A New Bed For Mittens

 

It seems to have been a rather busy week, but lots of things have got done.  The garden is all cleaned up and ready for winter, and the house has been getting some cleaning as well.

Son has sorted out his firewood pile and brought wood inside ready for our first fire (he takes care of the fire during winter).

I went shopping one morning and actually managed to find some slippers – a pretty pink, they fit me perfectly, and only cost $12.  Brilliant!

I also purchased a little bed for Mittens and tucked it underneath the desk in my room.  It took her about 15 minutes to find it and curl up to see what it was like.

It must have received a Tick of Approval, because she has been sleeping a lot in it the last few days.

Millie sleeps on Son’s bed on a special blanket, so it was nice to give Mittens something of her own (the two cats are siblings but seldom share anything).

New Zealand has moved to an Orange Alert (down from a Red) at midnight last night.  Apart from wearing masks at some venues and on public transport, it almost means “life as it used to be.”

We still have folk in hospital but officials are saying the peak has passed and our restrictions and borders can now be relaxed more.

Our family has been fortunate in not having caught the virus, except for my 18 year old step-grandson.  He spent the required isolation period at home and then returned to work, commenting it was a strange way to spend his birthday – feeling fine but stuck at home.

It is a lovely sunny autumn day today.  Ex-Cyclone Fili has been battering parts of the North Island but we have escaped with nothing worse than having a bit of wind and some cloud yesterday. 

I do feel for those in the Hawkes Bay who are still recovering from a storm three weeks ago.  More heavy rain is not something they really need right now.

Take care and be happy 😊

Margaret.

 

History Repeats

 

It seems there really is nothing new under the sun.  I have begun reading a very old book titled “Old St Paul’s,” a novel by William Harrison Ainsworth that was first published in 1841.

The story is set in the 1660s in London at the time of The Plague and the Great Fire.  Although a novel, the author based much of his information on written texts from the time and I found it quite astounding how many statements about the bubonic plague paralleled the Covid pandemic the world currently is facing.

I thought I would write some of them here, for those who wanted to read them. 

 

The “pestilence” had previously been present in Amsterdam and Hamburg, but efforts to contain it had failed and it arrived in England at the end of 1664.  The population responded with pure panic:

“Smothered for a short time, like a fire upon which coals had been heaped, it broke out with fresh fury in several places.  The consternation now began.  The whole city was panic-stricken; nothing was talked of but the plague – nothing planned but means of arresting its progress – one grim and ghastly idea possessed the minds of all.  Like a hideous phantom stalking the streets at noon-day, and scaring all in its path, Death took its course through London, and selected its prey at pleasure.”

 

Misinformation abounded:

“The alarm was further increased by the predictions confidently made as to the vast numbers who would be swept away by the visitation; by the prognostications of astrologers; by the prophesyings of enthusiasts; by the denunciations of preachers, and by the portents and prodigies reported to have occurred.  During the long and frosty winter preceding this fatal year, a comet appeared in the heavens, the sickly colour of which was supposed to forebode judgment about to follow.  Blazing stars and other meteors, of a lurid hue and strange preternatural shape, were likewise seen.  The sun was said to have set in streams of blood, and the moon to have shone without reflecting a shadow; grisly shapes appeared at night – strange clamours and groans were heard in the air – hearses, coffins, and heaps of unburied dead were discovered in the sky, and great cakes and clots of blood were found in the Tower moat; while a marvellous double tide occurred at London Bridge.  All these prodigies were currently reported, and in most cases believed.”

 

People took precautions, like wearing face coverings:

“Shrinking into a door-way, and holding a handkerchief to his face, to avoid breathing the pestilential effluvia, Leonard saw that there were other coffins in the cart, and that it was followed by two persons in long black cloaks.”

But some precautions we might consider a little extreme:

“Mr Bloundel would not touch the packet until he had guarded against the possibility of being infected by it.  Seizing it with a pair of tongs, he plunged it into a pan containing a strong solution of vinegar and sulphur, which he had always in readiness in the chamber, and when thoroughly saturated, laid it in the sun to dry.”

“… he now thought to expel the external air by setting fire to a ball, composed of quick brimstone, saltpetre, and yellow amber, which being placed on an iron plate, speedily filled the room with a thick vapour, and prevented the entrance of any obnoxious particles.”

 

Little was known about how to treat the disease:

“There are few known remedies against this frightful disease; and what few there are, must be adopted cautiously.  My own specific is sack (a type of wine).  ‘Sack!’ exclaimed Blaize in astonishment.  ‘Henceforth, I will drink nothing else.  I like the remedy amazingly.’”

Every case of the disease had to be reported to the appropriate authorities, in this case the Examiner of Health.  Once it was verified that disease was present in the house, the place was closed down for a month and a watchman set at the door so that none could leave or enter the premises – a bit like our lockdowns today.

One thing we don’t have though, is someone painting a foot-long red cross on our front doors with the words above it reading “Lord have mercy upon us.”

 

As happens today, some rebelled against official restrictions:

“The rigorous measures adopted by the authorities (whether salutary or not has been questioned), in shutting up houses and confining the sick and sound within them for forty days, were found so intolerable, that most persons were disposed to run any risk rather than be subjected to such a grievance, and every artifice was resorted to for concealing a case when it occurred.”

None of these measures helped stop the plague following due process, and many restrictions were waived as more and more got sick and died.  There simply were not enough people left who could fill all the jobs as watchmen, doctors etc.

The only ones who profited were those who operated the Death Carts driving around the city collecting corpses – many times there was no one to pay them, so they simply helped themselves.

 

The thought of living in those times fills me with horror, and I can imagine the fear that many folk had.  The plague never really ended until the Great Fire killed off the rodents and fleas that were the unsuspected carriers of the disease.

One thought does comfort me though.  However awful the situation is that mankind faces, there is always hope that the world will carry on.  Bad times pass and turn into history. 

We just happen to be living in a moment of history as it takes place!

Hugz to everyone,

Margaret 😊

 

The Plan

 

It is not very often that the Nation tunes into TV at 10 o’clock in the morning, but it did so today when the Government announced The Plan for leading the country forward in this era of covid.

I am happy with what they are saying.  I thought The Plan was positive and definitely doable.

The progression into a controlled relatively-free style of living (if you are vaccinated) sounds much better than staying in a permanent flux of lockdowns.

Once the country reaches a 90% target of fully vaccinated (for age 12 and over), then we can expect to see the new “traffic light” system implemented.

“Green” will mean not many people in the community have covid.  There will be virtually no restrictions on travel or business operations, with only some recommendations (such as mask wearing) in place.  Vaccination certificates will be used in areas with high people numbers.

“Amber” means a community has one or more clusters of uncontrolled active cases.  All businesses can remain open but there will be more restrictions put in place, like mandatory mask wearing and compulsory vaccine certificates for more places.

“Red” will mean the number of cases is threatening to overload our healthcare system.  Schools and most retail shops will remain open but with restrictions like capacity limits and a wide use of vaccination certificates.  If things turn really nasty, some areas may still be returned into lockdown.

Making such decisions like this are difficult for any government.  Trying to please everyone and still be realistic is not an easy path to take.  I liken it a bit to mixing a cocktail:

Cocktail a ’la Corona

Take a tall glass and fill it with icy Covid Cubes.

Add a jigger each of Unrealistic Expectations (public believing covid can be kept out of the country) and Public Panic (public believing covid will now run rampant).

Swish in a slosh of Health Limitations (can our hospitals cope) and a good swig of Financial Considerations (can our businesses cope).

Now add a touch of Political Consideration (have to stay on the right side of voters), before topping up the glass with Pure Hope (vaccination is the answer).

Decorate the glass with a couple of Crossed Fingers (for luck) and there you have it.

This coming weekend (today is Friday) will be Labour Weekend holiday.  Normally it would mean a rush to the beach for the first long weekend of summer.  Still possible for some, but here in the Auckland and Greater Waikato regions we will have to stay home.  At least the weather forecast looks rather dreary, so staying home shouldn’t be too hard.

Have a happy day everyone 😊

Margaret.

Photos: some random pictures I have taken of hanging garden ornaments.

Putting Covid Into Perspective

 I doubt there is a single person in our country who is not aware that Covid-19 is an infectious viral disease.  But what is a virus?

o   A virus is a submicroscopic life form, so tiny that it is invisible under a normal microscope.

o   It is an infectious agent, meaning it will have the means to spread itself from host to host.

o   Viruses are regarded as the most common biological entities on planet Earth, and can infect all other life forms (animals, plants, and even micro-organisms like bacteria).

o   The vast majority of viruses are harmless to humans, but some can kill us (especially if we have no antibodies to fight the disease caused), and some can be beneficial (e.g., the viruses that attack bacteria can be used to stop bacterial infection in humans).

o   There are several different viruses that can infect humans.  Some of the most commonly known ones would be Corona (such as colds, influenza, covid), HIV (AIDS), Hepatitis B, Herpes, Warts, Polio, Measles, Rubella, Mumps, Rotavirus (gastrointestinal flu), Dengue Fever, and Rabies.

The Corona Virus family is so ancient that it is believed to have been present in some form or another for as long as the human race has existed.

Today’s strains all present medically with similar symptoms, which can range in severity from insignificant to very mild, through to extremely severe or even fatal.

The most common Corona forms of virus found in our civilizations today are:

o   COLD – sniffles, cough, runny nose – remember that the Common Cold killed thousands of indigenous peoples when they were first visited by Western explorers, as they had no immunity to what was to them a new disease.

o   FLU – this is a term that is often used now to denote that a person is suffering a severe bout of common cold. It is often accompanied with headache and fever, and usually requires a day or two off work to recover.

o   RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) – results in symptoms similar to the common cold.  Most children will have had an RSV infection before their second birthday.  Reinfection is common.  Those most at risk are very young babies, frail elderly folk, and adults with existing critical heart or lung conditions.

o   INFLUENZA – a viral strain that affects the whole body, resulting in severe cold and flu symptoms, aches and pains, breathing difficulties.  It can take days, weeks, or sometimes months, to recover from – remember that thousands of people die worldwide every year as a result of contracting the influenza virus.

Influenza can be broken into Types A, B and C.  Type A can infect a variety of animals other than humans, and has the ability to jump from one organism to another without undergoing major genetic changes (that is, it mutates easily). 

Type A influenza strain is the one with the most potential to be fatal to humans, as it has sub-types that can join and mutate and result in a “new” type of influenza that our bodies do not immediately recognise.  It is these mutations that Influenza Vaccine is designed to combat.

o   SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, arrived 2003) – fever, cough, muscle aches, breathing difficulties.

o   MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, arrived 2012) – fever, fatigue, coughs, chills, aches and pains, breathing difficulties.

o   COVID-19 (the latest arrival in the Corona Virus family, arrived 2019) – fever, fatigue, cough, breathing difficulties, aches and pains.

SARS-CoV-2, commonly known as Covid-19, is particularly virulent to humans at this time as it is a new disease and our bodies have yet to learn how to respond to it.  Likewise, medical protocols are still being developed in finding the best ways to prevent/treat the infection.

So far, four main variants/mutations of Covid have been identified – Alpha B.1.1.7 (first found in the UK), Beta B.1.351 (first found in South Africa), Gamma P.1 (first found in Brazil), and Delta B.1.617.2 (first found in India).

ALL Corona Viruses have the potential to be fatal to the human organism.  Most of them are able to easily mutate into other strains, and some have the ability to cross over between different host species.

We have always had corona viruses with us, and we always will.  They will never be completely eradicated from our lives, and new ones will be forever appearing.  This is just how it is.

The best we can do is to find ways to minimize (through prevention and treatment methods) the impact of each new form of corona virus until we can develop a more natural immunity to it.   

People will continue to die from every form of corona virus, just like they always have.  This is not fear-mongering.  It is being practical and realistic, and helps to put the current pandemic into a better long-term perspective.

In ten to twenty years’ time this pandemic will be part of history and the world will have moved on to something else to worry about.

Such is the way of human progress 😊

Margaret.

The photographs above are random scenes from around the North Island.

What Did You Say?

 

Another week has whizzed by, leaving me wondering what I’ve done all week!

I suppose I have achieved some things – several cupboards in the kitchen have been rearranged, my recipe book is being overhauled, and I have watched a few movies on Netflix (does that rate as an achievement? LOL).

Kiritehere Stream near Marakopa

We did have one good giggle during the week. 

Chris Hipkins, our Covid Response Minister (who is also the Minister of Education), made a huge faux pas when speaking live at a televised press conference.

He said, “It is a challenge for people in high density areas to get outside and spread their legs when they are surrounded by other people.” 

Apparently it was a totally innocent remark (he meant “stretch your legs”), but the press and social media have been having a field day with it.  The memes that have proliferated have caused a lot of laughter around the country.

We have appreciated the light relief in the middle of lock-down 😊

Have a happy week everyone,

Margaret.

Covid Confusion

 

Covid-19 is a nasty virus that is playing havoc with people’s lives throughout the world, but I note that there is a growing body of voices who are beginning to question how officialdom is responding to it.

It seems that some scientists are stating that the world’s reaction is excessive, given that recovery estimates range from 97% to 99.75% of those infected.  Compare this with MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, a coronavirus first reported in 2012), which has a recovery rate of around 66%.

There are doctors asking for their governments to respond differently, as lock-downs hurt people financially, mentally, and physically.  Patients with the main killer diseases (such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes) can experience extreme difficulty getting diagnosed and receiving treatment, because of the exclusive nature of the fight against covid.

There is even debate about the number of people who are actually dying from the virus.  If a person dies WITH covid virus he is often recorded as a death statistic, whereas he didn’t necessarily die OF the virus.  This has generally been the situation here in New Zealand.

It all gets very confusing and it is easy to get caught up in hype and fear if we believe everything we are told (from either ‘side’).

I find it hard to believe the theories that all our governments are using the virus as a means of manipulating and controlling the populace, but I also find it hard to believe that officialdom always speaks the honest truth to us. 

Being a law-abiding citizen, I will always go along with what the government says we are to do.  But sometimes I wish there was more transparency in their decisions.

The old adage of fresh air and sunshine and plenty of fluids still seems to contribute to developing a strong immune system, as does cleanliness (wash those hands!) and good food.

I believe all we can do is take sensible precautions to keep ourselves healthy, according to our various situations, and not live in undue fear because the world has been hit with another new illness.

Stay positive and enjoy the life you have,

Margaret 😊

  

I thought this web page gave some good practical unbiased information, if you wish to read it:

https://www.webmd.com/lung/covid-recovery-overview#1

Quarantine Questions

Disbelief.  Anger.  Fear.  Our country has been experiencing all these emotions the last couple of days with two new cases of Covid-19 being reported.  

While I feel sorry for the two ladies involved, the furore over their being able to drive from Auckland to Wellington is not really their fault.  It is inevitable that we will have cases as people return to New Zealand from overseas, but the public have trusted the government who have been adamant in stating all new arrivals undergo 14 days of strict quarantine.  

Several people have broken their quarantine rules by obtaining “compassionate leave” – nothing wrong with that, it is a very humane thing to do and the cases involved have strict conditions they are meant to follow.  

What is truly shocking though, is that those people have been able to leave quarantine facilities without any testing or checking being done to see if they have the virus or not.  

Travellers in quarantine are saying that some of them have never been tested, never even had their temperatures taken. 

A couple of people got permission and attended a funeral and then absconded, and had to be tracked down to make them return to isolation. 

A large group of people were refused entry to a funeral service, as they were under quarantine regulations still, but then they turned up at the burial.  

Those staying in the quarantine hotels are able to mingle freely – there have been birthday parties and instances of new arrivals meeting up with those about to be released after their fourteen days.

It has been a very dreary very wet day today

Over 300 contacts of the two ladies (who have tested positive) are being traced and “encouraged” to isolate themselves and be tested.  It surely should be mandatory if officialdom is serious about keeping the virus contained.  

It all makes me wonder if there is a Secret Agenda at play here.  Is it possible that community transmission is actually being sought, at the same time promoting the idea that we are actively eradicating the virus from our shores?  

Our borders cannot remain closed forever.  At some stage the virus is going to have to spread around our country, as it has done in other countries, and that thought fills many people with dread.  

The Defence Force has now been sent in to oversee quarantine measures – which seems a little extreme considering all the protocols are in place and the real issue is they are not being followed.   

As a funny aside, there is an anecdotal story of a homeless man who joined the end of a queue entering a hotel for quarantine purposes.  Fourteen days later, when asked for a forwarding address, he informed them he was homeless and didn’t have one, but he had really enjoyed his two weeks of hot baths and supplied food!  

Take care everyone J  

Margaret.

Learning To Live With It

Is the world learning to live with Covid-19?  Countries are easing restrictions and opening up their borders again, yet this new disease is still with us.  It is still active, still lurking in places, still decimating some communities.

 

We had protests here yesterday (in sympathy with those in the United States) and there were no signs of social distancing or even a lot of folk wearing masks.  In other countries fine weather has resulted in masses of people flocking to local watering spots, again with little or no social distancing evident.  

Does this mean we are getting used to having Covid-19 around us? 

The economic impacts of lock-down have been horrendous and there are many many people who are suffering because of it.  

In some countries, I hear that people are sometimes forced to make a decision between risking death from the virus or dying of starvation because they cannot go to work.  Which is the greater evil?

 

Whether we like it or not, Covid-19 is here to stay.  The world has never had a disease that it has been able to totally eradicate.  

The only thing we can do is learn to live with it.  And, yes, people will continue to die from it just like they continue to die from influenza and starvation and road accidents and warfare and wild animal attacks.  Preventable deaths seem to be a part of life.

For myself, I intend to take reasonable precautions for my safety just like I always have in the past.  I cannot control all situations but I cannot allow fear to dictate to me either.

 

On a brighter note, I am getting used to living with the new Blogger format!  It has taken a few days to adjust but now I am starting to enjoy it.  It is irritating when you get used to something and then it changes, but that seems to be the way with all these technical thingies.  

Love your life and enjoy what you do J

Margaret.

Pandemic Thoughts

I like our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.  She is a wonderful woman with a big heart, but I begin to think she has made a dreadful mistake.

New Zealand had a Pandemic Plan.  It had been carefully and expertly formulated to guide our nation’s response to any pandemic threat we may need to face.  When WHO announced Covid-19 as a ‘pandemic’ every household in the country was sent a pamphlet detailing what The Plan was.

I found this pamphlet yesterday when throwing out some old newspapers and sat down to read it again.  The Plan listed four levels of response.  It stated the criteria needed to enter each level, and the response that would be required at that level.

If we followed the levels that were set out, there would have been no reason for us to enter Level 4 (the heaviest response level) as we did.  That is reserved for rampant community transmission and a disease totally out of control, which we did not have.

We have had zero community transmission, thanks to widespread testing, contact tracing, and the border controls that were put in place.  This is great, and yet all our Cabinet Ministers have now been gagged and are not allowed to give interviews or respond to any Press questions without prime ministerial permission.  Why?

I begin to believe it is because the government responded to Covid-19 with panic and fear, instead of following the Pandemic Plan that existed.  I have heard officials say we will ‘eradicate’ the disease in our country, but that is impossible.

No disease on earth can be totally eradicated.  It can be managed.  Vaccines and Treatment Plans can be used to help control a disease, but it will never go away completely.

We NEED restrictions to control this coronavirus until we have vaccines and treatments that work, but then we will need to learn how to live with it.  And, just like influenza, new strains will appear every year and people will die from it (several different strains already exist).

Green lettuce seaweed washed ashore -
things happen and we have to learn to deal with them

Later this afternoon the government will be announcing if we can reduce our response another level.  It will be interesting to see what they will be saying.

Forgive me for my ranting and raving, but I feel better for having written it down!

Take care and stay safe J

Margaret.

I see the government is now in damage control mode - they have defended their 'transparency' saying the leaked email (about gagging the ministers) was clumsy and incorrect.  Just wanted to make that clear.

5 p.m. UPDATE:

I am so happy.  Our country has been congratulated by the PM on getting control of this virus and over the next ten days everything will be opened up again, with the proviso of social distancing and keeping group numbers below ten (and this will rise gradually as the situation allows).  What will remain in place is the closure of our international borders, and this will be for an indefinite period of time (although it appears we may open up with Australia in the not too distant future).

The onus is now on the people of this country to be vigilant and kind – and to be sensibly careful J

Growing Grumbles

I have been speaking with a guy who couldn't see any point in lock-down.  Nobody in their area had been sick and he couldn't see any relevance in it.  Yesterday and today we have had zero confirmed new cases and no further deaths, which has only reinforced his viewpoint.

There seems to be a growing groundswell of grumbles that our restrictions are too severe.  More and more people are blatantly ignoring “the rules” and heading out to do their own thing.

It is left to the elderly and the vulnerable to feel fear about the virus, as the majority of the population begin to feel unaffected.

Part of the problem, I feel, is that our government’s strategy was too successful.  They were too efficient in preventing Covid-19 taking a hold here and the result is that many now feel blasé about it all.  As one person stated, it hasn’t really “arrived” here yet so the general public has no concept of the horrors of rampant community transmission and multiple deaths.

Our government is between a rock and a hard place.  Do they continue to restrict citizens for health reasons, or do they relax the rules so as to promote economic recovery and prevent thousands from facing severe hardship and mental distress?  It is a fine line that they are walking – a dangerous tightrope, in fact, with this being election year.  I don’t envy them.

Whatever people’s personal opinions are, it is surely our duty as citizens to follow the regulations the government decrees.

Stay safe and be kind to each other,

Margaret J

An Important Announcement

It must have been a new record yesterday afternoon, as virtually the whole country stopped to watch the Prime Minister’s Covid-19 announcement on TV. 

Government’s pandemic response covers four different levels.  We have been at level four for four weeks and it was announced we will remain at that for another week before dropping to level three for two weeks, when the situation will again be reviewed.

Each new day brings with it hope for something better

I have no contention with being in lock-down if it helps save lives.  What I have trouble understanding is why we don’t do it for other contagious diseases, viral or otherwise.  What makes this disease different?

Each year, in New Zealand alone, between 400 and 600 people die of influenza – and this is WITH vaccines.  Over the last three years we have averaged 365 road accident deaths a year, which is one a day.  We are used to these statistics and accept them as part of our daily life.

Knowing that our planet has never managed to totally eradicate ANY disease that humanity has faced (many are controlled but still exist and still kill people), it makes me wonder if, within a few decades, we will accept this virus as part of normal life.

What do you think?

Stay safe,

Margaret.

22 APRIL 2020:

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS.  I REALLY APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. 

THE WORLD HAS BECOME A DIFFERENT PLACE TO WHAT IT WAS SIX MONTHS AGO, AND I FEEL  IT WILL TAKE THE HINDSIGHT OF HISTORY TO FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT WE ARE NOW EXPERIENCING.  

IN THE MEANTIME, KEEP SAFE AND STAY WELL.  

HUGZ, Mxx

Close To Home

Today is Day 19 of our Lockdown so we are approaching the critical third week.  Listening to the Prime Minister speaking after lunch today, the government is aware this will be a crucial week as people are becoming tired of lockdown, confirmed cases are dropping, and yet we are still unable to see the end coming.  She said it remains important that we do not give up now, as letting our guard down could result in an exponential rise in community transmission.

We had our fifth death reported today, with another 19 new confirmed and probable cases.  Our numbers sound low on a global scale, but we are only a small country with a population of just under five million people.

My SIL shared this photo with me, of a beautiful Tui singing in their garden this morning

Bringing Covid-19 closer to home, this morning I learnt that a family member (an essential worker) has been tested for Covid-19 and will receive the results back in a few days.  The person has symptoms, including a fever, and has been in close contact with another confirmed case.  I hope they will be alright.

My son has friends who have recently returned home from London and both are now quarantined as confirmed cases.  They have sore throats but feel well in themselves.

And yet, some people still do not take the situation seriously.

Over the Easter weekend we received an unexpected visitor on a totally unnecessary errand.  They were told to leave and return home.  We know that this person has already joined bubbles with another (in some situations this is allowed, and such is the case here), but we are certainly not meant to join three or more bubbles together.  That would defeat the whole purpose of lockdown.

I miss having this lily in my garden now, as it always flowered at Easter time

We have had some lovely rain in the last 24 hours, and now we are receiving strong winds with the occasional shower of rain.  A taste of winter to come?

My vegetable garden is flourishing and we had our first meal of silverbeet off it a couple of nights ago.  I am still waiting for my peas to germinate.

Lovely fresh silverbeet, picked for dinner

Son went to the supermarket today and managed to get almost all the items we needed, so we are set for another week.  He is our designated shopper.  I don’t think, in all my life, I have ever stayed at home for so long a stretch of time and not gone out somewhere!

Stay happy J

Margaret.

Raindrops On Roses

It is so easy to get down and depressed about Covid-19, to worry about ourselves and our loved ones and to wonder what life will be like when all this is over.  If you or a loved one have tested positive then this burden is even greater.

It is quite natural and perfectly normal to be concerned over events in our life that we have little or no control over.  But is there a way we can combat our fears and put our minds back on to happier lines?

Do you remember the song that Julie Andrews sang to the children in the movie, The Sound of Music?  The children had been frightened of a thunderstorm and these words were part of the song she sang to comfort them:

RAINDROPS ON ROSES AND WHISKERS ON KITTENS

BRIGHT COPPER KETTLES AND WARM WOOLEN MITTENS

BROWN PAPER PACKAGES TIED UP WITH STRINGS

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS

WHEN THE DOG BITES, WHEN THE BEE STINGS

WHEN I’M FEELING SAD

I SIMPLY REMEMBER MY FAVOURITE THINGS

AND THEN I DON’T FEEL SO BAD

What favourite things do you have that give you warm fuzzies and happy feelings when you encounter them?  They might be photos, music, hearing birds singing, sitting in the sunshine, or one hundred and one other things. 

Thinking about things we love takes our mind off our fears.  It is good, therefore, to take some time out, to slow down, to ponder on things we love and to remember happy times.

On my Facebook page I have begun posting a “happy” picture every day.  I got this idea from one of my sisters-in-law who posted a picture of a beach and suggested we all did the same, so that we could combat some of the negative things being said.

I am posting some pictures today that I intend to share on Facebook over the coming few days.  I hope they will remind you of joyful times in your own life and help to put more smiles on your face.

Remember to tell your family how much you love and appreciate them.  

Spread the happiness J

Margaret.

Lock Down Day One

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

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.

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.