Things come in threes
It’s spring here in Aotearoa with daffodils in the garden and lambs in the fields. A far cry from the floodwaters that swept through our home in Feburary. We are still working to get back into our house and on with our lives.
If it seems you haven’t seen much art from me this is why.
It was nobody’s fault. A severe weather event brought torrential rainfall across Banks Peninsula, triggering a local State of Emergency and causing significant flooding for most of our community.
Some of you will know Paul and I were impacted by the flood event of 2021 while living and working on Hinewai Reserve. You can read about that event here. This one was not as frightening, but was just as devastating.
Less than a year after moving into our forever home here in Little River, we were impacted by another major flood event. Severe weather unleashed extreme rainfall, ripping out riverbanks, and felling forests in the catchment areas above, which swamped the Little River valley.
Some of our friends have asked that we do not move close to them. I must say, I’m not sure what they mean. 🙂 Apparently, things come in threes and we have had our three events as we also got flooded in our first house in Nelson. But our friends are safe. We are staying here in the wonderful community of Little River.
Our house, garage, sheds, greenhouse, garden and yards were flooded with black (contaminated) water. Along with many others in our community we evacuated, and are still out of our house at the time of writing this.
We spent the first few weeks staying at the amazing SiloStay Accommodation, then Mum loaned us her camper. The belongings we were able to save are in a container and the house was gutted.
The care shown by our community (near and far); checking in, helping with food, sharing laughs and supporting us in a multitude of ways, indicates our decision to lift the house and stay in our forever home was the best decision we could make.
Initially, I shut down my web sales, and mourned the loss of artwork and materials, Then our community came to the fore again, offering me a large cupboard to work in. I was able to set up a desk and some shelving which allowed me to open my web sales. This also meant I had a place to launch our new Peninsula Art Club.
So, although my own artwork and studies are still on hold, I am back to teaching and enjoying the space to make lesson samplers and have my stock available.
Meanwhile on the home front, we have taken on a scary mortgage and lifted our house, the floor, walls, trims, doors and surrounds have been replaced. This week the painters are busy making it look less of a building site and more of a home. Then the builder comes back, we get a kitchen and a bathroom and the rest of the repairs can take place. We should be back in our forever home by mid to late October, approx. 8 months after the event.
The plan is to celebrate the re-opening of my art studio, and the opening of my teaching studio sometime in early 2027. Keep an eye on our socials as we’d love to see you there.
The wins of this situation are the amazing people we have met; locals, contractors, curious passerbys and reconnecting friends. Thank you to you all.
You can find out about our situation here:
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And here: