Lockdown 2.0, Days 21, 22, 23

It's been a rollercoaster of a few days. Numbers were lower again on Wednesday, under 300 - promising. Then Thursday was 725. I felt sick when I first saw that result, and every time I thought of it since then. Today was in the 600s. Not good. I'm in awe every day of the way Dan Andrews and Brett Sutton keep fronting up to the press, calmly and solemnly making the announcements, taking responsibility for what's happened so far and outlining the next potential steps. It looks like a thankless, exhausting job.

On a personal level, I felt a little better on Wednesday. I even felt well enough to drive Caitlin in to Yarra Glen to the post office. I went to the chemist to try to get some homeopathics to help with the bleeding but the naturopath wasn't there so I planned to go back the next day. I spent a lot of the day on the couch/in bed, playing games and watching tv = The Gallery (Mandalorian), Gilmore Girls. Amelie had Guides, Caitlin tried to do her Cheer Zoom class but the internet was dodgy. I went to bed feeling positive that things were going to get better health wise.

Thursday I was about to go and get my blood test when I had a massive amount of bleeding. I was quite scared for a little while. I spoke to Nurse on Call and one of the doctors at the surgery and they recommended I come in. A friend took me to see the doctor, we tried to find somewhere for me to get an ultrasound, and she ended up taking me to emergency at Box Hill because I was pretty dizzy and finding it hard to concentrate. It was unnerving being at the hospital in lots of ways, no visitors or support people allowed in, everyone in masks, staff with face guards as well, signs everywhere. It was obvious the longer I was there that COVID is impacting the care that the hospital is able to give - things like ultrasounds are now only done if really urgent (so even though the Dr I saw wanted me to have one, it wasn't approved so I couldn't get one while I was there). I was really happy with the nurses and doctors who I dealt with, they did everything they could to reassure me and did seem interested in trying to figure out what was going on. My blood test came back with no worrying results, so after they checked a few things out they sent me home and asked me to get an ultrasound as soon as I could and organised a gynaecology appointment for some time in the future. Tony came to pick me up and it was really lovely chatting in the car on the way home - we don't get much time together without the kids around. The kids were really pleased to see me when I got home - I'd been gone all day and left before the older two woke up. We watched more Gilmore Girls and ate Nachos that Caitlin had cooked. The girls lay on the couch with me while we watched, and Liam stayed in the lounge room and watched with us. I was exhausted by the time I went to bed but surprisingly felt better than I had been - even though I still wasn't well I felt like it would get better.

I slept badly and had some anxious moments through the night - got up and had a shower at around 4am and that helped a lot. I got some good sleep when I went back to bed. Once I woke for the day - a beautiful sunny day, although a little foggy early - I felt better overall - physically and emotionally. Still bleeding but not so worryingly so. I spent time on the computer, hung the washing, felt a bit more normal than I had in a while. I went to have my ultrasound, - a relief to finally have it done, and I'll talk to my doctor tomorrow morning to see if it shows any answers. Afterwards I went to McDonalds (which was really busy - the girl at the window said they're busier during lockdown than they have ever been before) and bought my ultimate comfort food - fries and a chocolate sundae. I stopped in Yarra Glen and was able to get some homeopathic Phosphorus - she said it really should help. I drove then up to a spot on Old Healesville Rd, which overlooks the valleys on both sides of the road - over to our house and the mountains beyond Healesville, Pauls Ridge and Mt St Leonards, the hills of Dixons Creek. I ate my fries and sundae, took some photos, listened to music, read my book - it was a lovely hour by myself. Back at home I watched some TV with the girls, did some of my creativity course, chatted with a friend on the phone. Caitlin and I watched The Kissing Booth 2 - I got way more invested in it than I wanted to - it wasn't great but slighly better than the first one, and it was fun to watch with Caitlin, while she made bucket hats and we all ate takeaway pizza for dinner. 

Lockdown 2.0, Days 19 and 20

Yesterday I was pretty low. I was still feeling really sick and seemed to be getting worse. The number of infections was higher than any other day so far. I didn't really get out of bed and was feeling pretty miserable.

I had a great chat to a friend who encouraged me to make a telehealth appointment with my doctor, which was a great idea. Caitlin and I watched a low-quality teen movie on Netflix (The Kissing Booth) and then some Gilmore Girls - Amelie joined us for that as well. We all lay in my bed and watched and it was a really beautiful way to spend the afternoon. I had my Drs appt and she prescribed some tranexamic acid which Tony was able to pick up on his way home. He cooked me steak for dinner which was delicious and exactly what I needed. In the evening we watched Australian Ninja Warrior, another exciting night of viewing.

Today was better. Numbers were down a bit, although still persistently high. My mood was much improved even though I still feel pretty weak. The drugs seem to be helping. I spent the day mainly in bed, doing some reading and research and playing games, and had a Zoom meeting with my Yarra Glen group - had a really great chat with 3 of my homeschooling friends. I went outside a couple of times today, hadn't done that for a few days and it was lovely. Discovered a chicken that Luna had chased, hiding under some pallettes, so reunited her with her flock. The girls and I watched a little more Gilmore Girls before another episode of Australian Ninja Warrior - our favourite coach, Twitch Ninja, was on tonight and it was very cool.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 18

Another not so great day. Can’t remember the exact number of cases but it was bad and there were 10 deaths. It feels like it’s never going to improve. So glad we are living out here where we do but I know that doesn’t make us immune. I’m in awe of the way Dan Andrews and Brett Sutton keeO turning up every day, answering questions and trying tondo the best thing.

I really wasn’t well today. I’m having a severely heavy period and spent today on the couch - walking around too much gave me head spins. I browsed the internet and worked on my photos and had a pretty relaxing day. In the afternoon we had a Zoom catch up with some of Tony's cousins which was fun. Tonight we watched the the first heat of this year’s Australian Ninja Warrior. So good! And exciting to know several of the competitors.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 17

Numbers in the 300s today. So stable-ish but still not great. Number of deaths is increasing and the ages of people in hospitals is getting lower - both are bad.

I was overwhelmed by everything today. Housework, talking to people, thinking about what to do - all too hard. I had a nice long shower and spent a couple of hours on the couch checking email, reading stuff, doing quizzes etc. I worked outside for a while which always clears my head and I enjoy listening to my book while I do it (currently up to Book 5 of the Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians series). I caught up on all the dishes while I listened to my favourite music - felt good to get that done. Caitlin trimmed my hair for me then brushed and braided it - I like this little routine we've added to our days. The girls and I went for a walk in the late afternoon. I slowed them down a fair bit because I took my camera and took a lot of photos.It was another really beautiful afternoon - and we saw the lambs next door (at a distance. The kids saw them close up yesterday when they went for their walk). I lay down after our walk and played with my photos for a few hours.

I have been feeling guilty lately because I've not found lockdown too hard - I've enjoyed lots of aspects of it (especially the first one, not this one as much) - and so many people are finding it really hard. Then I have days when I find it hard, and I feel guilty because I do have it pretty easy, my time is my own to choose how to spend it, I'm not busy or under pressure. But really I do think it's ok to make the most of this time and enjoy it if I can, and it's also ok to have days (or weeks) where it's difficult - being at home all the time, helping to keep the kids' emotional health high, can take a toll. And this is my usual work environment - normally I'm very comfortable with the idea that my job is a full time home-educator mum. That hasn't changed because there is a pandemic. That's still my job and some days are trickier than others. I'm hoping that having a bit of a rest today will help me feel better tomorrow - if not, I'll take it easy for as long as I need to.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 16

A good day today. 300 cases which is trending in the right direction. Caitlin and I got our test results back and we are both negative - thought that would be the case but it’s still a huge relief.

I was up early (before 6) which is my favourite way to start the day. I spent the morning on the computer and doing the dishes, working on the yard, chatting with the kids. Caitlin did some more sewing (she’s making a giraffe). Amelie was feeling out of sorts, she Skyped with a friend then Liam and her friend’s brothers joined in and they all played Werewolf.

I made a picnic lunch for myself (after feeding the kids) and went across the creek to my favourite spot where I sat and drank tea and read my book and ate my food. It was a wonderfully relaxing way to spend an hour. I took lots of photos too. I nearly let the neighbour next to the back of the property - she just waved to me from a distance.

I did some work on my photos then had a beer with Tony while he got the pizza oven going, and we sat outside near the fire, while Amelie jumped on the trampoline in the dark. After dinner Liam, Caitlin and I watched Point Break (I’m on a bit of a Keanu binge) - it was WAY more violent than I remembered- there were bits of it I couldn’t watch. We enjoyed most of it though and I’m glad the kids have seen it. More Gilmore Girls afterwards and Caitlin brushed them straightened my hair - it made for a late night but so relaxing that it was worth it.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 15

Today was better. Numbers were slightly down - although still over 400 so it seems that my standards are slipping. First day of compulsory mask wearing - from what I hear most people did wear them.

I slept really badly and didn't wake up until 8.30. I had a 9.30 zoom training session with The Compound - a strength session which I was really nervous about since I haven't done any strenuous exercise for what seems like months now. It was a great session, Clem is an excellent trainer and was able to tailor it to my lack of condition. I really enjoyed it although it was really hard. Afterwards I could barely move my arms and legs - I spent a couple of hours sitting on the floor chatting to the kids and playing games.

In the afternoon I got a bit of tidying done and had an unexpected visit from a friend (who stood outside the kitchen window so we could talk without getting close). We watched High School Musical 2, some of Rise of Skywalker (Disney+ doesn't always like our internet connection so that's another movie we've added to our 'come back to finish later when the internet is working better' list), and more Gilmore Girls.  I went for a walk with Amelie late in the afternoon. Just as we got home there was a bit of sunset light reflected on the dam - gorgeous! Tony went to Chirnside Park to pick up Amelie's phone but the shop was closed - very disappointing. Amelie took it very well. Tony brought home Indian for tea, delicious as always. I did a bit of reading, writing, playing with my photos and some researching after dinner which was quite productive - I had been stressed lately because I felt like I should be doing more work on my website and today I'd decided not to do any - after most of a day off I felt happily like doing some and it was really enjoyable.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 14

Today was hard. Numbers are way up - over 500 for Australia, most in Victoria. We’re 2 weeks into lockdown and things aren’t getting better. It’s scary and worrying.

I woke up with my head all stuffy and my throat scratchy. Caitlin woke up saying she felt really sick - she’d been heading that way for the past couple of days. I feel like mine is hayfever, hers might be too or she’s just exhausted, or she’s picked up a cold from somewhere... but it’s not worth assuming that and being wrong, so we went to Healesville to get tested. It was a bit odd having it done on the same room I do karate in...

Liam and I had a fun morning playing games - Othello (he’s pretty good but hasn’t beaten me yet - probably the only game o can say that about!), Flux, Burn and Kaboom. Amelie joined us for a while too. After Caitlin and I decided to go and get tested he was a bit worried so went to his room to play on his computer and stayed there for the rest of the day. Amelie spent a lot of the afternoon on the trampoline and playing with Luna. Caitlin and I watched Gilmore Girls, she did some sewing and i researches website and storage options. The girls and I went for a late walk and played with Luna a bit more. The dam was beautiful in the post-sunset light.

We’re all a bit on edge. Caitlin and I both became more anxious as the evening went on - a duet session at the piano had us laughing hard and helped quite a bit. I had a bath and Caitlin talked to friends- I think we’re all a tad stir- crazy and feeling anxious and it caught up with is all today. The house is a mess and I feel like I have a massive list of things I want to be doing and m not getting to - hopefully tomorrow I’ll either be able to do some of them, or stop worrying about them!

Lockdown 2.0, Day 13

Numbers in the high 300s again today. So that’s stable-ish but not going down really, yet. I really really hope things start to drop off soon, we’re nearly 2 weeks into lockdown so if we don’t see results in the next few days I guess more changes will be needed. Lots more people were wearing masks this morning at Coles - at least one on 3 people I’d say, maybe more. It was cool seeing all the different designs and styles.

I had a good night’s sleep last night and my headache today was only a dull ache. I felt so much better, in a good mood and with lots of energy. Hung out with Liam for a bit in the morning then went to get the milk, stopped at Coles and the bakery on the way home. (And discovered that the bread from the bakery near Coles is not as soft and delicious as the one near the traffic lights). The kids and I played a bunch of games in the afternoon, we all had a turn at Get Over It (I’m getting better), and Cards Against Humanity Family Edition hilarious as always. Our dishwasher stopped working yesterday (happens occasionally) so I had all the dishes from my rest day yesterday plus what was in the dishwasher - I made a fair dint in them. We watched more Gilmore Girls and Caitlin and I went for a late afternoon/early evening walk. We had stroganoff for tea - using kangaroo meat, it was delicious.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 12

Woke up with a huge headache this morning. A shower didn't help much, some time outside helped a little. Liam and I played cards for a while - Spit, then Burn, and then played Othello. Amelie was skyping with some friends and when they started playing Werewolf Liam and Caitlin joined in as well. After lunch Caitlin put Gilmore Girls on and she and I lay on the couch together all afternoon and watched TV - that actually helped me feel a lot better. I didn't even think about infection numbers until early evening (and they are down a tiny bit today). I played the piano for a while - first time in days and it felt really good. Feeling pretty tired right now so will probably head to bed for an early night.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 11

Numbers back up again today (363). Masks compulsory from next Wednesday night. Caitlin's boss wants them to wear the disposable ones, hope that I can get a pack before they all sell out. We all have our reusable ones and now it won't feel so weird to be wearing them.

I did have a pretty quiet day today. Talked to 3 friends, and Mum, on the phone. Went for a walk with Caitlin to drop off a mask (made by Caitlin) to our neighbour. Did a bit of work outside, played games on my phone, downloaded some audiobooks, did a bit of reading and writing, took Caitlin to work and picked her up 3 hours later. I'm still feeling pretty good emotionally, settling in to lockdown and finding a bit of a rhythm. Tony fixed the door handles on the outer doors, and Caitlin started to take the kitchen cupboard doors off so that we can paint them.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 10

217 cases overnight. That's better news than the last few days. I know that it doesn't mean that things are definitely better, or that things are trending downwards - but it does give me hope again. It's possible that things could improve.

Had a very low key, quiet day today. Lots of Gilmore Girls and playing on my phone, some writing, chatting to Liam, trying to stay warm - it was a cold day. In the afternoon I went out to Tony's work to help him collect wood that he'd been chopping, I hadn't been way up the back on the hill before - fantastic views of the valley in several directions, and a really fun place to walk through. Lots of little trees that are less than 11 years old - that area was burnt on Black Saturday. Lots of big old trees with fire scars too. I took Luna with me and we had a walk on the hill after loading the ute with wood.

I took Caitlin to work then had a wonderfully long chat on the phone with a friend, now settling in for more quiet evening time, and planning a similarly quiet day tomorrow.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 9

428 cases overnight. That's alarming. Really not good news. The next few days will be an indicator I guess of whether the lockdown measures are starting to have an impact. It's really quite scary.

I'm pleased though that despite the bad news I stayed in a good mood all day (I'm tired now and ready for bed - I'm in the middle of making yoghurt though so want to wait up until that's ready to put in the jar. Everything else is done, so I can write here for a while then I guess I'll read my book until the yoghurt is ready).

I woke up a bit before 6 after sleeping all night (from 11.30. That's later than I'd normally go but the football was in Perth last night so finished late, and Caitlin was lying in bed chatting and laughing with me while Tony watched the end of the game and the press conferences etc. Amelie joined us for a while and by the time the girls headed off it was quite late). I love being up early and I'm usually in a really good mood if I get an early start to the day. Liam was still awake then so we had a good chat about his game and the animals and other stuff and had breakfast together. I pottered around all morning, chatted to my mum, helped Amelie find fabric for some sewing she's doing, helped Caitlin get the lego out (she was inspired by watching the Try Guys doing a lego challenge on YouTube), ticked some things off my to do list (admin type stuff (including ringing to see if Amelie's phone is ready - it might be back by Tuesday. Or Thursday. Next week.)). In the afternoon I did some work on my creativity course, then the girls and I walked to the end of Houghtons Lane and back. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for a walk - everywhere I looked was so beautiful. We talked to some cows, saw wattle trees in a whole range of stages of blooming, admired our favourite gum tree, looked at reflections in puddles of water - it was fantastic. Tony came and picked Amelie up when she got tired and Caitlin and I walked the rest of the way home. She had some food and I re-dressed her burn (it's mainly looking good, except for her middle finger, it's still very red and sore) then took her to work. I then took myself on a date - I bought some boiled lollies from the new lolly shop in Yarra Glen, bought a spearmint hot chocolate (SO delicious) from the ice cream place, then drove down to the showgrounds and found a place to park near the river. I hopped out and took a few photos, then sat in the car and read my book until it got too dark to see easily, so I played on my phone for a while. I picked up pizza on the way home and felt very relaxed and recharged - but really really cold! I had a lovely hot shower then spent the evening tidying things up and making yoghurt, talking to a friend and rescuing a very large huntsman spider from Liam's room.

Hopeful for a drop in numbers tomorrow and hoping that people really start to do the right thing and stay home as much as possible.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 8

I'm obviously becoming a bit immune to the news. 317 cases overnight - I know that's a huge number, but it doesn't upset or shock me like previous record numbers have. If it stays at that level for more than a few more days though then I'll be worried (not that I'm not worried now, but I'm hoping that this is just catching those people who were infected around the time the lockdown started, and that soon we'll start to see the results of isolation. Assuming that enough people have actually been doing what they should be and staying at home when they can. There were a lot more masks worn in Yarra Glen today - the first 4 people I saw in the IGA had masks on, and I've probably only seen 4 there at all over the past several months.)

I stayed in my slump overnight - slept badly and woke with a bad headache, and just felt really low. I slept until after 8 which is really unusual for me, although is happening sometimes now if I am awake a lot during the night. I didn't do much in the morning apart from a long, hot shower which helped a little with my headache. I took Caitlin back to the nurse to have her hand checked and dressed again - there's a little bit of blistering and swelling but on the whole it looks pretty good. We did a really quick grocery shop, then came home so I could have my counselling appointment over Zoom. It was  a good session and helped me to feel calmer about a few things and gave me some ideas for how to improve some stuff that's been bothering me.

I watched Gilmore Girls with the girls and played on my phone for a while, then we went for a walk. The girls just went around the dam then headed home, I went across the creek and way down the back and chatted to a friend as I walked. It was a mild afternoon and the late afternoon sun made the clouds quite pretty. I felt a lot better by the time I got back - my mood had lifted and my headache not so overwhelming. I did a bit of work on the driveway, chatted with Tony and did some proofreading while Caitlin cooked nachos for dinner. I did the dishes then played Unocorns (a Unicorn themed version of Uno) with Amelie. I watched Liam play Get Over It for a while - he makes it looks so easy! He showed me a video of someone doing a speed run through the game - it looked amazing! It was nice to hang with Liam for a bit - he's quite nocturnal at the moment so some days we don't cross paths much. I'm feeling really tired now though quite happy so it's a nice way to end the day.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 7

I hit a bit of a slump this afternoon, even though I'd had a really good day. I was thinking we were about to hit a week of lockdown and somehow from there things got exhausting. So I've spent the last couple of hours playing games on my phone and watching Gilmore Girls with the girls, it's been fun.

This morning was pretty relaxing, I had several hours by myself and did some housework, some outside time, some creative stuff and spent some timing sorting the kids old clothes (which I've jusr realised are still all over my bed). I played Monopoly Deal with Caitlin for a while and then was doing some photography research when Caitlin burnt herself with hot oil, over about half of her hand. We ran it under hot water for 20 minutes and she was feeling pretty numb by then, and I wasn't sure if there was still oil on the skin. I took her in to the doctor at Yarra Glen - it was so weird with only 4 chairs in the waiting room and lots of social distancing signs. The nurse dressed the burns (which didn't look too bad, and we wondered if we'd overreacted, but the nurse said they might get much worse overnight and wants us to come back tomorrow) after the doctor had checked them. Caitlin ended up with one of those finger sock things on her middle finger which looks pretty funny. We did a bit of shopping in Yarra Glen once we were done, including getting supplies (and paint) for painting our kitchen cupboards which was pretty exciting.

By the time we got home Caitlin was in a lot of pain so she had painkillers and put Gilmore Girls on to lie down and rest. I went for a walk just before sunset then tried to help Amelie find some fabric for something she wants to make and then crashed.

Feeling apprehensive about the thought of further restrictions but also feeling like not a lot will change - unless I can't get Amelie's phone back from the repairer before it gets locked down - that would be pretty disastrous. Wish I hadn't thought of that...

I'm going to go now and clear the bed off, make a cup of tea and go to bed and read for a while.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 6

We all got a bit loopy this evening - don't know if we're succumbing to quarantine madness, or it was just our general Tuesday evening craziness. Lots of laughing and giggling and saying things that made no sense at all. It was nice to all be together - the girls and Tony and I watched Breaking Dawn Part 2 to finish our Twilight marathon - Liam didn't want to watch with us but did come out towards the end and got caught up in the silliness which was fun.

It was a good day overall although I am tireder than I feel like I should be. I was up early and had a couple of hours on my own, on the computer and a bit of time outside. I went over to Yarra Junction to get the milk and some eggs, then stopped in Healesville to grab bread and some meat for dinner (wiener schnitzels, which I crumbed tonight, and they were delicious). Once I was home I hung out with Caitlin, we watched some YouTube and played Monopoly Deal for a while, with help from the cat. Amelie was watching Hilda while we played, which is now my new favourite TV show. The script is so clever, and a couple of characters are hilarious in a really understated way. I love it.

In the afternoon I had a Zoom meeting for our Yarra Glen Homeschool group. There were 3 other mums on the call and it was lovely to see them and catch up with how everyone is adjusting to lockdown. Again. The girls joined me on my bed where I was talking to them, and we stayed there after the meeting and chatted about another TV show Amelie's been watching (Cat Noir?). Caitlin and I decided to watch The Politician, then the fruit box arrived so we went out to see what yummy fruit had arrived, then all got something to eat, chatted to Liam a bit, then a friend called past to pick up some eggs in a socially distancing way, then Caitlin and I took Luna for a walk as it was getting close to sunset. We saw the new lambs in the field across Houghtons Lane (although they were way over the other side of the field - Caitlin saw them closer up yesterday). Once home, we finally watched a couple of episodes of The Politician, ate our dinner, then we watched the Twilight movie.

It was a fun day and I do feel like I'm relaxing into things again, happy to take it easy and get through this feeling stable.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 5

Feeling really happy this afternoon. I had one of my favourite kind of days (apart from days spent with friends). I pottered around the house, sorting and tidying, a bit of cleaning, in between writing, reading, playing games on my phone, watching TV (Brooklyn 9-9) and movies (the 1st 3 Twilight movies) on and off, chatting to the kids and on the phone with friends. I took my time over things, didn't worry about finishing tasks, just did what naturally felt right to do next. A walk in the late afternoon with beautiful sunlight over the vines, chatting to a friend then listening to my audio book, and then playing Get Over It on Liam's computer - a repetitive game that I'm very slowly getting better at and that I found soothing rather than frustrating.  Tony has cooked dinner so I'm about to curl up and eat and then watch the rest of Eclipse with the girls. I haven't looked at the news and spent little time on Facebook and on the whole I'm feeling more positive about everything.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 4

I took my own advice this afternoon - when I got tired and headachy, I went to bed and watched a movie rather than pushing through. I watched 'The Light Between Oceans' - I knew it would be heartbreaking because I've read the book. It was well made and fairly true to the book. The crying didn't help my headache, but it did shift something and when it was finished I had energy to get up and do a few more things and I feel better than I would have if I'd just crashed and given up on my evening.

I had a headache pretty much all day, including when I was awake during the night. It came and went and I relaxed when it was bad (including having a nice long shower) and pottered around when it wasn't. I enjoyed my time outside patching the driveway and working on my compost. I did heaps of cooking again - finished the lemon cordial, made lemon-infused oil, and 3 jars of lemon butter - it's SO delicious and I'm excited to have it in the fridge. I watched YouTube with Caitlin and then the girls watched a series that Amelie likes for the rest of the day - I popped in and out and watched bits with them and chatted about the plot. I like seeing how they interpret different social situations and it was interesting to compare which characters we all liked and disliked.

I went for a nice long walk late in the afternoon, it was cloudy but not too cold, and Luna got to chase a fox down the back of the property, very exciting for her. It was a glossy red, healthy looking fox, I've seen a few here lately, the rabbit population must be thriving to give them lots of food.

I had a look at the news after my walk, and at Facebook, which seemed to bring on my headache again pretty quickly. The numbers are high again, health workers are getting sick, there's a small outbreak in NSW - too much scary news so I walked away from the computer and relaxed instead. I did a bit of my puzzle, watched my movie, and now that I've tidied the kitchen I'm going to do a bit more writing while we watch a Twilight movie and then enjoy my sleep.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 3

I realised this morning that I had been thinking that I needed to be productive this lockdown. Last time I let myself relax and take things easy last time, didn't push myself, but this time I should use the time efficiently and get a heap of things done. I was already starting to feel the pressure of that and luckily I was able to have a rethink.

There are some things I'd like to achieve over the next 6 weeks - writing every day, staying fit, selling some photos, sorting out some more areas of the house - and these were things I was planning to do anyway, before the lockdown was announced. It's important though that I take care of myself and help the kids get through this as emotionally healthily as they can. If that's all I manage over the next couple of months, that's ok. If I get more done, that's great. I really want to take each day one at a time, spend time doing things that I love, play with the kids, play the piano, go for walks - they are my priority. I also find that if I do focus on those things, I become more productive overall anyway.

I ended up having a fairly relaxing, though busy, day. Lots of time in the kitchen - I made yoghurt, helped Caitlin with making kombucha, made chicken stock, started some lemon cordial, and made lemon chicken for dinner. In between there was time outside, piano playing, a long walk in Yarra Glen after dropping Caitlin at work - the river is really high at the moment, and I walked along the new boardwalk next it, which I hadn't done before. The wattle trees are just starting to bloom, it was really pretty.

I'm heading off to bed soon to read my book, looking forward to another day at home tomorrow to potter around and do whatever springs to mind.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 2

Today has been slightly anxiety-inducing. Settling into lockdown can feel a bit unknown, and the numbers overnight were huge (288 - the biggest day yet) which is unnerving. I went to Chirnside Park this morning to get Amelie's phone fixed again (the fix we had done on Monday didn't work) - I don't like being there, although I went early so that it wasn't too crowded. I really prefer to stay local with my shopping, it feels safer and way less stressful. I wore my mask and made sure I kept my distance from people. After arguing with the phone guy about whether I should have to pay for a 2ns fix or not, I did the grocery shopping at Woolworths and went back to discover that the phone problem is worse than we thought and it needed to be sent away. I got a coffee and went for a walk then realised that I probably wasn't allowed to sit down on a park bench and read, which was my plan, so I went back to the car and drove to a park, and sat in the car and read my book for a while. On the way home I stopped to get chicken food (we have to sit in our cars at the stock feed place and they come out to serve us) and chatted through the window with my neighbour's daughter in her car - it was good to catch up on a bit of local news and check that our neighbour was doing ok. By the time I got home I was exhausted, and Amelie was quite sad about her phone. It is nice though to have full cupboards again (and lots of chocolate).

Caitlin heard last week that the local fish and chip was looking for more help - she rang them yesterday and they said to bring her resume in. So when I got home we put together a resume for her and drove to Yarra Glen. We did a bit of browsing in the hardware store and got some paint samples - we want to repaint the kitchen cupboards now that we have a nicely painted splashback and new curtains (thanks to Caitlin). She handed her resume in at the Fish and Chip shop, and the guy asked her to make a coffee for him. She made a latte (he was impressed that a 15 year old can make coffee) and he chatted to her for a bit then he asked her to start work at 5pm today.

We had an early fish and chip dinner, I browsed Facebook for a bit and then felt anxious again seeing people argue about everything, so I shut that down. Tony and I went for a walk with Luna, he came home and took Caitlin to work and I continued a nice long walk on my own. The sunset was pretty and it wasn't too cold - I still feel exhausted but it was good to have a bit of alone time and some exercise. I'm feeling a bit like I didn't get much done today - the dishwasher is still full and I didn't hang the washing etc - that's how some days go I guess, other things happen and it's not as though I haven't been busy, it was just different to what I'd planned.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 1

When we went into self-isolation in mid-March, and then when the whole state locked down, and we were home all the time along with most people we knew around the world, I kept thinking that it would be useful and interesting to blog about the experience. I thought about it nearly every day, and just never got around to writing a post. When restrictions started to ease I thought about writing a summary of our lockdown time - but kept finding other things to do. Now that we are back in lockdown, my aim is to stop thinking about writing about it, and just turn up at the keyboard each day and write something.

So. Here we are again, with only 4 reasons to leave the house. Which means the kids will basically stay home nearly all the time, I'll go out once or twice a week to do the shopping and get the mail, and there might be some Zoom meetings or classes from time to time. In a lot of ways things won't change too much. We were very slow in coming out of restrictions, mainly only seeing local friends and only 1 or 2 at a time. We weren't going to public places much - I'd only ventured to Chirnside Park shops a couple of times. None of our regular activities had started up again. So we were still self-isolating in a lot of ways. We had started to have friends over a few times a week and the number of different people we were seeing one-on-one had increased - so I guess that will be different. But the kids are good at chatting to their friends on their phones or computers and I can easily keep in touch with people so it won't be too bad.

I do like having few demands on my time, so another 6 weeks of that is not a bad thing. I had visions of getting heaps of things done around the house last time - and in the end I did do a lot, just in little bits and pieces of time rather than spending days working on projects. I have some higher aims this time (some house stuff, also some creative ideas with my writing and photography, and maybe looking at ways of earning an income) but I also want to hang on to the things I learnt the first time - that I'm happier and more productive if I listen to myself and do what feels right in the moment, rather than pushing myself to achieve a pre-set goal for the day. (Earlier this week I was telling Tony that I was frustrated because I hadn't been able to get much done that day because other things kept happening. I was recounting my day and only up to about 2pm and he said 'That's a really busy day already, you actually did heaps!' ).

The kids seem OK with the idea of lockdown again, although sad that they won't see their friends for a while. Caitlin was about to go back into the gym for Cheer - Zoom trainings are not as fun or motivating as training with the team, so she was looking forward to that. We had plans for Liam to spend a day or two a week with one of his friends, and Amelie had just met some girls that she was hoping to see regularly. I was thinking about starting our Ninja classes up again. So all of that is on hold and we're readjusting to spending our time entertaining ourselves again. Caitlin had just bought a bunch of fabric (we got 2 trips to the op shop in this week, our first time back that, so that was exciting) and she's busy making clothes. Amelie is drawing and listening to audio books and playing cards with me. Liam will continue playing his computer games and working on his fitness. There's plenty to do and we're comfortable and happy at home.