Lockdown 2.0, Day 68

 A good day today. Numbers were low (only 35!) and I felt happy and relaxed most of the day. Beautiful weather again - and getting warmer. We had the fire on in the morning but let it die out, we did yoga outside in t-shirts and were plenty warm enough. I was a bit sore today from yesterday's yoga session, but today's theme was stretch and it was a much easier practice, I was worried about Amelie at the start of it because she was feeling anxious, by the end I was relaxed and able to be more present for her.

I mainly pottered around today, did some photo work and tidying, chatted with the kids. They watched YouTube and jumped on the trampoline and played Among Us. I had a nap when I felt sleepy - we stayed up late watching La Tour de France last night (until after midnight) because Caitlin and I wanted to watch a mountain descent - it was lovely lying in bed and chatting, looking at Instagram, watching the race - it did mean I was a bit tired today but that was fine, a nap caught me up nicely. Caitlin and I went for a late afternoon walk and explored a part of the property we haven't really been to before - there's always something new to see. Tonight the older kids are on a group call with their friends playing a new online game, Amelie is listening to her audio book, Tony is watching the Collingwood game and I'm about to head to bed to do some work on my course then read my book.

Today would have been the day we came out of Stage 4 if numbers had dropped quickly enough. There are a few concessions to our current Stage, as of today - curfew now starts at 9pm rather than 8, and we're able to have 2 hours of exercise or outdoor recreation, with 1 other person (rather than 1 hour of exercise only). So they are small changes but feel like a step towards opening up and it might make life a tiny bit easier.

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 48

 I woke with a spectacular headache so started the day with a long hot shower and then felt a bit better. I went about my usual morning routine but after working outside for a while I felt exhausted and just needed to sit. I'd promised to make waffles for Amelie, so Liam offered to make them, and I just supervised (he'd never really worked through a recipe on his own before to cook something, he did a great job and the waffles were delicious). I tried to have a nap but was too restless - lying down for a while helped though and I was able to get up and feel a bit more normal. Liam spent more time trying to figure out how to livestream his games and Amelie posted a video to her YouTube channel.

In the afternoon I had my fortnightly Zoom chat with the Yarra Glen Homeschool Group - there were 5 of us today and as usual it was a relaxing and enjoyable chat. As soon as it finished I headed down to Healesville to get our milk - it was incredible to see how much water was on the fields - it was like a lake over around the Maroondah Highway, and in the low areas of the Abbey's property. I popped into Coles (first time since Stage 4 started and it felt crowded and not where I wanted to be) to get a few things that we're low on but can't get at Aldi, then did the rest of our weekly shop at Aldi. I ran into 2 people I knew in there - another mum from Guides, and a good friend from Healesville, who I'd just been talking to on the Zoom chat!

When I got home Caitlin had just made scones (yummy!) and the girls were finishing The Sound of Music. I had a beer and a phone chat with a friend, we ate soup and watched The Block (Amelie watched YouTube and Liam was playing and chatting with a friend on his computer) then I had a long talk to my sister on the phone which was a lovely way to end a fairly social day.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 47

 After a weekend spent mainly sitting on the couch, I woke up (early - 5.20am) this morning with lots of energy and feeling keen to get on with some projects. I did a bit of tidying and organising and made some dents in a couple of areas of the house. I realised that I've been putting off the things I really want to do because they felt like wants rather than the necessary housework - but it's been leading to me not feeling motivated to even the necessary stuff. So today I prioritised those things - namely starting to clean out the walk in cupboard in my room to convert it into a little writing space for myself, and organising the files on my MacBook so that it's working more efficiently and I can work on my photos more easily. I made progress in each area and it felt good.

Liam and I went for a walk in the morning to see the water levels around the property. Everywhere is still very wet (we had 27mL yesterday, as well as 3-10 mLs each day for almost the last week) but there weren't so many rivers around the place. The creek level had dropped a fair bit but it was running fast. We saw ducklings on the dam, swimming away from the shore with their mum as we got closer. So incredibly cute! We had quite a few sunny patches today and it was slightly warmer - I even got the washing dry outside!

I watched Liam play Fall Guys for a while and we chatted about strategy. I had a good talk to a friend. Amelie and Caitlin played games on the House Party app, then Millie spent a good part of the afternoon using it to talk to a friend. They played Pokemon games and she jumped on the trampoline and was so excited to be able to see her friend on her phone rather than just hear her voice. She also started to make some more YouTube videos, and Liam is looking at recording some of his game plays. Caitlin watched YouTube for a while and finished crocheting her next little creature. She and Amelie went for a late afternoon walk then started to watch The Sound of Music. I talked to Mum and Dad on the phone - Dad hasn't felt well enough to talk the last several times I've rung, it was really lovely to chat with him. Tony watched the Collingwood game and the kids watched The Block - I saw bits while I tidied the kitchen and got ready for bed. Liam told me about some of the history of coffee that he'd been learning about - it was fascinating. 

Numbers were low today - only 116! Although 15 deaths. I feel that the new cases will go up a bit again later in the week, hopefully not too much though. It feels maybe slightly possible that we could come out of Stage 4 in another 3 weeks - that would be so great.

Lockdown 2.0, Days 45 and 46

 It's been a very cold, wet weekend - I have never seen so much water at our place, the path at the bottom of the hill is a river and there's puddles of water everywhere that the ground isn't completely flat. Except for a short walk today I basically stayed inside all weekend, let go of any expectations and had a pretty relaxing, warm, fun and quiet time.

Yesterday morning Tony and I actually found ourselves in the kitchen together with time to have a cuppa and we sat and chatted and drank our tea and coffee, it was really really lovely. We created some patterns with a pencil and compass and then coloured them in while we chatted. This inspired me to get out a wooden spiral puzzle that Amelie couldn't really remember playing with - she and Caitlin and I made lots of patterns with it and had a lot of fun. I had a phone call with an old friend from Leeton - we can't remember the last time we talked, but she hasn't met Amelie so it's a very long time since we've seen each other. We knew each other's kids as toddlers, it's so funny to see photos of them now as teens (or older). It was wonderful to catch up. 

The kids and I watched Howls Moving Castle - Caitlin and I had seen it before, the others hadn't and they loved it. Tony was in and out watching bits of it, it was great to be inside and warm and cosy and enjoying a movie together. We ate popcorn, and some the meringues the girls had made the night before. Caitlin and I then watched slideshows of my photos, and experimented with different soundtracks. I planned to have an early night, so headed in to bed to read. The girls came and joined me and we chatted and laughed, and watched the cat chase her tail up on the railing above my cupboard. I went to bed much later than I'd intended but I really enjoyed the time with the kids.

Today was not quite as cold, but only marginally. Liam and I played War (card game) while he waited for Fall Guys to have enough players so he could show me the game. I really enjoyed watching it and had a go myself later on - I am terrible at it but really enjoyed it. Tony made pancakes while I did the dishes and the kids came to eat, so we were all in the kitchen together, it was fun. Caitlin and I went for a walk during a break in the rain, we waded through the river at the bottom of the hill (almost ankle deep) and went to check out the creek - the highest I remember seeing it. We thought about walking down the back of the property but the track was completely underwater and by then it was raining again so we headed home once we got to the far side of the dam. Tony went for a walk a bit later with Caitlin and Liam - Luna ended up on the other side of the creek (they think she fell in) and was too scared to come back over, so Tony went across to get her - an unexpected winter swim for him! I worked on my photos for a while and on a craft project I'm trying - it was frustrating and not working the way I'd like, so I will need to rethink it a bit. The kids watched some Try Guys and Danny Gonzalez on YouTube on the TV - I was enjoying the humour and suggested watching Schitts Creek because I'd heard it was pretty funny. Amelie loved it, the other two weren't sure and I enjoyed it but really didn't laugh much. I don't know if we'll be rushing back to watch it. Amelie spent a lot of the day chatting to a friend on the phone, managed a bit of a play outside in between rain sessions, and went into her room to watch YouTube when Caitlin put The Block on this evening. Caitlin brushed and braided my hair while she watched, then I came to bed early because I'm feeling a bit flat and figure a restful evening will always be helpful.

We had just over 200 new cases today, after a few days of under 200 - I really hope people keep getting tested and keep following the restrictions so that we have an accurate picture of the data and can hopefully start to ease things (just a little) in a few weeks time.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 42

 I had a look at the charts of Covid numbers in Australia for the first time in a while - the daily new cases graph has a nice downward looking trend, and the graph of cumulative cases looks like it's starting to flatten out. The number of deaths are still saddening, I really hope that changes soon (I know I keep saying that, and that's because I keep thinking it).

Amelie and I had a lovely time in the morning looking at stuff on the computer - a fox in Berlin who has stolen over 100 shoes (mainly crocs) from people's gardens, recordings of different fox sounds, the squirrel ninja course built by Mark Rober - she hadn't seen it before, and although Liam and I had, several times, we excitedly watched it again with her. Check it out here She's having a hard time at the moment - she has a few friends who she talks to and plays games with online, but she's finding that it's not the same as seeing them in person, they are clashing more and there isn't so much of an opportunity to work things out on the phone. Normally if they have a disagreement they'll change what they are doing and that will clear the air - not so easy at the moment. 

I made waffles and researched oreshki - Aldi have a waffle maker that can also make other things, oreshki included - they sound delicious although a bit fiddly to make, I'll definitely have a go once I buy the waffle maker. Looking at them inspired Amelie and I to turn a tin of condensed milk into caramel. 

Caitlin and I went to the post office - well, I drove and she went in, as only 1 person from each family is allowed to shop each day. She posted off some care packages from herself and from me, then grabbed a few things from the IGA. My car started each time but it was reluctant about it, I really need to get it fully charged, or replaced.

I went for a walk a bit earlier than usual - it had been raining, heavily at times, on and off so I went around 3pm when it was kind of dry. It rained a little on me but not heavily. I had a long walk, through lots of mud, and it felt good. My muscles were all hurting a LOT from my strength training the day before, and I was feeling a bit lethargic, so a walk was great. All day I felt like I was trying to do things and I couldn't quite get to them, other things kept happening that I needed/wanted to do first. I felt like  some weird combination paradox of Zeno's paradoxes, that I'd never reach my target, because I wasn't actually in motion and/or I had to keep catching up and could never overtake the obstacles. After my walk I was going to have a bath - the girls were watching Avatar: The Last Airbender and it was the final couple of episodes. I was really drawn to the final battle scenes and found myself sitting and watching instead of heading to the bath - I'm glad I did, they were pretty amazing and even though I have only seen bits of the series it was exciting to watch it all wrap up. Tony came home then and we chatted a bit and he had his shower then finally I got in the bath and soaked away some of the sore muscles (although there wasn't as much hot water as I'd have liked so it was less relaxing than I'd been imagining. Lying down and reading my book was good though).

After dinner Caitlin and Amelie and I played Monopoly on the Xbox (and ate some of our tin of caramel. Caitlin suggested adding salt to it, so we all had ice cream with salted caramel and it was delicious!)

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.

Movies, doctor and library

One of the advantages (there aren't many so I am grateful for the few that exist) of Tony working long hours (or playing baseball on a Monday evening during the summer months) is that the kids and I have less time pressure. It's not that during the regular hours part of the year I rush home every afternoon to be here when he gets home from work, more that if Tony is at home we'd like to be there with him, and we usually eat dinner together so it makes sense to actually be at home and get it ready and eat and so on. But when he's not going to be at home throughout the evening at all, we can stay out if we are enjoying something, we can pick up dinner wherever we are, or come home late and eat then if we're not too hungry.

On Monday we didn't get home until 8.30 after a very long day out - it was nice not to feel like I wanted to rush the kids in the evening to leave Croydon library where we were hanging out, we stayed until it closed then it was a fairly easy transition, to the car then home and had leftovers for tea. We all love going to the library and spending hours there, usually though I feel like we've got somewhere to be afterwards and I spend a chunk of the time there trying to get everyone ready to leave. On Monday the kids watched YouTube videos, browsed the books and DVDs and CDs and borrowed what they liked the look of, and played games on the computers set up in the kids' section of the library. They hadn't been to Croydon before - I've been a few times while Caitlin is at acting - it might even be my favourite of the Eastern Regional Libraries. Before and after we were in the building the kids watched the ducks in the pond, and Caitlin rode her Ripstik.

The reason we were out on Monday is that LiAM had his 6 month check up with the Paediatrician in Ringwood. I hadn't organised anyone to look after the girls, so seeing as we were all going anyway we decided to go to the movies first. We saw Paper Planes - and we were the only people in the theatre, which meant that Millie and LiAM could wander around when they had sat for long enough, and could try different seats, and we could chat about what was happening if we wanted to. I enjoyed the movie, although it wasn't as great as I'd thought it might be. I liked the themes of love, family, perseverance, making sacrifices and facing fears to reach a goal that's truly important to you. The kids all loved it.

After the movie we went down to the food court and shared a honey chicken and rice for a late lunch, the headed over to the hospital. We found a parking space fairly close to the hospital - a pleasant change to not have to walk for 10 minutes from our car. The appointment was for 3.15 and we arrived around 3.10. The kids watched Frozen, drew pictures, read books, played on the iPad, played with my Rubiks Cube and were becoming more and more bored by the time we finally went in around 4.25. The appointment was our basic check up, all going well, get a new script, see you in 6 months. Although it can feel like a waste of time sometimes, I am actually grateful that he does have a doctor who knows his history and is regularly checking on his health (and seeming to care about his health) - if things do get worse again I know I will appreciate having that connection, rather than when he was younger and we felt like no one was bothered with helping us help him be healthier.

From the hospital we went to McDonalds for soft serve cones and then on to the library for about 3 hours. I finished my book while I was there - 'Goodbye for Now' by Laurie Frankel, a very thought provoking book about death and love - which was a very pleasing way to spend an evening. After we'd had dinner at home the kids were winding down to go to bed when LiAM said he'd been watching Mineplex Minecraft videos, and Caitlin said she knew how to get to that server, so the 3 of them jumped on the computer and played Mineplex for an hour or so - I was reading in bed when Tony came home from baseball and he stayed up with them for a bit longer and they all went to bed very happy.

Movies and fashion and bears

Yesterday was a fairly quiet day at home. Tony was at work (on a Saturday) and Caitlin had a friend over who had stayed the night on Friday. The girls were up talking quite late, so had a bit of a sleep in, and woke up in good moods. Once they were awake LiAM put Plants v Zombies Garden Warfare on - he hadn't played it in a over a week and was very keen to have another go, and the girls were sleeping in the lounge room so he waited fairly patiently for them to be up. As always he had an audience for much of his playing - either me or one or more of the girls. It's an entertaining game to watch, and he is learning so much about the strategy of the game as he plays, and is levelling up fairly quickly.

After a while the bigger kids went outside to play on the swings. Millie and I played a game of Snap using Donkey cards, and then Go Fish with the same cards - it was a hilarious game, as Millie kept changing the rules to make sure she got the cards she wanted, and the rules would then change back to what they were, and then something different, and she was so matter of fact and sweet about it - it was a lot of fun. I love how she is exploring patterns and boundaries and language in all the games she plays.

After Caitlin's friend left the kids played Minecraft on the computer for a while. LiAM is naming a lot of his equipment and I've been helping him with the spelling - he's starting to have a go at some of the names himself, and he can read the names of things he finds when they are familiar items. It's very exciting watching that skill develop.

Caitlin and I did some fashion designing, using a book of clothes outlines she got for christmas. It was fun, each starting with the same outline and designing different patterns and colourings.

I put on a CD of 80s music that I'd borrowed from the library, and listening to 'Flashdance: What a Feeling' reminded me that I'd borrowed that movie for Caitlin to watch. It was in a double pack with the original Footloose, and she'd seen the remade Footloose at a friend's party last year, so she decided to watch that (she didn't really like the remake). I watched it with her, mainly curled up on the couch together so she could hide under my arm for any of the violent scenes. I'd forgotten how many songs I knew of the soundtrack, and even though I remembered little of the movie I very much enjoyed watching it again. Cat enjoyed it too. Millie had been playing Minecraft in my room and LiAM watching YouTube videos in his room, then Millie joined us on the couch and went to sleep in my lap. Once she woke up the girls and I watched another Barbie movie (we'd watched Swan Lake the day before) - Barbie and the Pink Shoes, which referenced several ballets and had me googling lots of information about the ones I didn't know (Giselle and the Snow Queen).

Millie took the computer back to my room to rewatch Barbie and Swan Lake, and Caitlin started to watch the first Barbie and the Mermaid's Tale. Tony arrived home from work, with one of the Vintage workers who had arrived from Argentina in the morning. We had a BBQ dinner and watched some of the Australian Open Women's Final and then the Final of the Asian Cup (soccer) - an exciting game which Australia won in the end! The girls and I watched the 2nd Barbie Mermaid movie in my room while LiAM watched more YouTube videos in between watching bits of the movie with us. I took Tony's friend home after the soccer then Tony read books to Millie until she was ready to go to sleep (a bit later than usual thanks to her afternoon nap). We gave her the Nick Bland bear books as a starting school present on Friday, and we've read them countless times already - she loves them. And she knows them off by heart and will correct any error in the reading, even very tiny words. She is so involved in the pictures and the stories - and they are fun books to read.