Diary Entries

The End What if we were stuck in quarantine forever? What if we all died and nothing was done? What if this is the end that many have been dreading? These are questions we hate to think about but must eventually. What will happen? But, we might also live through this. Who knows? We could grow to tell our grandchildren stories of this time or there may not be another generation after. Stay positive and stay safe. I know that this entry isn't going to help with positivity but oh well.

Yesterday was one of the most exciting days we have had since this began as we all went in the car to do a family trip to Costco. The kids and I haven’t been in a car for about a month now. It feels ridiculously exciting going in the car, like the way it used to feel before a big plane trip in the Before Times. I found a box of plastic gloves and put them on the kids and told them not to touch anything. We went later in the afternoon because I’d read on social media there were less people and you may even find toilet paper. We put the kids in a trolley and pushed it up the ramp. You can’t use lifts anymore. They spray disinfectant on the trolleys when you get to the entrance. Walking into Costco makes you feel like you are in a different country. One thing that happens when your world shrinks to your apartment and the local shops is that anything outside it becomes unbelievably exciting. Wandering round the aisles seeing things from overseas feels like having your senses heightened. You pick things up and really look at them. Then you remember you’re not supposed to touch anything and you drop them quickly. Everywhere things are taped off and signs telling you not to touch. There are no free samples anymore. There’s nowhere to sit and eat after. Some young people were standing near the blocked off food court eating from a paper bag. A man in a mask started yelling and told the Costco staff to move them on. They quietly put the bags away and walked back down the ramp. That was enough of a taste of freedom for today.

This morning it was the supermarket visit. How wonderful to see the shelves filling up again. There it is the precious yeast that means we can have Pizza again! As much toilet paper as you want. This, after weeks of empty shelves. We are also learning to appreciate what it means to have our bags packed for us and my husband will never be allowed to complain about packers again. Under pressure he mixes fruit with fridge food. Tomorrow our dog goes to the groomer so no longer the cuddly teddy bear. She is really very overdue to have her curls shorn but I worry that she will be feeling the cold more now.

I was so busy yesterday, I almost forgot to breathe. That’s how I would describe the energy needed to be rostered onto a Kindergarten class in a pandemic! The strangeness of teaching in such uncertain times. In conflicting times when we’re told it’s OK, and then it’s not OK, and then it’s OK… to be at school. Kids aren’t carriers. It’s safe. Is it OK? Will it be OK? Social distancing started as soon as we sat on the floor and ended about a minute later as they crept together, coveting closeness. We started the day with our hand washing routines. This will become our normal routine, our everyday routine… even when this ends. “Do you sing a song for 20 seconds?” I asked. One girl said she sang happy birthday to her friends, even if it wasn’t their birthday…. And washed her hands. One boy said he just made woop woop sounds…. And washed his hands.We all had a go at wooping. And another girl said she just counts to 20. I said counting to 20 is a great thing to practice. I said I sing if you’re happy and you know it, wash your hands. Twice. Why? One clever girl called out, “because it takes 20 seconds!” Then we all mimed washing our hands. Why did I do this with my fingernails I asked? They all called out, “to get the germs there”. Even in a pandemic we talked about not wasting water, about turning the tap off while we are soaping and singing. Saving water is important, too. Then two by two the kids got up and washed their hands. And then we got on with our not so normal day.

It's a dentist's life in Covid-19 I managed to sneak In the early weeks A needed care In the dentist's chair Social distancing had begun But some work was won And with two fillings We squeezed in the 'fun' Lockdown had dawned the streets of people were really quite shorn I managed though in takeaway throws to stand after and have a coffee with new smiles on show

Will anyone ever have Monday-itis again?! This is now the 7th week of 'iso' at home. Working life is a strange blur of remote communication from a singular work station; my colleagues' faces coming at me in a jumble of video and sound whenever we get together via MSTeams (often with surreal pixelation effects!); and everything now has an email trail! My family and cat are now my real time work mates. My husband and I are working from home - we had to move into our own 'office' spaces pretty early on due to clashing workplace Teams meetings with blaring out over each other. His office is at the dining table in the family room and mine is at the study desk in the 3rd bedroom. He gets the sun on his back in the morning and I get the sun in my face in the afternoon - if it's sunny. So far the weather has been mostly gorgeous. YAY! Our daughter is on leave-without-pay until the end of May. We didn't see the sense in her continuing to work at her Randwick childcare centre and coming home to the rest of the family who were in isolation (or socially distanced or whatever). So we are temporarily 'wearing' the loss of her income. Our son is in Year 9 - so home schooling has been on the agenda as well! As of next week he can go to school on Wednesdays, maintaining social distancing guidelines if possible! He has been pretty good at keeping a regular schedule which includes assigned school work, exercise, reading and music. Happy memories from this time?: my son teaching his older sister to play guitar; my daughter reading!!; cooking lessons continue ... I hope the poor cat copes when/if we return to 'normal' life.

Seven weeks in isolation. For me, it hasn’t felt much different, as for the last year, I’ve been in recovery after brain aneurysm surgery and have been isolated anyway. It’s been a year of fearing death, now this! When this Pandemic became public, I felt afraid for myself, my family and friends. Thousands were dying across the globe, it felt surreal. Three years ago, I had a premonition, that this event was coming. The details included China and the USA as the major players. It was to be a battle like no other to survive. I shudder just how precise my premonition has been. In the first weeks of isolation, I couldn’t sleep, had anxiety. I’d meditate, it helped. On difficult nights, I’d call my friend Bonnie in the USA. America was fast becoming a hot spot for the virus and I was very concerned for the safety of my friends there and that this soon, would also be what Australia would be contending with. I have only left my home three times all these weeks. I always wear a mask and gloves, but shopping has become too stressful. I used to enjoy shopping, but now I feel afraid of a virus I can’t see and of people being too close to me. Will we ever know normal life again? Our numbers have decreased here. The government is reducing safety requirements, but I think it’s too soon. If a second wave comes in winter, we may be hit worse. Our advantage is, we have had preparation time, unlike many other countries. Let’s pray we all get through this! Australia is doing well, and I’m grateful we have a government that actually cares about its people. I compare our situation to America and I just thank my lucky stars, I’m Australian!

The waves from the other drivers on the road. The awkward laughs trying to navigate social distancing in the supermarket. The extra phone calls with family and friends. The smiles and nods as we pass one another on the street. The "in jokes" about working from home. The genuine "how are you?"'s from strangers. See COVID, you may have tipped our world upside down, you may have forced us into isolation. But humanity has never been so connected. You can't take our spirit.

The world around us is crumbling, yet we are only now starting to realise our poor choices. Why is it that some ultimatum is leading us to realise this? Why haven't we done something already? Are our voices finally going to be heard? Time has completely stopped and been altered. It is as if we are just existing not living. Reliving every single passing moment. As if we are in a time capsule watching all of our years surpass us and our thoughts. What's next for us? Do we have a future? How much longer? So many questions with little answers. Our educators, politicians, celebrities, people that we look up to are clueless. But us? We have solutions, answers to the most challenging concepts brought about to mankind. But it's worthless, that opinion doesn't matter. How are we meant to have faith in the world and society around us if it doesn't have faith in us, and our answers. As the days go by and everyone weakens, I hope and pray this bubble we live in will come to the realisation, that something must be changed. That this was an occurrence that needed to happen in order to open the eyes of the nonchalant society around us.

As retired people aged 70, my husband and I haven’t had to make too many changes to our quiet, measured sort of life. Walking, reading, cooking, the garden, our weekender in the Blue Mountains. This is what we do anyway. We are very lucky. But it’s the difference it’s made to family life that’s significant. One daughter is in the UK on a 6-month course, due home August: we don’t know if she will be able to get back then. Another daughter is pregnant, lives not far away, but we haven’t been able to see her and her husband for six weeks. Youngest daughter and family, 10 minutes away, but can’t hug our 2-and 4-year -old grandkids. This seems insignificant compared to many who are really struggling, but it’s the story of many older people at the moment.