The Way Things Used to Be

Every so often, in an idle moment, I scan through my digital photo files peering at old photos of Christchurch.

Old being pre-September 2010, before the 7.1 earthquake struck that is.

I'm always amazed by how much I have already forgotten, just three years on.

I took these photographs inside Christchurch Cathedral in the Square.

And as we all know, the Cathedral now sits in ruins - towers broken, steeple gone, roof collapsing, mould growing over the stone exterior, pigeons pooping through the interior.

It's a pale, sad shadow of what it used to be, of what you see here.

I'm not a religious person but I am very fond of church architecture and I often went into this cathedral - and, to my mind, the even more spectacular Catholic Basilica -  just to sit and watch and listen and contemplate.

Some of my favourite views are those minus people, or, as in this case, just a hint, a shadow of others.

(I've noticed that most of my photographs are either of people, or places - seldom both in one shot).

The famous rose window.

In storage somewhere now  (I think).

And with the choristers practising for the annual Christmas performance.

This year I guess they'll give us a tune in Shigeru Ban's Cardboard Cathedral - a very nice temporary replacement.

Same view, different day, different year and fewer people.

And the exterior view that dons a thousand (at least) tourist books.

I used to take this view so much for granted.

I take very little for granted any more.