get leather bags or shoes repaired.   
There's the Rangiora Bakery who made our wedding cake, a lovely chocolate mud cake with none of that nasty aftertaste so many bought cakes have.  Ballantynes of course, our iconic department store and so many others.   I know Ballantynes is still in one piece, but of course being in the red zone it can't reopen.  And of course the store I consider my local yarn store (LYS); Knitworld.  There are other yarn stores including the one in the Art Centre that is run by members of our Weavers and Spinners Guild, but I can't see that opening for some time, possibly years depending on damage there.


Thomas took a while to get back, the AO was on duty when he got there and then they had to go into the cordon and although T was accompanied by AO apparently there was a police officer who was not impressed.   Luckily impressed or not, he didn't stop them and T now has his baby back in the garage

It's lost one wing mirror, but that's snapped off at the base so isn't a hazard and one of the cables is really tight, but if his Dad can help him fix that it might not be worth claiming on insurance.  Fingers crossed, not sure what the excess is on the bike, but there's going to be enough excess to pay on the house and contents as it is.