Christchurch earthquake

Wow. A surreal weekend. Christchurch was hit by a 7.1 (or 7.0, there appears to be some debate) earthquake at 4:35am local time yesterday. The aftershocks continued all day. Pretty terrifying for everyone there, but luckily there have been no casualties. It's so fortunate that the earthquake hit in the early hours of the morning - any later and there would be people and cars everywhere; any earlier and the central city bars and streets would still have been full. We've heard from family and friends and they are all okay, although there is extensive damage to property and possessions. Some have no water or power. It's terribly sad to see so many of the old heritage buildings destroyed or severely damaged. I'm concerned about Vanessa and Warren of Tete a Tete Vintage, as their premises are located in older buildings in the centre of town - if you read this, guys, please let me know if everything is all right!


The clock in Victoria Street stopped at the time of the quake (from here).

Damage on Victoria Street, just down the road from where we lived (from here).

The travel agent just down the road from our house - or, at least, our house until two weeks ago. From here.

My hairdresser's (from here).

The Repertory Theatre. Sweeney Todd was meant to be opening there soon. It was a wonderful old theatre. From here.

For more images of the damage, go here. So horrible.

Rain!

Further update: holy cow, the damage is awful. Take care, everyone in Christchurch. We're thinking of you and following the news coverage. So sad to see the Repertory Theatre destroyed.

Update: I hope everyone in the South Island is all right today after the earthquake! It must have been so scary, and I'm glad that no one was seriously hurt (at least, according to the news items I've read so far). We're thinking of you. Friends and family: I'm trying to get hold of you. Please get in touch!

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Beret - Dotti
Shirt - '80s little boy's cowboy print shirt with snap fastenings, thrifted
Belt - vintage
Trousers - vintage, thrifted
Shoes - Zara
Bag - vintage, from Retropolitan in Christchurch

It's my first rainy day here in Austin! The temperature has dropped to 72 degrees (according to my dashboard) and, I have to say, it's a little on the chilly side for me. Clearly I have acclimatised very well.

A couple of nights ago we went out with some friends to the Paramount Theatre, where they are playing a series of classic movies on the big screen. It is an absolutely beautiful theatre - it's worth going just for the architecture (and the wine!). We saw Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, which I loved. Although the theme tune has now been stuck in my head for two days. And it's one annoying tune to have on repeat.




I went to BookPeople yesterday - one of the best bookstores I have ever been to, and certainly the best in Austin. I just love it there. And they are currently having a sale of books on writing for writers! Hooray. Among others, I picked up The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself by Susan Bell. I found it a really excellent guide to self-editing as a writer, with lots of useful tips, and highly recommend it if you struggle with gaining objectivity and perspective on your work (I know I do!). Although Bell does speak about micro-editing to some degree, I think the book is really more useful when it deals with macro-editing. She also examines in detail the working relationship between F. Scott Fitzgerald and his editor (Max Perkins) that produced The Great Gatsby, and I found this fascinating. Slightly worryingly, however, The Artful Edit was riddled with editorial errors - at first I leafed to the back to see if this were a sort of cleverly embedded test for the reader, but no. Just mistakes. I tried to ignore them and focus on the content, and if you do the same I think you'll find it helpful. Although maybe read with a red pen for your peace of mind, as I ended up doing.

Unsurprisingly, I also went thrifting, and came away with some treasures! As soon as I have my US bank account sorted, I'm going to start selling some vintage through Etsy. I'm really looking forward to it.


Loot: straw hat (vintage scarf added by me); 1950s green cotton print dress; 1950s sheer polka-dot dress with collar; 1980s gingham and cherry print cotton sundress with cut-out back; 1970s gingham tiered maxi dress.

P.S. This is apropos of nothing, but I pass this gorgeous building on Guadalupe frequently. Isn't it lovely?

Austin bloggers meet-up!

Shirt - thrifted
Shorts - '80s Levis, thrifted
Shoes - vintage, thrifted
Bag - vintage, thrifted at Goodwill a couple of days ago. And thank goodness! I was getting tired of carting the same bag around.

Last night's get-together of Austin bloggers was lovely! And not even dampened by the torrential rain that decided to drench us all five minutes before we arrived. LOML lent me his umbrella, luckily, or I would have arrived looking like a damp paper tissue. With heels on. Within seconds of walking in to Annie's, however, I was warm and dry and completely at home. Everyone was so welcoming and warm - I got the chance to chat to some lovely ladies, like Joanna, Grechen (who organises these gatherings), Diya, Cathy, Joyce, Jeannie, Sarah and Maureen. I'm looking forward to getting to know these ladies better, and to meeting the others at the next Ladies Who Lunch/Brunch/Happy Hour. Ooh, and I was also photographed by the lovely lady behind Austin Street Style (it's over here), which launched recently. I'm so glad that Austin has a street style blog, because there are some truly inspiring people round here. Please excuse my expression in the photo - Zoolander has 'Blue Steel', I have 'Awkward Smirk.'

Of course, I forgot to take a single photograph - I was too busy talking (and occasionally introducing myself to the same person twice - sorry, Joyce!). I'll see if I can poach some in a sinister manner from some of the other ladies if they post them later on. Evil laughter.

This afternoon we're off to get our Social Security Numbers, which seem to be The Most Important Numbers Ever and possibly have magical powers. Wish us luck.