Diary Entries

Restrictions have eased but Covid is still here with us lurking so as a man on the radio said, "stay safe, think you have Covid and everyone else has it and that way when you venture out into the open you will take those precautions and stay safe and ultimately keep others safe". The incredible sunshine of late in the Autumn season allowing for the venture outside to go for a walk around the lake or along the Wyong river such a blessing. With all the lock-down it seems as though the winged ones have come from near and far to visit on the waters edge with an abundance of pelicans, plovers, white cockatoos, magpies, ducks, black swans, cormorants. None of them of course practising social distancing. As an artist I have been kept very busy with my three C plan after the storms and flooding of February entered my studio through the roof. This led to a major cleanup and the three C plan of Clean, Chuck Create go into operation. The Clean part took weeks going through everything, waiting for repairs, getting rid of black mould, mopping, shifting furniture, equipment and art works from one place to another in an attempt to make sure all the dirt, mould and water was gone. Happy to report that the Create part of the plan has been in action for a couple of weeks with repairs finally completed and things back in order and a space for work. So with all your exhibitions, groups, travels cancelled what do you do??? You clean, garden, walk, plan, zoom, research, draw, create plates for printmaking, sleep try to eat moderately and create works that will reflect the time and space you are in now.

I am completely and utterly bored. This covid crisis is absolutely horrible and I am truly suffering, seriously, how many times can I take my dog for a walk before her legs fall off. If I hear one more person try and convince me to go on my seventeenth walk of the day I'm going to lose it! I can’t even count how many times I’ve argued with my family over the smallest thing, I love them but they’re driving me crazy! Stay Safe, xoxo

I’m struggling with all the juggle now. So I could have punched the air and sung hallelujah out of the car window as I heard the news on the radio about the full time return to school next week. The drive to take Miss Eight to school is 30 mins each way, but I don’t mind, it’s the only peace and radio time I get. I’ve avoided listening to the radio and news when the kids are around to limit them hearing endless adult anxiety about the corona virus and its consequences. It works by the way. We answer all their questions truthfully but don’t indulge in panic. I worry enough on my own about how to do life competently and sometimes, frankly, feel a level of despondency at how quickly we’ve gone from being okay to uh-oh. I quit a steady arts job last year because it impinged on my family time to the extent I was working most evenings and weekends and my children complained that they didn’t see me anymore. It took me 9 months to find a suitable casual job that enabled me to also be present for my kids. We have no family support to lean on. And in no time at all , that casual job as a holiday let booking assistant had me counselling guests and would-be visitors to the Blue Mountains on the fires surrounding us, while keeping our own kids informed enough not to panic about the fires, but ready enough to leave at a moment’s notice. Months and months of that, followed by local floods and damage to the train service when a landslide skittled the line at Leura. Some businesses were barely clinging on. And then, COVID-19. There have been better years than this one.

Each night there's a knock on my door it's the guy from the upper floor with a smile at the end of the day as he checks that I'm doing ok, such a good neighbour he has been through this time of COVID-19, which we all wish would soon end but not so, that connection, dear friend

I was travelling in Greece in the first two weeks of March, and as the COVID-19 situation started unfolding globally, we made the decision to come home early, albeit by only one day, but we could sense the enormity of the situation. I'm feeling very grateful for having completed this trip before the world shut down. In terms of isolation, I have found solace in my home and my garden. I have spent time researching and cooking beautiful nutritious meals and flexing my baking muscle. I have exercised daily - either outside in the sunshine for a walk, or in the dark early mornings completing an online gym session in my loungeroom. I've also been thinking a lot about my future, and as a 61-year-old woman, I've decided that I am not going to work on into my late 60's as I always thought I would. I have enjoyed taking the time to check on many of my friends who are vulnerable, or lonely, or who just simply need pepping up, and I have found that I'm good at that - that I can lift people's spirits. My focus has shifted slightly. Working from home has been a revelation to me in that I have found that the things that I always thought I would miss if I wasn't actually in the workplace every day - collegial conversation and company - haven't factored highly in my feelings at all. I find that I can live simply, happily, and with less anxiety having briefly been forced to "step off the treadmill".

#Lock down# 7 years on So everyone wants to know how lock up in lockdown is, well first great, but not great, boring and heaps boring. Life ain’t fun being in isolation and in lock up. That’s all you do is lock down in your room thinking about life on the outside or the other side but don’t plan too big. Life on the outside ain’t fun everyone is lock down waiting for someone to help, we didn’t expect covid-19 to be like this killing all these people. Life is too short for all of this to happen, we only want to have a clean life for our self and our baby, but on the new everyday all I hear about is people stuck in their homes.

It's 11:00 pm at night. I am sitting in my chair stressing out because my music assignment is due in an hour. I filmed myself multiple times playing the piano but not one video satisfied me, I knew that if it didn't satisfy me then neither would the teacher be satisfied when they watch it. The problem is that I am terrified thinking that people would judge me so I don't have the confidence to do a lot of things, like public speaking, speaking in class or doing something in front of crowds. When I was small, I used to go to concerts once a year to perform a piece of music that my teacher suggested. Every time I played, it was either that I mess up or I have a huge panic attack on site. I never thought I was beautiful, I was pretty average in my opinion. After coming to this school and seeing so many beauties, my confidence level decreased even more. I rather stick to myself rather than making more friends due to my fear of judgements. The assignment was due soon and I needed to find a plan, in the end, I decided to not film myself but to film the wall while I was playing the piano. I finally finished the assignment and gave it in just before midnight strikes.

My name is Molly and I am 12 years old (until June when I turn 13). I go to TRAC in Wagga Wagga and its a pretty good school. We have been doing all our work online and it is stressful. I dont have to get up very early anymore because there is no bus to catch but I hate getting up early and to me 8:30 is early. Lately, my school has allowed year 7 & 8 to come two days a week and its been great seeing my best friend again. being at home is stressful and I feel like im getting much more work. it's also bad because my younger brother won't stop bugging me. but working from home is good too. I get to stop working at 3:10 on the dot and have a snack unlike when at school I dont get home until 4:30 pm. it is kind of tough but also fun in isolation.

Hello everyone! My name is Zara, I am 10 and i live in NSW. Covid 19 has effected everyone and the news keeps reminding us of all the deaths. Some people have returned to school (I have) and some still do online learning. There have been new items made such as the virtual museums where people can look around and explore in their home. Months ago everyone was fighting about toilet paper (Not that it has calmed down now) but now nobody cares. Hope everyone is well stay safe stay happy and we will get through this! :) Your friend The Little Raveclaw!

CRUISE TO NEW CALEDONIA 2020 We should have been overjoyed at the prospect of eight, glittering nights on board Carnival Spirit. But David’s doctor warned him the cruise was a, ‘No-no.’ Still, we decided to go. Echoes of the Ship of Fools? I packed my baubles and bling. Cough mixture. A month’s medications. Travacalm. Panadol. Anti-diarrhoea medication. Metaphen throat gargle. Calcium Ascorbate powder. Berocca. Alcohol hand wash. Face masks. Surface sprays… Were we expecting the Plague? By March, the world was under siege from a deadly pandemic. Invisible. More infectious than influenza. Covid-19 sought out heart problems. Lung Disease. Those over 70. Diabetes. Thousands could die. China took the first blows. Then Italy was in lockdown. A tsunami struck Palermo. From three cases to 12,462 in three weeks. Drenching Fever. Coughs. Shortness of Breath. Iran has a tradition of visiting the sick. Corona gave all a warm welcome. Spain. The UK… Panic buying. We laughed at customers wrestling for packs of toilet paper. A couple ended in court for affray. Breakfast cereals ran low. Panadol. Pasta. Rice. Trump’s denial had shifted to closed borders for Europe. The US had a thousand cases. Britain had 10,000 cases and counting. Singapore. North Korea. Singapore… Australia isolated people for 14 days. Corona closed Epping Boys High School and Marsden College. Nursing Home Patients dead. Scott Morrison stepped up, spending big to support workers and businesses. Instead of a phantom surplus, the nation’s finances plunged into deficit. And, as the midwife declared to the pregnant woman, ‘ Things will get worse before they get better.’ Monday 16th March, was meant to be our sail away. But the TV news announced : Carnival Cancels all cruises, for the next fortnight. They must be kidding. And you know what? I couldn’t have been happier.