Covid-19 Pandemic

At midnight on 25 March 2020, New Zealand households entered a period of quarantine in a national effort to fight the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

From our privileged life in New Zealand, we have isolated ourselves from the rest of the community. We shelter in place. The government is paying a wage subsidy so I don't have to go to work. We stay in our own bubble, and don't burst anyone else's bubble.  It's a scary time, and the number of cases keep climbing.

 I go for walks in the tree trust, and found a chestnut tree.  The walks provide a balm for my soul, and the fresh air helps my mental state.

 Some of the children in the street fly their kites, and I can see the fluttering from the deck. It makes me smile.

 This tree has red berries, and in the late afternoon sun, they are vivid against the green of the leaves.

 I have been watching chrysalis and wait for butterflies to hatch. This one will probably hatch tomorrow. The colour changed to black yesterday.

I spend most of my days stitching on my various projects. This keeps me busy, and stops me thinking about the craziness in the world, and all the deaths.  The situation in the USA concerns me, and I expect that 100,000 Americans will be dead by July, and 1 million by Christmas.

Shopping for supplies is the only time I go into town.  I try to get to the supermarket between 745 and 8am, as we have to distance 2 metres apart.  This way, the first shoppers of the day have entered and there is no queue.  Flour, yeast, chocolate chips, and cinnamon are absent from the shelves. There is plenty of toilet paper (there was a mad rush on that in Australia and panic buying). I wear disposable gloves, but no mask. At this stage, there are clusters of cover-19 identified to overseas travel, and not community spread.

I have been following Sam Neill on Twitter, and he has provided light relief during this surreal time.  He has conversations with gnomes (Sir Gerald), plays the ukulele badly, and makes short films (2mins or less) with other actors in lockdown around the world.  Cinema Quarantine is the highlight of my week.

A family in Wellington created an original song and dance routine dedicated to being 'locked down' with his nearest and dearest.

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/family-lockdown-boogie-2020