It was not a cool-cucumber moment from me, I must say. Having just witnessed Christchurch images and living that, live, I just couldn't shake the worry (thinly veiled hysteria for a while there up until about an hour ago) as I watched the horror unfolding from the effects of this massive natural earth reaction.
I have attempted this evening to walk up to the bottle shop for a settling tipple. Walked Jazz up to the shops, realised I forgot wallet and went back home again. Headed out, Jazz in tow again.... got almost to shops again. Forgot wallet again. Dammit! Took car, came back just now. Pinot Gris in hand.
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Poor Mother Earth. I am so weepy for the world right now. What are we doing to Her?
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In the midst of all this, I had sporadic contact with my brother mostly via Skype, but he managed to get onto Facebook to tell me not to panic. "They're still shopping here (in Prada, dahling)" he updated. It made me laugh, despite myself. I requested he buy me a handbag if he would be ever so kind.
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Still can't get through to my sister in-law. Latest advice on Twitter is not to phone Japan. Well.... try waiting to find out if your family is safe and then see how that sits with you! I can only hope now that my brother makes it home tonight, the only way he can right now (on foot). The traffic must be horrific now, right? We're talking Japan here. Hundreds of thousands work in that city.
To give a rough idea, he is walking a distance on foot (and hoping when he gets there that they are safe, if not shaken, and just incommunicado) of Melbourne to roughly Blackburn, or Sydney to Homebush. Nothing left for it but to walk and avoid the aftershocks.
My heart is in my mouth. Praying and thinking of all those caught in Japan and in the tsunamis.
And so we wait. My family here are on hold. My father has thrown up, apparently - he says he thinks it's not related to this, which is a moot point, given that he's obviously so internally upset that he considered the possible connection. But it is stressful, the waiting. Not knowing. They could be fine, they're surely fine. The girls are probably at home being kept distracted by their mother. I hope and pray with everything that they are okay. The girls would have been at school.
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9:44pm Friday
I'm thinking of my sister in-law, she doesn't know if my brother is okay. He's on his way home and is fine for the time being, but I just did a quick Google Earth calculation from the city to his suburb. It's telling me it is over 4.5 hours on foot. I sure hope he catches a ride some way out of the city. What a torturous time for him, for her. For us back here! He's able to contact Australia, but he can't call his wife. Aaaargh.
Breathe.
More later. I'm on Twitter.
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10:46pm Friday
A little bleary-eyed, a couple of glasses in...
Just heard from my brother, he has managed to make the trek to his mate's place somewhere outside of Tokyo to the west. They are now trying to drive him home but he still cant' get through traffic. We still can't get through on the phone to our sister in-law. But he is closer now. Man, this is testing my calm resolve. I hugged the LGBB SO fucking tight tonight when she got home with her Dad. And then I hugged her Dad like I never wanted to let go.
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11:35pm
Just heard from my brother. He turned back the friend who was driving him towards home, the roads are too congested. He is on foot again. BUT.... he has been in email contact with my sister in-law! She is very sad but the girls and her are safe. And they know he is okay. My heart can get out of my throat now and I think I am about to crash into a stupor.
Thank you for your care, Twitter/Blogger-verse. You have been awesome. Big shout out to @CateP36 and @kirrilyfred especially.
