Diary Entries

All my family is well, safe and happy despite the turmoil of the past couple of years. 1) We had a very severe drought for about two years 2) Then devastating bush fires all along our east coast from Melbourne to Sydney to Brisbane. Many lives lost, much property destroyed and a lot of wild life wiped out. 3) Now the virus As they say all things come in threes. So now there are three good news happenings on the horizon. Actually four. 1) Australia is fairing very well with the virus. 2) We have excellent governments - local, state and federal. 3) We have a relatively small low density population. 4) Even though our population is multicultural there is very little racial or religious conflict. Almost everyone has taken the governments directions very seriously. We hope to be virus free this year.

When coronavirus strikes we all split to our sides. Some fighting for their freedom and some fighting for the future of our population. Hitting us back into reality is the harsh truth and effect that some actions cause. Whether we protest, confess or request for help. All are suffering in different ways, however, the path we take or the actions we make can even change the slightest things. What has now become our iconic chant, to wash our hands, sanitise, put on a mask and social distance. Those who need assistance are assisted and aided by the many who still social distance. Those on the frontlines, helping and saving us, thank you! Thank you for helping us even though there's distance, thank you for your persistence and thank you for your existence.

I am an older woman living alone in what is generally known as a 'California bungalow'. Before the Corona virus I led a busy life, belonging to several organisations such as U3A, and including a performance group run by the Older Women's Network. I used to sometimes ponder how I would cope if I could no longer get out and about. To my surprise I am enjoying social isolation. I still go out to buy food and medications but, like everyone else at present, I have no social life. Instead I read, write cards, phone people, do puzzles, tidy cupboards, sort through papers, join Zoom meetings, answer emails and do gardening. Yes, I am lucky enough to have a garden. I know the weeds will take over in the end but I find pulling them out very satisfying. I really enjoy having a leisurely breakfast and not having to rush to get somewhere, and I enjoy being able to read for pleasure without feeling I should be doing something more 'useful'. What I am missing are hugs and back rubs, physical contact. Also having lunch and a glass of wine somewhere with a friend, or even the ritual of a cup of coffee in a café while reading the paper.

Second day of the shop being open, after seven weeks of not letting the public in. Funny watching people enter; we have hand sanitiser and a polite note at the doors asking people to use it. Some do, with great show -look at me! I do the right thing! - some use it matter-of-factly, because afterall it's what we've been doing for weeks - some look at it askance. I watched one man just wave his hands at it - the art of magical thinking? And even after so long that social distancing should be second nature, people still stand elbow to elbow browsing the books, even though there's plenty of room to spread out. It's like catching the train; sometimes you can be the only one in the compartment, but half the time when a new person gets on, they sit opposite you...the other half do the calculation: what is the furthest I can sit from those already seated? A new form of social maths! The city is slightly busier. It's not quite the tumbleweed-blowing-through-emptiness of a month or so ago. A few more shops are open in the QVB and in the Pitt St mall, more people wandering round. Maybe not as aimlessly as pre-covid19 - window-shopping is rare these days - but not as furtively as it seemed last month, when 'scuttle' rather than 'saunter' seemed the pace of necessity. Now the feeling seems to have slipped from alarm to alert, even though we may not be at a stage where we should be casual. People are still falling sick with this viral disease; but I guess we are all feeling sick of it...

A Letter to My Friends My dear friends, I may not always tell you, and you may not always realise, how very precious you are to me. From those who have been in my life for many years, to those who have just danced in for a while and then out again, hopefully to return. You keep me sane and focused. You are wise, funny, judgemental and at times just downright annoying. You offer advice, entertain me, teach me, care for me, love me, and, on occasion, send me emergency chocolate packages and marijuana cigarettes. Thank you for all those gifts. I sometimes feel that I am a diminutive figure standing in a battle field with my sword raised in my shaky hand; then I glance behind me and there you all are, smiling and waiting to support me. Buddha says "to be strong you have to learn to fight alone". I know I don't need to. I miss you and would like nothing more than to take you in my arms and say "I love you all".

Covid-19 My life before Covid-19 was typical, go to school, come back to relax, then homework, TV and bed. This pandemic changed my life in ways i couldn't imagine, not seeing my friends and family, doing sport, even social interaction. My family is super important and not seeing them was really hard. Seeing my friends through Face-Time and Zoom was good but it wasn't the same as learning and having fun during lunch and recess. This time has made me grateful for my life and how we have a fighting chance at life unlike those who have the disease. One of the best times has been talking and zooming with family and friends about their time during the pandemic. TV has helped me through this time with The Good Place, Friends, Seinfield, The Flash and The Next Step. I also played a game called Minecraft which was fun and filled time when i was bored. I was happy when school was called back on because homeschooling was quite tough, but it helped me connect with people i normally wouldn't of if the pandemic never happened. This might have been bad for some but also important for my family and our roots.

I am a 12 year old student in year 7. Today is my second day back at school. The coronavirus has kept everyone at home in self isolation working from home and finally I am able to get out of the house and see my friends. Before I started doing homeschooling, I thought I would enjoy not going to school. I actually really missed it and was very excited to be back. One thing I am finding hard coming back to school is having to social distance. I am used to sitting at one table with all my friends and now we have to be all spread out across two rooms. The world nowadays is crazy. You can't cough in public otherwise people will think you have the virus, you can't celebrate your birthday with all your friends, your holidays get cancelled and you have to stay 1.5 metres away from other people. Even though these rules are annoying, I know we need them to stop the virus spreading. By Sophia

To my reader, This is a pandemic. Not the fictitious kind found in a dystopian novel, but the kind that will feature in biographies and history books. It has been a time of extreme paradox: we have, collectively, felt alone; we have been imprisoned in our own homes (the places we have previously yearned to be); we have been well rested and restless; idle and anxious. It is a strange thing to wake up, get dressed and sit at a home office. A peculiar routine. The first wave brought fear. We were rushing to shops and clutching for non-perishables and toilet paper and hand sanitiser. Glen 20 was out of stock for far too long. I ran out of hand soap, so we used body wash for a while. We stocked our freezers and planted seedlings. After a few weeks the chaos settled like the autumn leaves on the pavement and we finally exhaled, long and slow. The next wave brought us back to our roots. We are baking bread from scratch, doing crafts, watering our gardens and making our own coffee. We have been writing poems and binging television programs, learning a language and calligraphy and all about ourselves. We have been lighting candles and drinking wine and cleaning our houses. Calling our friends and family on FaceTime and writing them letters. We are reading books (so many books). We are praying. Hopefully it will be over soon, but, at the very least, the pandemic has shown us the whole range of ourselves (both individually and collectively). We will globally bond from this shared experience and we will come out of it knowing a hell-of-a-lot more about who we are and what we want from this life. The pandemic is terrible. But we are doing so so good. CPG.

Liverpool haven't won the league in 30 years. 25 points clear of the title, it is statistically impossible for anyone to catch up. it would be the most Liverpool thing if there would be a pandemic that cancels the league and they don't win the title.

Wassup my lad my name is Natalia and I am 12 years old and I am here to tell you about life at home in isolation. It has been a rough start to the year with the Coronavirus. Online schooling was really hard with work that I was behind on sometimes that would drive me crazy. It was hard to work when there is no one to kind of help you with your work because parents and siblings have to catch up with work too. 2020 has been a rough year but we are back at school now to learn.