A case of community transmitted CV-19 was discovered on Sunday so parts of Western Australia are in Lock Down until this (Friday) evening. We have to wear masks if we go outside, we can do food shopping or visit doctors or make healthcare visits and we can exercise with one other person for an hour a day. It is very quiet and peaceful! I hope it only lasts five days. A long Lock Down would be very difficult.
When we had a much longer Lock Down period last year I found yoga sessions on Youtube, made all sorts of bread, found and watched a whole range of TV series on demand and walked and walked. I listed jobs to be done, things to be sorted, people to contact. Ticked things off my To Do list. Calm but satisfying days.
This year feels different. It is again very quiet, we walk the dog wearing our masks, I potter a little outside but we are experiencing blisteringly hot weather, so very little gardening this time. Is it because we assume it will end in a few days? No other cases have been diagnosed despite the huge number of places the infected person visited in the days before he was diagnosed.
Worryingly, two of the vaccines, the Nova Vax and the Johnson and Johnson Vax are proving to be only 60% effective against the South African strain of the virus. The other two options are untested.
Painting whatever is available, in this case a hydrangea bloom and the next day, an olive branch.
No painting this week, so I have settled at the table and done a quick painting each day. I talk to my Mother who is also in Lock Down. We walk the dog, wearing our masks. We’re eating what we have in store, having done a rush shop just before Lock Down begun. I also read blogs written by people who have been experiencing these limitations for weeks and draw inspiration from their comments.
No yoga or Pilates, but so far no online exercise for me, either. No mahjong, no Fringe Festival sessions, but some lovely long chats with friends online or on the phone. We’ve cleaned the house, which took us about five hours to do properly last year! Same this year. I think we are slow workers. It was also an opportunity to sort and put things away, or pack them up to leave the house!
Like so many people during Lock Down we have emptied, wiped then repacked some cupboards. We have a verge pick up this weekend, when our local council removes all our unwanted things from the verge and attempts to recycle them.
Not only are we experiencing Lock Down but also shocking bush fires. Eighty one homes on rural properties have been destroyed, livestock and enormous amounts of summer feed are gone. We are experiencing constant and awful winds which whip the fires along. So distressing.
Australia has a 150 strong air fleet to fight fire. They go where they are needed. There are 150 fixed wing or large helicopters in the fleet including the water bombers. Each carries water, fire retardant or firefighters, who can be winched into remote where they are required. The fire is still out of control.
READING
Spent a day reading Alex Michaelide’s The Silent Patient. A psychological thriller with so many twists and turns. This is a gripping book. Clever and fast moving with an unexpected ending. A great read. A film adaptation is on the way.
WATCHING
Photo BBCtv
A few years ago I read the book ‘Love, Nina; Dispatches From Family Life’ by Nina Stibbe so was interested when we saw it was available as a series on Netflix. Nina has left school and, at 20, left Leicester to be a Nanny to two boys in London. The series is based on her letters home to her sister, each signed ‘Love, Nina’. Her letters describe her trials and triumphs working for a bohemian family. She can’t cook, she knows nothing about children and she’s often taken aback by the lifestyle she encounters. Sharply observed and laugh out loud funny, watch the series if you can! There’s five episodes in the current series and another series planned.
February is Ovarian Awareness Month, intended to highlight the symptoms of ovarian cancer and to raise money for support programs. Be informed www.ovariancancer.net.au/