Lockdown 2.0, Days 72, 73 & 74

 Another few days with a mixture of busyness and social encounters, and some quiet time. I'm finding that my motivation is very up and down again, and I'm quite tired in the evenings and not feeling like writing. Tonight I feel ok though so I can do a bit of an update.

On Friday Caitlin organised to meet up with a friend who lives in Healesville - we found a road that they could walk along that is within each of our 5km circles. The kids walked ahead and I walked with the other Mum - it was a lovely morning, fairly warm and it's a beautiful place to walk (the same place I went and read my book the week before). We explored around the railway line and the old bridge and looked for wildlife and really enjoyed being with someone different. In the afternoon a friend who works at Tony's work had to drop something off to the vineyard guys, so she and I went for a walk on the property - I hadn't seen her since early in the first lockdown, it was so great to catch up.Tony and the kids went out to his work to chop wood yesterday and to have a walk in a different environment, they had a great time, and I enjoyed the quiet time at home by myself.

In between our social/out of the house excitements, we've done yoga every day, gone for a walk and/or a bike ride (well I haven't ridden anyway, but Liam has (and he saw a snake on the dam wall) and Amelie has been learning to ride her bike). I have done a heap of sorting through stuff in the house and cleared a few areas that had gotten quite congested. I've made a lot of progress on clearing out my wardrobe to make my own work space too. I've done work on my photos, work on my course, played games with the kids (lots of Among Us), had lots of cool conversations with them, spent time with Tony over the weekend, Caitlin and he and I did a heap of work in the yard - we unearthed some of the path to the shed that has been buried in dirt for years, and Tony mowed the rest of the lawn. The weather has been warm, although quite windy today. 

Still a week of this Stage 4 lockdown - sometimes it feels like the end is in sight, sometimes it feels like it's forever until anything will change. Numbers are getting lower each day - only 14 today! I guess we keep plodding along until things change and adjust to whatever happens next.

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.