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.

Helicopters and frost

Last night I was relaxing in the bath after a big bushwalk, and I heard a helicopter overhead. Nothing unusual about that - but it kept getting louder and louder as if it was coming in to land  - then I remembered that there was frost forecast for this morning, and the grape vines have started to bud. I was hoping they'd have to send the helicopter in - both to save the vines from the frost, and because I LOVE helicopters. I called out to the kids (by this stage the noise was directly above the house so I figured they'd probably heard it but maybe not realised what was happening) and they ran outside to watch it land. Luna was terrified and was happy to have their company. Tony and the kids chatted a bit to the pilot before he headed off to wherever he stays on the frost nights.

The helicopter has come most years in spring, when there's a frost forecast for the next morning and there are already buds or leaves on the vines. It's job is to fly over the vines and created enough wind that the dew can't freeze and destroy the crop. Some other vineyards have big fans installed to do the same job, or have a sprinkler system installed which stops the water from freezing. If the new leaves are damaged in spring, the wineries will have to wait for a secondary crop which would mean that yield would be down significantly. Usually when the helicopter comes the temperature doesn't end up dropping enough to form a frost, so the pilot gets a good night's sleep somewhere and comes back and picks his helicopter up in the morning.

Last night we went to bed as usual and I woke at 2.40am to a noise I couldn't identify. I'd put the washing machine on timer so that it would wash overnight and at first I thought it was the spin cycle, although I couldn't ever remember the noise taking over the whole house. There as also what sounded like an alarm going off. Then I remembered the helicopter and jumped out of bed to see it - I went out into the carport (where it was pretty cold, just below zero I later found out) and could see the helicopter getting ready to take off (it was over near the sheds). The noise was phenomenal, echoing through the carport and practically shaking the house. The alarm sound was just the high pitch of the propellers whizzing around, and there was a deep throbbing sound as well. I watched it take off in the dark night (it had lights) which was exciting, then watched for a while as it flew back and forth over each area of the vineyard, under an almost full moon. It was totally worth getting up at 3am and standing in the cold to see it.

Luna was once again terrified and when I opened the back door she raced straight into the house (she's usually reluctant to come in). She curled up on the couch and was much happier. I watched the helicopter for a bit longer (from the warmth of inside) then went back to bed - it flew for half an hour then landed again and the noise was pretty loud the whole time. Tony and the kids didn't wake up - I was surprised. I heard it take off two more times through the night - a big night for the pilot this time. The temperarture hovered just below zero for most of the rest of the night, then warmed up quickly once the sun came up. I slept in a little due to being up in the middle of the night, so the frost was gone by time I went outside.

I love living where we do for so many reasons, and this was one that I don't think of very often - it's like a little value add to have the excitement of the helicopter on our property, and I also enjoy the strong reminder of how much agriculture is at the mercy of the weather. I'm grateful to live here and be surrounded by grapevines and that the company is in a good enough position to protect their assets - which helps with Tony's job security and income.