Dummies, dandys, and things left behind – 2012 in pictures: May

I remember these ladies from when they used to frequent Victoria Street.

Est side represent.

ANZAC Day flowers by the Sergeant Henry Nicholas statue.

Wooden house on Colombo Street is splinterised.

Honours bestowed on the Crowne Plaza demolition.

A foam party, interrupted.

A toilet left behind.

A great Christchurch sign.

Ironside House on the move.

Eating Santorini.

Dry tributes hold their beauty.

Auckland Writers and Readers Festival.

Witi Ihimaera

Jeffrey Eugenides

Pinata.

Autumnal Rydges.

Christchurch sunset.

Dandy art on Victoria Mansions.

Scales House.

A plastic romance on Colombo Street.

Christchurch – devastation, colour, games.

See also:

• More May photos
• Michael Jackson, cheezels & the Crowne Plaza – 2012 in pictures: January
• Ronnie van Hout, Earthquake anniversary, & the hellraiser heart of Christchurch – 2012 in pictures: February
• Dirty demolitions – 2012 in pictures: March
• From lingerie to Gerry Brownlee – 2012 in pictures: April

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From lingerie to Gerry Brownlee – 2012 in pictures: April

Dreamy drying.

The Christchurch Convention Centre.

The demolition of the Crowne Plaza starts to offer portals through which to view the autumnal shades of Victoria Square.

Postcard nostalgia at the English Park market.

Best friends ride the perennially popular Flying fox at St Albans Park.

Ribbon earthquake tributes near Les Mills and the CTV site.

The spine of the Crowne Plaza is torn out.

A quick demolition for the historically resonant Canterbury Society of Arts building.

Library with a view. Convention Centre demolition as viewed from Central Library Peterborough.

Greening the rubble, old Piko site.

Down by the Bricks, by the Avon is such a beautiful spot – belying the new ambiguity of our relationship with rivers and streams.

The colour of pipes, at the Convention Centre demolition.

I see your stairs.

A very Christchurch juxtaposition.

Record Store Day, at Penny Lane.

Zine Library at the Dark Room, by Galaxy Records.

Work on the new Edgeware Super Value continues, with the Kia Kaha sign as a comment and a spur.

Santorini is sad.

The anger lurks.

See also:

• April 2012 photos on Flickr
• Michael Jackson, cheezels & the Crowne Plaza – 2012 in pictures: January
• Ronnie van Hout, Earthquake anniversary, & the hellraiser heart of Christchurch – 2012 in pictures: February
• Dirty demolitions – 2012 in pictures: March

Dirty demolitions – 2012 in pictures: March

March was a month of demolitions, some more personal than others.

It was also the first time I saw Mike Hewson’s amazing photomurals on Cranmer Court. I enjoyed looking at these in the months before it was demolished.

A quilting exhibition at South Library.

The last moments of 76 Colombo Street.

Like lots of other Christchurch people, we got our chance to go into our place of work in the Red Zone and retrieve stuff.

The infamous Sydenham warehouse and dumping area. I saw it one night before it made the news, and was amazed at the spectacle of floor to ceiling detritus.

And on the same night, we tripped the light fantastic on the Dance-o-Mat.

Walking to work has meant I sometimes caught the sunrise.

Stan and Sheila’s 60th wedding anniversary. Cards from the Queen and John Key.

Lumley House demolition on Victoria Street. Papers flew, things fell. It was rather dramatic and the enterprising Vic’s Cafe had a couch outside where you could sit and watch.

It coincided with the demolition of our place. A rental, but it was home and having friends in all the neighbouring flats made it a very lovely place to live. We didn’t realise that demolition meant your garage gets demolished too. We had stored lots of damaged stuff there. Thanks to my Mum and a nice demo crew we managed to rescue some of the gear. I spotted this Belle and Sebastian cd cover on the floor.

See also:

• March 2012 photos
• Michael Jackson, cheezels & the Crowne Plaza – 2012 in pictures: January
• Ronnie van Hout, Earthquake anniversary, & the hellraiser heart of Christchurch – 2012 in pictures: February

Ronnie van Hout, Earthquake anniversary, & the hellraiser heart of Christchurch – 2012 in pictures: February

February 2012 photos
You had to be up early or late to see Ronnie van Hout on Worcester Boulevard. On one of those Christchurch CBD mornings when there is no-one out walking, I saw him.

Wildflowers grew on Victoria Street. They were only there in that brief transitional moment between demolition and rebuild. I wish all demolition sites could look like this.

Protestors reflected in a panel on the CCC building on Hereford Street. 2012 was a year of protestation – democracy, schools and land …

Brannigans on the corner of Gloucester Street is demolished. You can see through its skeletal remains to the Government Life building in Cathedral Square.

The Chinese Lantern Festival in Hagley Park.

3rd birthday.

The hellraiser heart of Christchurch

22 February 2012

The first appearance of my favourite Christchurch sign, outside Edgeware Super Value.

The most discreet, unheralded piece of Christchurch street art. A tiny ChristChurch Cathedral on Colombo Street by the old Christchurch Womens’ Hospital. It has since been painted over.

See also: Michael Jackson, cheezels & the Crowne Plaza – 2012 in pictures: January

Michael Jackson, cheezels & the Crowne Plaza – 2012 in pictures: January

It has been a year of photos. I’ve uploaded 9700 to my Flickr this year.

So I am going to share some from each month – here is January 2012 in pictures – the family stuff and the everyday destruction and demolition I’ve seen in town and around. An odd mix you might think, but that is Christchurch – home of the odd bedfellows.

Spitting image at English Park market. We loved going to English Park on a Saturday. It was a little market, with some great oddities to be had, as well as things like lovely fresh veges. Alas it is no longer, but I am hoping the market as mentioned in the St Albans masterplan might see it resurrected in some form. I got these odd things and gifted Michael Jackson. Spookily, my gal tore MJ’s nose off. Margaret Thatcher and Prince Charles are on my wall at work.

Caroline Bay Carnival. We made a wee trip down to Timaru and enjoyed the classic carnival.

Cheezel fingers and the Force is with you.

Buddies squish into a car at Zak’s birthday party.

And meanwhile in town – the demolition of the Crowne Plaza proceeds. Some people acted as if they were glad this building was being demolished, but I wasn’t. To me it represented glamour and connection – dinners at Yamagen, listening to the tinkling piano,  a rather beautiful Byzantine place. In this photo, I am intrigued by the room full of boxes. And as ever – in an abandoned building, curtains flap in the wind with abandon.