New Zealand is now in total lock-down for at least four
weeks, starting midnight last night.
News photos are showing empty motorways and deserted streets, except for
journalists reporting while standing in the middle of a road!
I have a friend in Christchurch involved in an essential
service – delivering firewood to homes so people can stay warm during winter. He has been at work today, but says there are
a lot of people out and about. Many of
them are on cycles, quite a few are at the beach, and a lot of families are
walking the streets. No doubt they are
all trying to keep their regulation distance from each other’s groups, but one
wonders if they really do NEED to be out in public at this time.
We are quite content here at our home today. Son has been working in the garden, building
another wall, and grand-daughter has been sorting out her school lessons. I have cleaned the bathrooms and washed the
towels and talked to a lot of people by phone and online, before making myself
a lunch of a meat pattie with lettuce salad and sautéed leftover dinner
vegetables.
We usually keep our breakfast and lunch meals separate, and
then join together for dinner in the evening.
It works well for us.
 |
| My lunch |
The majority of our population have a lawn and/or garden
area around their home, and I am so thankful that we also do. They can be a great place for children to
play – and I even heard of one mother who has made a competition of who can
pull the most weeds out of the garden!
 |
| Many gardens have room for a Frisbee or two |
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| Making sand-pies in the garden |
I do admit to feeling a little envious of those who are
confined to farms as they have so much more space to wander over. I used to love walking around whatever farm
we were living on when we were farm workers, but that was many years ago. I seldom have any opportunity these days to
wander freely over farmland, and public walkways through farms are extremely
rare.
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| Much easier to maintain social distancing out here! |
I see that Prince Charles has tested positive for Covid-19,
but only has mild symptoms so he should soon be on the road to recovery. It just shows that no-one is immune against
this viral threat.
Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, stay safe and
have a good day J
Margaret.
It all seems quite surreal. Not good about all the people going to the beach. We have not seen the news today - will watch it at 7 p.m. as usual (creatures of habit)
ReplyDeleteApparently if they keep their distance it is classed as okay. My nephew wrote on Facebook that he saw a group of 20 plus people out walking together today and I doubt that they all belong to the same 'bubble' - I think officialdom need to clarify the situation a bit more.
DeleteI posted one 'boomer' comment before I realised it was going around so to speak! Now I just hit 'DELETE'. We are so far, doing well stuck at home. I baked a cake today, first one in our new home. I'm like you, it would be wonderful to be isolated on a lovely farm right now, with cows would be my idea of heaven. Stay safe Chick.
ReplyDeleteYum - a cake! I think I have rather a sweet tooth LOL and a cake sounds like a brilliant idea. I could teach grand-daughter how to make one from scratch - would that be a good enough excuse to bake one? Keep well and stay happy :) xx
DeleteWe live in a village, so we can walk to our park most days, and not be close to anyone, it does feel good and we will walk for as long as they let us. Having the garden is great, but our personal world is now so small. I have always loved being at home, but once you are on lock down is all feels much harder.
ReplyDeleteYou have made me think, Marlene. I may have sounded a bit too critical of folk going out walking. It is a very fine line between going for a walk that makes you feel better, and going out because you are "on holiday" now because you can no longer go to work. I'm also picking up a feeling of rebellion when I talk with people. There is the idea that "I will do what I have always done" and "nobody has the right to tell me what I can and cannot do." So far government instructions have also sounded contradictory - stay at home and save lives versus it is good to go out if you keep your distance from others. I find it all very confusing.
DeleteI hopped to you from Susan Heather. I miss our 3 acres, the quiet places under the tall trees, but know here we have wonderful friends, they wave from the letterbox across the street, do our groceries, ( as over 70 we are all staying inside the "Bubble", ) and are so thankful for all medical staff, supermarket workers who must be struggling to keep the shelves even part way stocked.
ReplyDeleteWelcome NancyJ :)
DeleteWe have several family members working in essential services and I know what a lot of them have to put up with. They do a marvelous job keeping our world ticking over.
A weed-competition, now that is clever! :-)
ReplyDeleteWe have a little balcony and can still go out, but in 4C I prefer to stay inside...
I think temperatures like that would have me staying inside as well :)
DeleteI am sure that there will be as many ways to coping with this pandemic as there are people. I was a little amused by your comment about whether people NEED to be out in public. I suspect that many do. As you point out, you live in a house in a suburb, with a garden. A young friend of mine, a graduate student, lives in a studio apartment in a high rise building. She is a runner too. I have no doubt that she NEEDS to be out. You have daily contact with your son and granddaughter, maybe speak to neighbours across the fence while maintaining the recommended distance. She has no one.
ReplyDeleteI think I may have come across as being rather critical. People like your friend really DO NEED to be able to go outside. However very few New Zealanders live in high rises as we simply don't have many of them. What we are seeing is that some people (including members of my extended family) are not stopping first to ask themselves if they absolutely have to go out into public areas or could they perhaps exercise or 'get fresh air' in and around their own homes.
DeleteHello, The view of the farm land is beautiful, it would be a great spot for a walk. I do hope the people on the beach are keeping a safe distance from each other. Your meal looks yummy. I am thankful for all those who are considered essential and must report to work. Take care! Wishing you a happy day!
ReplyDeleteI am hoping too that people are taking special care to stay the right distance apart, but from some reports I have had this is sadly not always the case. I also am thankful for our essential workers, they do an amazing job and often at personal risk to themselves. Enjoy your day :)
DeleteWe are also blessed to have a rooftop area on our place where we can get the morning sunshine and be under the sunrise sky. I also found out earlier about the NZ lockdown from my former students in Auckland. I love those memories and keepsake photos that you shared to us and that is so precious! I would love to join that weed pulling contest as well :)
ReplyDeleteStay Safe Margaret, it's always a pleasure to visit here everyday :)
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I thought the weed-pulling was a great idea :) Stay safe on your rooftop - much better than going down the street when you do not need to. Keep singing, it makes the day better, xx
DeleteI hope that people really are keeping their distance. We started out with everyone thinking it was a holiday and now I need a permit to take out the rubbish.
ReplyDeleteStaying at home is the best way to stay healthy
I feel the public are receiving mixed messages about getting outside and staying home, so I will not be surprised if we receive further restrictions (or at least, some clarification of what is meant) during this coming week. People need to stay at home as much as they possibly can. Stay safe, xx
DeleteWelcome to the list of people confined to their homes! It’s not so bad! Books and music help!
ReplyDeleteIt is a huge adjustment to ask of people, especially when they don't see why they should be doing it. I guess within a couple of weeks things will settle down. And books and music definitely help!
DeleteWe go on lockdown here in Minnesota on Friday night. It won't be any different for us as we have been on our own isolation since March 9. I am getting caught up on my naps:)
ReplyDeleteNothing quite as nice as an afternoon Nanna Nap!
DeleteI think teaching your granddaughter how to bake a cake is a great idea. Of course you'll have to teach her how to make a wonderfully delicious frosting otherwise the cake will look naked. Enjoy!!
ReplyDeleteNo cake is complete without that little extra touch to stop it looking naked! :))
DeleteInteresting times, Margaret. I see the occassional walker where I live but it is seldom. I do miss that, going for a sortie around the block. I also got a vile comment from "unknown" spewing venom about baby boomers. I didn't enable it, of course.
ReplyDeleteI still seem to receive one of those nasty comments each day - I mark them as spam - and am now starting to receive the same ones again I did earlier on.
DeleteThe walking situation is still in confusion. Even the officials on the Covid-19 Update on tele at 1pm couldn't give definite answers - stay home and don't go out, but it is okay to walk or bike around your local streets if you don't have contact with anyone. Sounds very contradictory to me.
I don't know how I missed this post...sorry to be so late.
ReplyDeleteI think you and your son have figured a good way to do meals...BTW, your lunch looks delicious!