Sunday 13 July 2008

Alarm bells

A few weeks ago, my mobile phone skidded out of my handbag when I put it on the floor. It appears I damaged it, but it worked normally until this week, when the speaker on it died. It means the phone doesn’t make any sounds so I don’t know that folk are calling or texting me. It seems it is unrepairable, which is a pity as this model phone is no longer available and I really like it. What is worse is the alarm no longer works, and that was vital to getting me out of bed. That is, until this morning.

Living where we do, we have on average ten earthquakes a day nationally – most are too deep to feel at surface level. Our town is on a fault line, so when the earth trembles in either the north or south Island, we often get the tail end of shiver. A bit like being on an old fashioned party line – one telephone line, several voices chattering.

This morning, at approximately the time my alarm would normally ring, Hanmer Springs had a very shallow 4.1 quake.

Sorry folks, but even Nokia doesn’t wake me up that efficiently.

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