Twas the Week Before Christmas

 

Twas the week of Christmas 2020, when all through the land. Everyone was nervous, there’s a pandemic at hand.

The plastic gloves and glen20 where hung on the mantel with care and toilet paper a plenty on that we don’t spare. Stay COVID safe these germs are not something to share. 

We are all looking forward to spending time with family and friends, and the day when COVID 19 finally comes to an end.

The children where nestled and snug in their beds, while the horrors of home schooling play in their heads.

And Mamma in her gown and I in my mask had just woken up we had long been in bed.

When all of a sudden, the phones started beeping and making a clatter, I had to get up to see what was the matter.

I ran to the lounge and turned on the TV, and there was the news – my heart filled with dread.

The reporters told me what I needed to know, a new hot spot in NSW had started to grow.

Then what to my wondering eyes should appear, but SCOMO, Greg Hunt and Josh Frydenberg too,

And a sleigh full of Premiers telling us what we must do.

More rapid than eagles his National Cabinet came, and he introduced them to the media and called them by name:

Now, Gladys! Now, Anna! Now, Steven and Dan. On, Gunner On, Peter, on Andrew and Mark McGowan.

To our screens they all came and all said their bit, the boarders must close on our hands we won’t sit.

People started panicking to cross boarders if time would allow, to get to their families for Christmas was the priority now.

As I went back to watch TV and catch up with the News, SCOMO was stating the Government views. 

Doctor Kelly on hand talking of flattening the curve, and what it involves, but SCOMO would not let it weaken his resolve.

His demeanor oh how calming!  His words so soothing!  His smile is quite cheeky, and his spin is just oozing. 

No more Scotty from Marketing but a Leader with flair, how did he get there in only in 1 year.

He continues along the constitutional lines,  these decisions are State based, and to try and over turn would be asinine.  

The National Cabinet has defined their hot spots and we have to learn to live with them if we like it or not.

Our economy is good, compared with most, though we don't like to boast. With Job Seeker, Job Keeper, Job Maker and tax cuts economic stimulus is an absolute must.

We hope and we pray for those so unwell, we wait for the vaccine but on that we can’t dwell. 77 Million cases and nearly 2 million dead, these are the stats we really should dread.

This virus is lethal so get it through your heads.  Stay home if can, sanitize your hands, socially distance from others and wear a mask is the plan.  

Get tested, if unwell or in a hot spot and then stay at home and just stop the rot.

Keep your family safe and remember those who have passed, to this horrible virus that stuck us so fast.  

2020 is different, on that there’s no doubt, but we will come through this if we just bear it out.

One day we’ll look back and remember these days, and how they made us better in so many ways. 

So this year, be thankful for your health, your family and friends and one day soon this virus will end. 

I heard them exclaim as they went out of sight -  Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night.

 

Julie-Ann Crossley

May your Christmas be happy, may your Christmas be bright and in 2021 we should all see the light.

22 December 2020

At the time of penning this the Statistics where

77.6M cases world wide

1.7M deaths

Australia:  28,198 cases

Australia 908 deaths

Qld 6 deaths

Christmas 2019 I had never heard of COVID

Our Government in all forms has given us a great result, they all worked together regardless of their Party Lines and got us through something horrific.  We thank you for your hard work.

That was the week that was

Easter - been and gone, it didn't go any slower but it was just more lonely.  We had been at home not going any where for 8 days so it was a bit of a treat to go shopping on Wednesday.  Another quick in and out - no hanging around, but still good to get out.

We did also go to Volunteer Marine Rescue where surprise surprise every man and his dog was out boating and of course they where all breaking down and needing assistance - so much for social distancing.

With D1 getting married in just over 2 weeks and everything now being cancelled we did have to go out yesterday - some shops at the local home base where open and one that sells artificial flowers, so we did get a bouquet and some flower pots for decorating.  Its funny as soon as I go out like that I always come home feeling sick - psychosomatic I suppose or hope anyway.

That is the silly thing about weddings and D1 was quite upset yesterday because here she is only allowed to get married in front of 2 people (excluding the celebrant and themselves) and yet 20 people are allowed to aimlessly wander around The Outlet Shop most not really buying anything and if they did it just seemed so superficial  - it upset her a lot as they have been working at home now for 4 weeks and really have gone nowhere, they didn't even know that petrol was so cheap as they haven't needed any for so long.

It looks like it is going to be a progressive wedding (where there's a will there's a way) - no doubt something they will talk about for the rest of their lives getting married in a pandemic.  I am proud they still want to get married regardless that's the important bit.  Get married in front of Derek and I, then we clear out, and its done again for  his parents to be apart of .  They go to the photographers house for pics, then drive by to say hi to Granny.  I hope it's a nice day for it they deserve it.  Their sisters miss out , but hopefully soon we can all be together to celebrate.

How proud are you of our Prime Minister - ScoMo is doing such a great job - how much has changed for him in the the last few months, there he was being ridiculed about not being here for the bush fires and then not reacting fast enough etc - so he obviously learnt a very valuable lesson - get everyone working together not apart, and that has given us all so much more confidence in the health of our country.  I hope that arse hole who would not shake his hand is rethinking how lucky he is we have a strong and stable Government and Leader.

On the other hand I have to say while I had thought that Trump was doing a good job in the US generally - yes different to other Leaders, definitely not regal, he did seem to have the economy in better shape - but the last couple of weeks OMG he really just looks and sounds like a fool. 

Easter Monday

Just another day - finding anything to do is becoming boring.  Its even hard to call anyone and get excitement because guess what they are doing nothing as well.  If you are doing the right thing then chances are you are bored and if your friends and family are doing the right thing they are also bored.  We all understand why and it is about trying to find something more to do that keeps you occupied even if just for half an hour.

While the numbers look good here in Australia - it is of course the amount of people returning form overseas that is causing the issue and because our testing really hasn't been anyone feeling ill its hard to know how many people are walking around with the thing and just not aware of it - that's the scary part.  As someone posted on Facebook the other day, if someone said there is a shooter at your local shopping center just randomly shooting people chances are you wouldn't just pop down for some bread.

I finished doing all my shopping last Tuesday so that in fact we did not have to leave the house for 1 whole week for anything - it is amazing

how a little trip to the shops does fill in your day - while I haven't spent much time at the shops in the last month, it is about thinking about what you need, getting in the car, getting out of the car and getting into the shops fast - it is still an outing and without that this week gosh it is hard there isn't much to break up the day.

A small price to pay I suppose for the well being of everyone and that's what is important - everyone coming out of this on the other side.

D2 posted a good one asking her friends to refrain from having sex because she wouldn't be able to afford 27 baby showers in December - there will be a lot of 2020 babes born as there always is when these types of things happen.  My neighbor is pregnant and its scary for her - as she has to go to Doctors etc but she is being a good girl and primarily staying away from everything as well as having cravings for things she can't get - so while we are all a bit bored spare a thought for others.

Easter Saturday

We have been self isolating since the first week of March - the last time we went out was the 2nd March with the exception of shopping for food.  While we would normally keep away from everything over public holidays and school holidays this year we are beginning to go a bit stir crazy.  I suppose that what happens when you are an early adapter.  

Normally I would be tired after a big day of entertaining, and looking down the barrel of a big clean, but not this year.  This year everything is sparkling because we have continued to find little projects each day that could be done like clean out a cupboard, clean up the garden, but really now we literally have no projects left to really do.

I know the kids are also going a bit stir crazy, D1 and boyfriend (soon to be husband in 4 weeks) have been working from home for 4 weeks now and they too are finding it difficult to keep themselves busy when not working and each day is becoming a little more like the same.

We try to only watch the early news in the morning and then the nightly news at 6pm because the day can just get away from you watching the same information all day long.  At first it was sort of OK to keep up to date with whats going on as there were messages from every politician but that has also faded a bit.  Me I now follow ScoMo on facebook because that's the truth and Annasticia  Palaszczuk, this gives me a good overview of our National information and our State information.  I am not saying the TV networks aren't doing a good job, because I think in the main they are - not a lot of fake news at the moment and they are I believe trying hard to keep it real, but I don't want the watered down versions of press conferences, I don't want their opinion on what these people are saying, I want to hear it from the horses head and not the horses arse so to speak.

Australia has done an amazing job, ScoMo and his national cabinet what a stroke of genius, able to put all those people together to make one team and that is such a great thing to see, it will also mean there really shouldn't be any finger pointing when we reach the other side.  We are one! 

Also I am particularly over football players and their woes - who cares, from where I sit they should all be sacked and let a new group come through but under different guidelines so sporting stars (or so they think) understand they are not above it all and the people who really pay their wages are hurting.

It is so sad to see pictures of mass burials in New York, and other places where the bodies are left on the roadside - and yet we still see people not taking it seriously and that is so annoying.  Lets keep our fingers crossed that Australia continues on its path, as we seem to be fairing better than most.

Happy Easter

Such a different feeling this year to most Easters.  I hope everyone gets the message to Stay@Home this year - even though there are lots of things we would prefer to be doing - it's hard.

Generally at this time of the day as I write this I would be getting everything ready for our big family Easter celebrations.  We always do this on Good Friday because generally nothing is open (but hey that's just life now) no one can really go anywhere - again because nothing is open so it is a good time for us to all get together as a family and still give everyone else time to do other things over the nice long 4 day break.

This year however I was able to spend some time getting things to deliver to all my beautiful family who I am missing so much so they can Stay@Home and stay safe.  It was a challenge but over 3-4 weeks every time I went shopping I just popped some extra things into my shopping bag - what I can put in my own shopping bag doesn't get purchased. I don't want to use trolleys even though I see them being cleaned I prefer to take my own big bag and one other and use the self check out to reduce the strain on the girls at the check out and reduce spreading anything, this also generally means that I can just do a pay wave because it is under the $100 limit again reducing the need to touch things.  I also found it stopped me from just going ooooh that might come in handy - being limited to only those things that fit in my bag made me understand exactly what I was looking for.

So for as long as I can remember we have celebrated Easter on Good Friday - I would buy so many Easter Eggs and Easter goodies and food so that we could have a lovely day all together eating, playing games.  I would now generally be getting Julies Yummy Corner ready but not this year.

This week I went to my useful box where I store all my various holiday and special occasions decorations - got out my Easter stuff (all Corona virus free) and packed up everyone what we called Julies Easter Essentials pack so everyone could have the joy of food, essential products that are often hard to find and Stay@Home.

I think everyone enjoyed their delivery and enjoyed all the bits and pieces in it - things we take for granted most of the time but today are just hard to get.

I hope it is a Good Friday and everyone Stays At Home and our numbers reduce so that we can get out again soon.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

April 8th Thoughts

We have so much information at our fingertips these days and I must say I was surprised that so many people really couldn't see what others in the world where facing and didn't see it was going to happen here.  Sometimes you are just better off being prepared - nothing lost if the worst doesn't happen, but better safe than sorry.

As per one of my previous posts our little group started way earlier than most, and therefore we where not in a panic.  As I also said, we where not hording but ensuring we could sit it out for a few weeks without worry, without stuff, and without useless stuff.  That is what has amazed me, people buying large amounts of stuff that I wonder would you normally buy that many beans - whats the point in having stuff that you don't normally eat, that you don't normally prepare - but when there isn't much on the shelves because you haven't prepared maybe that is what happens - but to me it was clearly out there earlier than most wanted to believe.

We are so lucky here to be honest - but it still surprises me that many just do not get the Stay@Home message and feel like they must go out, must socialise.  Yes it is hard but I will say I have seen people walking around our suburb I have never seen out and about before - so maybe there will be a lot more fitter people when this is finished, but what did they do before?  That is what perplexes me, did they really spend that much time at pubs, restaurants, casinos just generally out shopping because a lot of these folks don't look like they have been out on the beaches exercising etc for a very long time.  Or is it now that they are meant to sit down, have a beer and watch telly the don't want to because it is more about rebellion.

I am still surprised by people who go shopping in groups - yes I know the kids want to get out as well but it is so much harder to keep your distance when everyone is in groups. This is probably more to do with smaller blocks and not enough room really for the kids to romp around on like we did and our kids did.  My kids could play for hours out in the yard, collecting things, making things, running around but then again we had larger yards.  Maybe governments should be rethinking block sizes and instead of trying to get as many blocks into an area look at making application fees smaller for larger blocks so that families can be at home with enough space.  The space provides more for everyone to do while staying at home.  It could be that kids are now just use to being carted out and about as well, most people I knew when my kids where growing up didn't take their kids to the shops - they where left at home with Dad but now it does seem like a bit of a family event - have we really just lost touch so much.  I will say that most of the kids in our area seem to be happy, I haven't really heard any whinging so maybe they are happier than what parents think, but it's the parents that are bored.

So today our Parliament is sitting to pass the Job Keeper package - I feel this is great and of course there will be winners and losers there always is, but I am not feeling for the OS Students to be honest - they signed a form to say they could support themselves 12 months - evidently they can't so go home, go to a family members home and yes they may well have paid some tax but how much can you pay when you are a student they would have made more than they have paid in tax and how much are they making each week - why should they get a Job Keeper $1500 a fortnight when New Start now Job Seeker is only $250 a week (yes it is also being increased in this pandemic, but apparently that was enough for people without jobs to live on in the past).

Now on to the whingers and whiners about the quarantining that started 2 weeks ago, they say it wasn't well planned - guess what it wasn't but it was necessary to reduce the spread, I would be interested to know how may left Australia for their oversea trip after mid Feb when travel warning where already in play - to me that wasn't good planning.

A Letter to Greta

A LETTER TO GRETA

RE: Be careful what you wish for

It has occurred to me in the last few weeks, that I have not seen your somewhat miserable face telling the world what we all need to do  and realized there is a new kid in town – one who seems to be getting all the attention and to some extent is fulfilling your wishes within weeks.

While everyone understood your desire for a cleaner world, (we all wish that) it was not understanding what would actually make that happen practically, the new kid does!  A cleaner world was only ever going to happen by:

• Reducing population – the new kid has that one under control.
• Reducing consumption – of things and food – again the new kid seems to have managed to keep our consumption of everything reduced, everyone will be eating less, buying less.
• Reducing travel – planes, trains and automobiles (you know plus ships etc) are big polluters – it is now just about non-existent – yes still occurring but reduced significantly and reducing the carbon emissions with it.  The new kid did that!
• Acting and staying local – unfortunately you cannot make a cleaner world while everyone wants something that is imported from overseas – things get to you from the big polluters.  Staying local and buying local will reduce transportation needs and make the world a cleaner place.  That new kid knows how to keep everyone at home.
• Reducing manufacturing – without consumption there is no need to mass produce – now we are only producing necessary items – thus reducing emissions and making the world a cleaner place.  Less greed, less entitlement – less emissions.  The new kid understands that.

Reducing farting cows is not the issue today is it?  Petrochemicals are the cheapest they have been in a decade, however there is no need for them given we are not going anywhere.  Reduced emissions thanks to Stay@Home and isolation.  It is a new world for the time being and no doubt cleaner, but was this what you were really wanting?  

Fighting climate change and COVID 19 on both fronts probably isn’t necessary except to keep you in the media as the new kid is getting the lime light.

There are more but while you want to promote a cleaner world for the future – maybe you are getting a small picture into what that practically means.  It’s not pretty and it’s not nice.  Your parents allowed you to be entitled by providing an environment for you – I understand that, but all your cohorts are on a band wagon and from what I see do not really practice what they preach in the main it’s about notoriety, and making a living out of being seen, but none of us is being seen anymore because the new kid has changed that.  Influencers are not required anymore it was always a hyped up look at me unsustainable reality – it is now about substance and getting back to basics.

So be careful what you wish for - you may get it just not in the package you thought it would come in.

2020 Oooh Dear

This is now about giving me something to do while in lock down and to provide me with my own account on how we are all getting through in our little bit of the world, it will help me to remember and it will help me to continually focus on the important things in life.  So this is my little COVID 19 diary.

One of the Birthday Parties - 
we will be together again!

While I usually write something at the end or beginning of the year about our year what we did, what we are going to do  I didn't this year.  It wasn't that we didn't do anything in 2019, because we did.  We bought a new camper trailer and we went off many times.  We tried to go places we hadn't been before and continued to discover lovely parts of our world here at home, places more isolated than we would normally go.

The after and before of D1s garden - felt exhausted

We made some changes to our Birthdays in 2019, no presents just everyone's presence - going to local pubs and everyone chipping in.  That was fun and it meant we all got together every month or so and went out as a family.  That was a real highlight for me, just happy, fun and loving.

The end of the year got hijacked as Mum (87) fell and broke her knee and that took the best part of the end of the year to get her recuperated.  D1 and boyfriend moved out of our home here and bought their first house - so moving and gardening and fixing bits and pieces rounded out 2019.  Family type stuff which happens.  

Of course we did have our normal mega Christmas - something I am always grateful for having everyone at home but we where less generous on the present giving and more generous with the love and I loved that.

What where we going to do in 2020 - well we did have some plans but as 2019 and 2020 ended and started so bad with drought and fires we sort of just put everything on hold.  Those events seemed so devastating and just felt going away wasn't necessary.  In hindsight I am so glad we made those calls.

We where also planning D1s wedding which was scheduled for the beginning of May, so we had plenty of lovely things going on - you know dress shopping, trial makeups etc.

Fast forward to Feb - we had started to learn of the WuHan Virus now called COVID 19 - like most of these things we are not generally too affected, however I really did start to see the increase and what was happening elsewhere in the world - it was frightening, it was sad and heartbreaking.

By the last week of February I did decide to withdraw my superannuation - I just felt this virus was going to cause havoc - it did and I am glad I withdrew because it gave me more money to look after my family in these times.  In January Woolworths gave emergency service works (which we are) 10% discount so I did a big shop on all the expensive items like cleaning products, loo paper, sanitisers  toiletries etc - that too was a God send, it meant by February I had a good stock of all of these things.  I did at that time also get the girls to begin getting food in case we go into a lock down - now this was well before others where as I said to them just do bigger shops and look for long life stuff you know a Deb, frozen veg, rice, pasta and meat products for the fridge and freezer - just ensure you could survive for 2 or so weeks without needing to go out.  We all did this at the end of Feb including me making sure Mum was well supplied as well - I did put her in lock down at the end of Feb for going out anywhere.  We where lucky because it meant when there where big runs at the shops we where only topping up and being able to keep away entirely while all the panic buying was taking place - that was what I was hoping to achieve, keep us away from crowds.  Being prepared to the best of our ability.

D1s home cooked meal picked up and taken to their home
Now that is social distancing.

Derek and I have been self isolating with the exception of going to the shops and going to Volunteer Marine Rescue each week, we really wanted to stay safe so we can help others including Mum and the community we serve - boaties and boy have they all been out in force.  Shopping now is my main activity as all the kids are working still (and they find it hard to get to the shops while there are stocks) and needing to get Mum stuff and then stuff for us I can shop early 7am and pick things up for everyone and then do the drop offs.  At the moment it keeps me busy and feeling like Mum again.

We are also doing weekend cook ups for pick up by the kids so they can relax a bit and recuperate after what are now very hectic weeks for them, this is been good for me and gives me yet another little activity to do and then they drive by, pick up and we get to see them even if only for 5 mins - all with social distancing of course but it means we are having family meals even if we are not together.  I like it.

I am now getting ready for Easter - there will not be a Julies Yummy Corner this year the first for many years, but there will be a Julies Essential COVID 19 Easter Essentials

Pack being delivered to everyone I have spent the last couple of weeks finding odds and sods as they have been available.  Stay Tuned and Stay at Home!