Container shops

We had a coffee yesterday in the city centre. One main street is open and the shops have been replaced with containers. Looks smart. Last week we got the message that demolitions are halfway. 600 buildings are torn down and 600 still have to go. Then they still have to rebuild. Nearly one year since the damaging earthquake. We are fine and we stand strong together.Although not all are fine. There is still lots going on like people having battles with insurance companies, people living in bad houses and some are being forced out of their houses as the rent is skyrocketing .
On wednesday there is a movie about the earthquake in Christchurch on TV. Part of me wants to move on and part of me wants to look at the movie and cry.

A container coffee shop

A look in an abandoned street of the red zone area in the city. The building with the white, grey facade without a roof used to be my kids school. It was a place like in the movie Fame where kids hang around, playing gitar, others designing in a corner. It had huge open places and atmosphere.

In blue and green

Adds and birds on the containers

A grocer with food from all over the globe

Festival of flowers

Every week there is something in the park. This week the festival of Flowers started, with floral art everywhere. There was also a car show, theater, and a band. They keep us entertained.

One of the many topiary animals in Hagley park

A  carpet to heaven

 An old timer show in the park I laughed seeing the squashed bear.

Our cathedral is gone but an 11 year old boy made this one

Display by local floral artists

Flowers in a small version of the chalice which used to stand on Cathedral Square (and maybe still does)

The theme this year was the eartquake

Port-a-loos have been in many streets in Christchurch in the last year. Today they were set in Canterbury colours and flowers.

This one has a whole garden

Smart red art

Butterflies in canterbury museum. Lots still in their cocoon. On Wednesday the 22nd of February 185 Monarch butterflies will be released as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives on 22 February 2011.

Floral snakes

Closing of with a topiary elephant.

Chinese lantern Festival in Christchurch

Christchurch has a big Chinese community. The best way to bring different cultures together is through sharing their customs to create understanding. An ancient festival from China was celebrated yesterday and today. The Chinese lantern festival and it was amazing.
The Lantern Festival began in Han dynasty(A.D. 25 - A.D.220 )There are many legends associated with this festival. One of them being that celestial spirits could be seen in the first full moon of the lunar calendar.To help them find spirits they used torches which gave way to lanterns.
The lantern festival is held on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar and it is at the end of the New Year festivities.
It is also referred to as Chinese valentines day as it was a rare change for boys and girls to come together on this day.
Of course there were dumplings for sale in Hagley park and many other treats and I watched a dragon and lion dance group from Shanghai. The lanterns were just amazing. As after my first shot the battery of the camera went flat, on our walk through the park the next day I made some more photos. All the pictures are only some of the many lanterns. They are of course much more beautiful at night.

Fish by the bridge

Isn't it great to take a punter and just drift alongside the lanterns in the river.

Lantern Festival poem in Tang Dynasty (618A.D—907A.D)  :

The light is brightly, tonight the no-go area is opening.

The horse gallop that stirred up the dust,the moon seemed to follow the people.

The young singing girls look more beautiful, they walk and sing songs.

The capital guards does not work tonight, the drum will not urge the people back home.

A beautiful building 

The hungry Hippo's

Grrrrr isn't he gorgeous

A gracious Chinese lady

Lanterns in trees and between trees, everywhere!

As it is the year of the dragon, there were several dragons. I loved this one.

Inspirational quotes

Too many things on my mind. Picasa has some new tools so I enjoyed playing with them. I took some of my photos which never made it to blogger and had fun and spiced them up with some quotes. The best cure.....

True creativity is impossible without some measure of passion. Teresa Amabile

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.  Robert Brault

We Don’t See Things as They Are. We See Things as We Are. Anais Nin

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘Happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.
 John Lennon

Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. Howard Thurman

A smile starts on the lips, a grin spreads to the eyes,
A chuckle comes from the belly; but a good laugh
Burst forth from the soul Overflows and bubbles all around
Carolyn Birmingham

A change of conciousness in the air

The beginning of a new day
Photo by Mayke

A lady told me a while ago that her daughter was terrified because she believed that the end of the world was coming in the end of 2012. I told her that I had read about the Mayan calendar and that it only means the end of a period and that the Mayans believe that it will be a time of big changes and the start of a new conscious. She asked me to tell that to her daughter to calm her down. I did. I hope it helped as I felt sorry for her. I also heard about change of consciousness because of the age of Aquarius and because I was curious I did some research on both.
I read that the new age movement is a spiritual movement which became widespread in the second half of the 20th century e.g. thanks to the movie hair. The movement is a mixture of eastern and western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and includes e.g. holistic health, psychology and quantum physics. Popular new age writers are James Redfield, Eckhart Tolle, Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson and Deepak Chopra to name a few. New age refers to the Age of Aquarius. I have read some of these books without realising they were New Age books. I think there was a lot of wisdom in it and a lot of food for thought. I especially liked the concept of synchonisity which I experienced as you can read about here.

Anyway according to Western astrology we are moving from the age of Piscus to the age of Aquarius. Some say that it has already started others say it is coming up. The age of Aquarius is a cycle of astrological ages where every 2180 years the stolstice sun arises against a different constellation. We are now moving from Piscus to Aquarius.

Some astrologers believe that these ages affect mankind and that they are symbolic. The symbol of Piscus is two fishes swimming in opposite direction. This is the symbol of dualism which causes conflict. Conflict between people, countries, religions.
The symbol of Aquarius is the water bearer, pouring out water of knowledge. According to the beliefs in the new age there will be a great development of e.g. knowledge and technology. Most importantly however it will be a time of spiritual awakening. An awakening from the madness of the world in conflict because of people thinking they are better than other people, countries, religions. An awakening to love and understanding. An awakening to the fact that we have to respect mother earth and stop consumerism, pollution and eroding landscapes to name a few.
Then there is a different thing altogether which is that the Mayan calendar will end on the 21st of December of this year. For the Mayans this is just the end of a time period. It is seen by them as moving into a new period of harmony and a transformation of consciousness. The end of time stuff is just a crazy Hollywood hype.

Weather you think of all the above as knowledge or nonsense, it is a fact that the world could use more love, peace and respect for mother earth. So let’s hope there is some truth in it.