Rewiring the neural pathways in my mind

Forty or so years of living in Wellington, and then in Christchurch has subliminally trained my mind to be ever on the alert.

Now, I have to keep reminding myself that every time the house creaks or I hear a low rumble in the distance from a truck or train that I don't need to be on full alert for the inevitable. Earthquakes don't happen in Auckland - or if they are felt they will have been centred far away, and much more devastating for those near the epicentre.

Tsunami could be a risk here, although the Gulf Islands may act to dissipate some of the effects. Tornadoes too seem to be a weather related risk in some parts of the greater city, infrequently.

Volcanoes though...the entire city is built on them. Extinct they say, and definitely dormant since some time before the arrival of european settlers. But the evidence is everywhere. Mt Eden, Mt Wellington, Mt Roskill, Mt Albert, One Tree Hill, Rangitoto, Lake Pupuke, Orakei Basin...

So, forgive me if I'm jumpy - but I still forget