Lockdown

So here we are in Victoria, back in lockdown. This time, it's the whole state in proper lockdown. But this time it's only supposed to be for five days so that's not too bad. I can do five days at home.

It's the first time that regional Victoria has had a proper, full on lockdown. The last, long Melbourne lockdown didn't extend to the regions, or not as tightly. Regional people are complaining that we are in hard lockdown when there have been no regional Covid cases in months. But we did not want Manky Melbournites wantonly heading to the regions on Friday to avoid a hard lockdown starting on Saturday and there wasn't time to re-instate the checkpoints around the city for just five days. So it wasn't really practical to isolate just metropolitan Melbourne.

People, of course, were out in force on Friday afternoon buying up for the next five days, even though supermarkets and food shops will remain open. I went to the fruit and veg shop next to the surgery and panic bought 2 kilos of onions and some other vegetables to supplement the ones from the garden. I only bought what I would probably have got on Saturday morning for the week coming. The only other thing I will need to get is some fresh milk. We are allowed to go shopping for necessities but I am happy to stay away from the shops for a few days. Our local cafe is open for takeaway food and usually stocks milk.  I'll try them today before heading into Mount Clear.

We were supposed to be in Melbourne this weekend. The postponed work Christmas do was supposed to be last night in a Japanese restaurant in Greensborough. Lindsey, Ian, Jim and I were going to stay in East Melbourne and then do shops and stuff today, with the strong possibility of Sunday lunch in a local pub.  Jim and I have not been to the city for very, very nearly a year. We have driven near it, and passed through on the freeways on our way to and from Mount Martha, but we haven't actually been in it. I was last in the flat in February 2020.

We were looking forward to our weekend in town but I must admit that, when it became clear that it wasn't going happen this weekend, my first thought was that I wouldn't be unhappy to have a quiet weekend at home. A weekend in Melbourne can always happen later. 

You might think that I would have taken the opportunity of a Saturday At Home (no markets, farm shops, Bunnings for me) to do useful things in the house or garden. And I suppose I did do a small number of useful things. But mostly I settled into lockdown life by watching wall to wall housing programs on the TV in the afternoon and eating snacks. It was a very pleasant afternoon but I can't spend all of this coming week watching lifestyle programs and eating snacks.  I must try and be more focused. Plus, of course, there are work things to do. Working from Home does not involve 24 hours a day watching television!!