DOING A DON BRASH AND AN UGLY BAGGAGE

Today was fraught with a few challenges. Firstly was getting to Christchurch because of the snow. We thought we were cunninger than a cunning thing when we booked our flight for 1.15 today - expecting the ground would have thawed enough to land. It was and we did while some colleagues who booked on early morning flights were bounced to fly at the earliest - on Thursday.

We had packed enough stuff for three weeks - we are here for 3 months - so 3 weeks seemed to be a good stint before we went home to the Wairarapa for some R and R.

We got our rental car and then realised with horror that the only bag left on the carousel looked like ours in every detail apart from a padlock and a wispy ribbon on the handle. Someone picked up my bag. Duh.

When we bought the bag we picked the ugliest one we could find. Maroon with an ugly maroon and white tartan front. It looks like something a bottle tanned pom would buy for a week at Butlins holiday Camp

So Airnz says they will hold the bag of the other woman. but we have to go back out to the airport to pick it up as "its not their fault its lost" was the reason given. We have had our bag delivered in the past but it was the Airlines fault so thats fair enough.

- We think the woman who has my bag is Mrs Susan (poss Sue King.) I found that out looking over the shoulder of the nice lady at lost baggage at chch airport.

And i think she had come from overseas via Auckland but it was hard to decipher the abbreviations.

So we are parked up in a nice motel and have had to wash our one set of clothes doing a Don Brash washing them in the handbasin - which leaves us a bit - exposed...

Lucky there is a good heater in the room. So missing in the suitcase are all the expensive potions and lotions that fill in the cracks of our 51 year old face. So tomorrow we reckon our countenance will resemble earthquake damaged Bealey Ave.

And we have no cell charger - so phone is going flat so if Mrs King does come to light I wont get the message until we can charge the phone.

We had to buy a toothbrush, and all the other girly toiletries.

But for the first time since we have been in Christchurch we are praying there will be no quake tonight. If we are forced outside the only thing we will be wearing is a big red coat and we will be commando underneath and its chillier than a Labour caucus after the latest poll result -out there - There is snow still piled up all over the place.

So please - please if anyone knows Susan King, who has seriously crap taste in luggage - tell her to ring airnz urgently.