Still tired

 It's 2 1/2 weeks since I tested positive for COVID, and while I feel a lot better - not feeling sick anymore - I am still tired and get breathless pretty easily.

I continued to rest through the full week of my isolation, and on Day 7 I still tested positive so stayed in iso while the kids went back out and about. I was so blessed to have friends and family drop off supplies and check in on me regularly, and the kids took care of the animals and getting food organised. Tony brought over takeaway several times so food was pretty easy. I was positive again on Day 11 and finally tested negative on Day 15. 

I haven't been doing much - a little bit of tidying up or packing the dishwasher or washing some clothes, and a few trips to drop the kids to work or at friend's houses. I've been doing a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, but even sitting up to do that gets tiring after about an hour. Anything more strenuous and it's more like 10 or 15 minutes. So I've been spending lots of time reading, watching Netflix and Disney+, playing games on the computer, chatting on the phone - I can talk for a bit longer now before I get puffed out and it's usually not as bad as in that first week. Today though I was up for a while and played a board game with Tony - by the end of that I was finding breathing quite hard, it was breathlessness like I'd had early on. Lying down relieves it fairly quickly which is a good thing. There's a lot of smoke in the air today from burning off and a couple of nearby bushfires, so that's probably making the breathing a bit trickier.

It's a concern that there are so many people right now experiencing this. It's a disease that has quite an impact on so many people and I guess it's causing us all to slow down. I hope that people take the rest that they need and that case numbers start to fall, that people remain careful and - I don't know what else. I'd like it to start to have less of an impact on our world, but I do feel like that is a good way off yet.

Catching COVID

 Despite being super cautious, still wearing masks in public places, not going to many events or activities, I picked up COVID last week at our first homeschool camp for the year. I had decided not to organise a camp earlier in the year because the risk felt too great, but by this stage the kids were in desperate need of a few days away with friends, and I was too. We'd decided it was worth the risk and I stand by that even though I'm disappointed to have caught it. The weird thing is that I don't know who I got it from - no one else admitted to being sick, and no one else has caught it since I did, not any of my kids or the people I was hanging out with. Which is a relief, I was worried it was going to be a super spreader event. I guess I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time - and it shows how contagious this disease is. It's possible I didn't even talk to the person I caught it from, it could have been in the shared bathrooms at the caravan park.

I want to outline how the virus has played out for me, so that I don't forget.

Day 1

Woke up with a bit of a congested chest which worried me slightly, but then also had scratchy throat and eyes and runny nose so assumed it all part of the hayfever I'd been experiencing every morning. I was tired that day and spent hours just sitting and chatting and then curled up and reading, with no motivation even to go to the beach. I stood up after 2 hours reading and my entire body ached and I just wanted to sleep, even though I'd already had a nap before my reading stint. I decided instead to walk into town and see if the walk helped (I thought I might just be sore from an 8km walk the day before, combined with all the sitting around I'd done this day), and to pick up a RAT test while I was there. The walk was slow and I felt like I was getting a cold, feeling gradually worse and worse. When I got back to the caravan park and ducked into the bathrooms to do the test I had a really strong wave of dizziness. 

I did the RAT and glanced at it after about 5 minutes - a very strong second line was already showing. It was a horrible feeling, like a very bad dream, and I sat there for the rest of the 15 minutes trying to figure out what to do next. I ran into Caitlin as I left the bathrooms and we sat out the back working out the logistics - it was too late for me to pack up and go home that night, especially considering how unwell I was feeling, so Caitlin let the others know what had happened and I basically isolated (masked) at my tent for the rest of the evening. I did some tidying up so that pack up would be easier the next morning. My kids and the people we'd spent lots of time with did RATs and everyone else was negative.

Day 2

Felt like I had a nasty cold, and tired really easily. Felt like I had a fever. I was able to pack up with the help of the kids but had to stop and rest quite frequently. Talking and walking at the same time was tiring, as was standing up for too long at once. I had lots of offers of help and felt very supported and blessed to be surrounded by friends. We packed up and I drove home with one friend driving behind me in case things got too hard. It was a long drive, and I was masked so couldn't eat and drink like I normally do when I'm driving, and I didn't stop for a toilet stop so it was a huge relief to make it home! We put the tent up (cos it was wet) and the kids got the essential stuff out of the car and I went to bed. I was very very tired and had started to cough a lot as well - I felt like I had a bad head cold, with a dry cough. Sore sinuses and a runny nose, just very congested.

Day 3

The cough became more phlegmy and more frequent. My head felt a lot clearer, much less stuffy. I had no energy to do anything. Took the kids to get PCRs (Caitlin drove and I just curled up in the front seat and didn't want to move) - all negative. I walked out to the car to get something at one stage and walked too fast, was very puffed out for a while afterwards. Rested all day.

Day 4 

A bit more congested again and cough still happening. No loss of taste though. The breathlessness was worse- a 15 minute phone call had me puffing like I'd just run up a hill. In the night time I had night sweats which were horrible, especially when I got up to try and get some relief and then had breathlessness as well. Rested all day.

Day 5

Cough and congestion a little better, breathlessness much worse. Walking to the kitchen puffed me out. I really only have about 10 minutes of conversation in me and then it gets too tiring. Long sentences were hard work. Conscious of my breathing even if I wasn't doing much. Really smoky outside due to burning off so that didn't help with the breathing and meant I couldn't have the window open. Rested all day.

This is scary

I'm feeling scared today.

I'm worried that even after all the work we've done, everything we've been through, the virus will become out of control and our infection rates, and death rates, will climb and we'll all be personally impacted. I know people find lockdowns hard (I do as well) but living with the virus sweeping through the community seems way harder.

I saw lots of posts today (until I hid them all) about how it's propaganda, it's a government plan to control us all, that they are just using fear to make us do what they want. 

I agree that fear can be a powerful force, if you stir up enough fear about something then people will behave in ways they might not normally, and will accept suggestions (or rules) that they might not have done previously.

But.

Some things are worth being scared of, and of taking precautions to avoid. Bushfires are terrifying, and we prepare our houses and our yards, use regulated materials to build our houses, follow rules as to where we can plant trees, and leave on high fire danger days. Floods, heatwaves, storms, all are scary and we take precautions to avoid them and to protect ourselves against them. We follow rules to keep ourselves safe - wear seatbelts in the car, watch the safety demonstration on aeroplanes, wear harnesses when climbing or working up high, don't swim in waters where there are crocodiles or sharks or box jellyfish. We wear safety gear when it's appropriate - hard hats on construction sites, gloves and glasses and steel capped boots. Not all of those things that we are being protected from are as scary as others - but if something went wrong and we were not protected, it could be terrifying.

So just because everyone is scared of this virus, it doesn't mean that the government (which government? Did they all get together and decide to do this? Or did one government start it and then tell all the others - or have they all been tricked as well? I can't see how this could be orchestrated on such a global scale) has created it to control us. We're scared because it is scary. Getting sick, going to hospital, dying, losing friends or family - those things are all events that I want to avoid. And I'm really worried that that's where we are heading at the moment. I know lots of people have already experienced all of that and I don't want anyone else to have to go through that grief, and I can't imagine how much worse it will be if we are all in that situation.

If things do get worse then we will all adjust to the new way of being, but I don't want to have to do that. I will definitely take lockdowns over that option, even though this lockdown (6.0) is a massive shock and feels like a kick in the guts. But if it gets the numbers back down and we can start to see our friends again someday, then it will be worth it.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 61

 Today felt like a very productive day - there seemed to be lots of hours in the day to do things, rather than it suddenly being evening and not knowing where the day had gone. I was in a pretty good mood for most of it - a bit flat this evening, feeling sad about how long it will be until I can see friends again. I know that will happen on and off for the rest of the lockdown, I'm just going with it when it happens and letting myself feel what I feel. Having some yummy food or working with my photos or playing a game helps a bit, I feel content and happier and know that I'll be fine.

I was up early again this morning - not sure if it's because it's getting light earlier or if I've just switched sleep patterns a bit. It was another clear morning, not quite as cold as yesterday. I went for a walk as the sun rose and took some amazing pictures of the sun on the vineyard, the new buds on the vines, and the reflections in the perfectly still dam. I spent some time on the computer, had breakfast then got a heap of dishes washed before anyone else woke up. Amelie and I did some number puzzles (we're both stuck on really difficult puzzles, it's good to have a fresh set of eyes look at them), I uploaded some photos, and tidied up around the house. I spent a bit of time outside and the weather was gorgeous - sunny and calm, and I was plenty warm enough in a t-shirt. Caitlin and Liam went for a bike ride, Caitlin and Amelie did some yoga in the sun, Amelie talked to a friend on the phone. I did some more puzzles, chatted to Tony (he couldn't go to work as Caitlin still didn't have her test results), and did some work on my course. I rang the test results hotline and got Caitlin's results (negative) - they had her phone number wrong which is why she didn't receive a text. Caitlin and I went for a walk mid-afternoon. On the way to the creek we spotted a juvenile tiger snake - it was perfectly still, staring at us (I thought it was dead at first), then it reared back and slithered away. It was gorgeous, quite long and pencil thin. It's the first snake I've seen on the property since we moved here, I was quite excited. It did make us more cautious about where we walked - I've been wading through long grass for a month or so now, and have been thinking that it was getting close to time to stop doing that. I guess that time is now here. We walked across the creek and talked to the cows in the paddock near our back fence. Mum rang to chat about the new plan for easing restrictions. When we got home I rang a friend who'd called while we were walking, and lay on the couch in the carport to chat. It was sunny there and out of the wind which had been steadily increasing through the afternoon. After the phone call I did more course work, and played games on my phone for a while. Back inside (it wasn't quite as warm inside, I wanted to stay out for longer) I did some more tidying up and sorting out of boxes and our filing cabinet. We finally remembered to watch the live stream of the Philip Island Penguin Parade - it was very very cool! After dinner (leftover lasagne) I did some more work with my photos, Caitlin and Liam played Among Us with a bunch of friends online, and Amelie watched YouTube. The wind is ferocious now - such a major change from the still, calm morning.

Oh and only 41 new cases reported today - that's very good news.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 59

 Today was unexpectedly quite interesting and varied - a nice change to most lockdown days. I woke around 7 and after doing some writing went out for a walk - I decided to drive down Houghtons Lane so that I could walk somewhere different without having to walk to the different place, it was nice to have a different view on my walk and explore a new area. I took my camera and got a few good shots too. It was also quite reassuring that my car started with no issues.

I planned to spend the rest of the day pottering around the house. Amelie had had a bad morning so I hung out with her for a while. Liam and I worked on a number puzzle that has me stumped. The kids and I all played Among Us for an hour or so. My earaches have been getting more frequent and Caitlin's throat has been sore for a while, so we decided to have another COVID test just to be sure. The testing facility at Healesville said it was open from 12-3 Mon-Sat so we headed down there (stopping briefly to see the Masked Lapwings and their babies on the way into town - we only saw one baby, he was quite well camouflaged so the others could have been hiding there too). The testing centre was closed when we arrived at 12.30 and remained so while we researched where else we could go. It looked like Knox Westfield was the best option, so we went for the longest drive I've been on in a while! It felt like so far away, but it's just down the road from Caitlin's Cheer gym - so I drive that far several times a week usually. The roads were steady with traffic but not busy - and when we arrived at Knox it was bizarre to see empty carparks - just cars near the supermarket entrances. The testing centre is a drivethrough one here so we stayed in the car and had our tests - mine was the easiest I've had so far, Caitlin's was more uncomfortable. Driving home I was confused a couple of times which was the best way to go but I soon remembered the way I usually go. It was enjoyable being in the car with Caitlin and chatting and listening to music.

At home I did some dishes and some of my outside work, then did some of my course. Caitlin and Tony went for a bike ride (Liam had gone while we were out), then Caitlin helped Amelie with riding her bike. Caitlin then cooked brownies, I played the piano, Amelie played on the trampoline and Liam on his computer. Caitlin went for another walk, and found a baby wombat with it's mother - she rang Wildlife Victoria and they were going to send someone out. We all went down to see it (it was on the edge of Houghton's Lane and so incredibly cute, and definitely alone. It kept falling asleep while we watched it). A volunteer rang and was still a while away and suggested that we take it back to the house, especially as it was nearly dark. Caitlin threw a jumper over it and got her hands on it, but it fought hard and slipped away from her and sprinted into the paddock and was on the far side of the field in less than a minute - there's no way we could have caught it once it went. It was reassuring to see that it didn't seem injured, and it was probably big enough to survive by itself.

While we were waiting for dinner we went outside to see the International Space Station pass over, unfortunately it was too cloudy to see anything. It was cool being out the front in the dark though, all 5 of us, so it didn't really feel like we missed out. We mucked around with torchlight and hiding in the dark, then came in for meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The girls watched YouTube, Liam did some maintenance on his computer, Tony and I watched Umbrella Academy. I didn't end up getting much done around the house at all but I did have a fun day and am feeling good.

The new case numbers are bobbing up and down either side of 100. Numbers of deaths are high - some of them are not recent, they are deaths that were reported to the Federal Govt and those numbers are just coming through. People are still dying though and it's so horrible to hear that each day. Looking forward (I think) to finding out tomorrow what the plan is from here - I don't think anything much will change for a while yet, but I guess it's good that we're at least at a point where we're starting to talk about it.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 36

 I slept badly - although I got up and did some writing which helped pass the time and I was much more relaxed when I went back to bed. My back was a bit twingy during the day but an improvement on the past couple of days. I had hoped to do another strength training session with The Compound - wasn't quite up to it today, hopefully I'll manage one next week.

I got a good handle on the dishes today, they've been mounting up a bit, as our dishwasher still isn't working - I significantly reduced the pile today, listening to my favourite music and chatting to the kids, and it felt good. Caitlin and I had a loud and fun game of Spit - I thought she was going to beat me in only 3 rounds, but I fought back and we played for ages. Amelie and I did some number puzzles, and Caitlin brushed and braided my hair. I spent some time sorting stuff in Amelie's room - we were looking for her DS and eventually found it, after finding a lot of other things that we'd been looking for as well. The girls and I watched 10 Things I Hate About You, and I made roasted almonds and a Raw Paleo Fudge. I went for a walk across the creek - a beautiful sunny afternoon although a little windy. I chatted to a friend on the phone for a while then listened to my audio book. Caitlin dyed the bottom of Amelie's hair purple - it looks fantastic!Caitlin and Liam went for a bike ride. Amelie watched some Avatar: The Last Airbender and we all watched bits of it with her. I did some work on my course and Caitlin cooked nachos for dinner - delicious.

I had a look at the graph of new cases for the first time in about a week. It looks better than last time I looked at it - the trend does seem to be heading down. I started to worry though, it feels like we'll be in lockdown for a good while longer and even once restrictions ease, the virus is still going to be around, there doesn't seem to be a good options for the future. I got a bit down about it all, then felt really bored and restless for the rest of the evening. I've been feeling really good for a while now, so a bit of a slump isn't too bad. I'm hoping a better night's sleep tonight will help.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 24

Just under 400 cases today. It’s alarming the first reaction I have is one of relief. It’s still so high, but it’s not six or  seven hundred, so I feel relieved and then disheartened. It’s a long way back to normal from here.

I slept badly (had Amelie and the cat in my space for most of the night) but woke up feeling pretty good. I had some more alarming bleeding but talked to the doctor and she has a bit of a plan for going forward so I feel like there might be an end to this at some point. I’m working on the emotional side of it - trying to let go of control a bit and relax into what is actually happening in my life and hopefully that will help. 

I was able to do a bit more today, a bit of work outside and organising a few things inside. Still spent a lot of time on the couch, watching tv with the girls, or on my bed chatting on the phone to mum and to a friend. Tony was home (because it’s Saturday) and it was nice to have him around to chat to as well. My mood was good for most of the day then I crashed in the late afternoon. Had a shower then did some writing and photo stuff in bed. I feel a bit better now, hoping I get a good night’s sleep.

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, 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 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 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.