Diary Entries

A little bit of happy music... This is what the world needs, A little bit of happy music to soften the panic, About the Covid 19, Destroying lands near and far, Killing everywhere. So this is what the world needs, Some music to soften the panic, Together we can do it, To stop the Covid 19. With scientists working near and far, But you can still help, By social distancing. Tomorrow the scientists will find the cure, So fear not patients, You will come out of hospital, With great care from the doctors, And pay respect for those who have died. We will soon be back at school, Playing with our friends every day, And soon the survivors, Will have a happy life. So this is what the world needs, A little bit of happy music... Song written 4th April 2020

Well, here I am .. alone.. at home, in bed, listening to the ABC radio and the pelting rain on the roof. I awake each morning, with great ideas of how I will fill my day. in 8weeks,I've been outside for a walk once. Dan Murphys once a week. Clearly I have my priorities. Ive planted a flourishing veggie patch, in an attempt to become self sufficient. I have food ingredients delivered once a fortnight, and am becoming quite a good cook, if I do say so myself. I haven't invited any one over, even though the restrictions have been lifted. I'm quite enjoying my own company, but used to enjoy the company of others. I miss my daughter and her partner. I miss my now deceased dog, and my grandson fur baby. Life is empty without a dog in the house. I'm talking to my robotic vacuum cleaner, who insists she, can not find the dock.".. I say "lies"... you CAN find the dock. My long term partner lives in Darwin, I'm waiting for the govt to open the borders so I can go stay with him. We laughed, if I went I would have to spend two weeks in isolation in a hotel, and, knowing my LUCK, on my 15th day they'd say .. borders are open, and I would have spent two weeks alone, for.. nothing, more or less. I certainly wouldn't want to get the virus, nor would I want to be a spreader unknowingly. Life is different. very different. We all adjust and adapt. All in our own time. Time to reflect on our values and needs and what's really important to each of us individually. It also becomes apparent and very clear..what true leadership is ! Who are the sage and wise, & who are the dilberries.

Dear Diary, another day waking up to the sound of dogs barking their tiny little mouths off. Thankfully the heater warms my tired body, which honestly, makes me wanna go back to sleep. I know that l eventually have to get up and face reality, but life was good in that moment. l didn't have to worry about school work, my brothers making jokes at me, or my parents giving me trillions of chores. Life was easy to me that one second of feeling my eyes awaken to the warmness that consumed my body, and the sun glistening through my window. Quarantine brings truth to your inner self and as well as, brings family closer. It makes you realise to sometimes just stop and appreciate the things that make you, you and the people that stand by you in times of need. Like later that day, I decided l wanted to capture the days to remember, so, l started writing in a journal, creating words that tell my experience doing the crisis that has struck this world. As well as, writing down the moments that l want to refer back to, when l need some reminding about, how the unexpected, has both positive and negative sides, like making a new friend. Making a new friend isn't always easy they might have some bad qualities but they are always going to have good ones too.

It would be ok if all I had to do was social distance and stay home for grocery deliveries as my hair grew unruly. But my son is stuck in an isolated village in India. There were some rescue flights several days drive away, but with the country in lockdown for months he could not reach them. I spend my days searching the internet for news, and find stories to feed my nightmares – foreigners kicked out of houses, locked up in quarantine, beaten by police. He accidentally informs me of hardships after they are over – eating only one pineapple for three days. A local lady cooked them rice and dhal from her family's meagre supplies. The monsoons are about to hit. I research typhoid and local food and discover the prevalence of cucumber. I experiment with Goan Cucumber cake to see if it is edible. I was ready to retire but the universe has decided that there is still much for me to learn. I realise that in Australia we are treating foreigners with the same disdain as some Indians have done. I am mortified. How many of us are as generous as the lady who fed my son? On the 40th day of India's lockdown, I discover that my son is trapped with a beautiful practitioner of tantric yoga. I switch my googling from the safety record of private charter planes to Shakti, the divine Mother. I am unsettled by deep questions - what should we do with our short lives, is he meant to be there, searching for big answers in India? After all he is like many disenchanted young people who travel for that reason. His Shakti friend expounds the art of surrender on Facebook. I plant silverbeet in my garden and try to breathe.

Life in a time of Covid is a challenge. Apart from the hunt for toilet paper, rice and pasta, loss of freedom, fug of face masks, social media is full of challenges to keep us busy. Confessions to the boy bands that influenced us musically, favourite books or how many times we saw The Sound of Music, or working out the mathematical value if you add two ducks to a hand of bananas. My neighbour received a different challenge, from a friend in Scotland, which she embraced with characteristic style and glee – to put out her bin… wearing a ballgown. (I thought she meant the wheelie bin had to dress up – but she had other ideas!) Inspired by a certain Queen of the Desert, Possie became Queen of the Wheelie Bins. Standing on the wheelie bin, which was securely mounted on the flatbed of their antique tractor, hands on the roll bar, head in her ruby red jewel-encrusted crown saved from a big birthday, rainbow fabric flowing, her carriage dog, Moley the Schnauzer, by her side, Possie graciously acknowledged her public all the way down their driveway, then she and her Consort, Prince Bear, waltzed around the bin, before returning to the castle. With her usual film crew on standby, we captured this little movie, just for you, which you can see once I've uploaded it to the ABC Facebook page. Which will be a challenge for me! Yes, life can be a full of challenges but it’s what we do with them that counts.

In the enforced stay@home regime I reached out to elderly neighbours in our ‘Over 55s’ estate to offer help with shopping or errands. In a conversation with one lady, I discussed the ridiculous situation of panic buying and hoarding, stating that “I refuse to join in!”. I said it was crazy how some items like toilet paper were flying off the supermarket shelves. As the weeks went by, watching TV news of toilet paper wars, I became a bit anxious. Each time I shopped, I furtively glanced down the aisles in anticipation of sighting that elusive stuff. Each day more infections were announced; worse…. more deaths. How long would this COVID-19 situation last? The words ‘loo paper’ didn’t make it to my weekly shopping lists for fear my husband would think I was losing it. Would I make the supreme sacrifice, take advantage of my privileged position as an elder to join the 7am supermarket throng? No, too risky, I told myself. Even though we had sufficient supply but becoming somewhat fixated, on the 16 March I took to eBay. The Australian suppliers had run out so I ordered from a Taiwanese vendor. Six weeks later, with no delivery and finally sighting the damned rolls in Aldi, I quickly grabbed a pack, feeling quite victorious, …………….even though we still had sufficient supply! By the middle of May with no goods in sight, I found that the supplier was no longer listed on eBay. Not expecting any compensation, I cancelled the order but was then surprised to receive an immediate email advising of a refund. Ten minutes later, the postie was at the door with a delivery ………you guessed it! The Taiwanese toilet paper. The tiniest rolls I have ever seen! All's well, that ends well I guess.

This Covid-19 pandemic is terrible. I seriously didn't like online learning because of not seeing my friends, not able to ask the teacher a question and the boringness of the thing. There are some benefits about online learning though, like some stuff was easy and you could get food at any time. I really think this has been the worst year yet. On New Years Eve a bushfire created by a powerline collapse burned our holiday house but it didn't do much damage. Unfortunatly the repairs cost alot of money and the stress of the NRMA and other insurance companies were terrible. Then there was the Covid-19 pandemic which was absolutely terrible. This year has been a terrible year for me and my family but we will get through this. NSW is not yet lost.

Restrictions are easing. I still haven't seen my friends (a paranoid part of me feels as if I no longer have any) my pop passed away in mid april. it wasn't due to covid but the virus still had an effect on his last weeks. He had a fall was taken to hospital only nan was allowed in to see him he was gone by morning he was cremated with a strip of sail from his boat Some days have been ok, others quite far from that. I've found myself staying in bed far longer than necessary, scrolling mindlessly just so I don't have to face the rest of the house. There's nothing wrong with the rest of the house or the people in it but it's just a bit less draining if I only have to experience it for shorter amounts of times {i've been noticing the sun more. my room doesn't get any direct sunlight most of the year, only ever a sliver around the summer solstice. it's one of my favourite things, to notice the movement of the sun. in summer I can watch the sunset from my window at the front of the house but at this time of year it sets out the back. I don't think we often notice the sheer amount the earth shifts throughout the seasons.} I'm not quite sure if I'll ever quite feel the same. part of me never wants to leave the house again, never wants to see people. another part of me is yelling at that part of me to not be stupid. there's also part of me wondering how many people will have developed agoraphobia by the end of this.

This is the most joyous of days. The day I have been dreaming about has finally arrived! My humans are home. I am not sure why, but I am thanking my lucky Dog Star Sirius. Best star for a lucky Whippet. Home. Home. Home. I have spent many years waiting as a loyal work-from-home pet. I have to confess that they are looking a little sad. I feel their nervousness and can smell their Adrenalin. They also seem to be playing with their shiny screen toys A LOT. But that's no matter. I know what will cheer them up! They must like toys. I will take all of my toys to them and drop them on their fuzzy slippers. YIPPEE!!! Whew...that was fun! The smaller ones with their uniforms on their top halves and their jammies on their bottom halves will play with me! Oh, no...Now the female human is making them sit in front of their small talking TV screens. Spoil sport Mum! Okay, let's get all of my leads and harnesses in my teeth from the wicker basket where they hide them. Let's see what happens when I put these in their hands? Oh, oh, the human looks at his big circle on his arm and then clips me into my harness. YIPPEE!!! He lets me pull him down the driveway to visit our Kangaroos munching on the lawn. They smile at me for a while and then they keep chewing the fresh grass. I bark at them just to let my male human know that I can do my security job even if he's home. I am always on the job!! And when we return to the house, he opens the shiny cool box with the food. This is my favourite part. Roast Chicken for me!! YIPPEE!!!!

Wow, this Corona Virus has got us all freaked out! In the last few months, the Corona Virus has kept everyone inside. Everything has closed including, schools, people's work, restaurants and loads of people have been asked to work from home to keep everyone safe from this dreadful Covid- 19. Sadly many people have lost their jobs because of this very grim Corona Virus. The reason why our country and so many more countries are so strict about Covid- 19 restrictions is because 100s and 1000s of people have become very ill and many people have sadly died from this horrifying and unknown Virus. The scary thing is, is that they don't even have a cure for it yet! We should all come together and do our best to stay inside, social distance and practice good hygiene to stop the spread of the nasty virus.