Locked Down Weekend

It's 08:00 on Sunday morning. It's grey, cold and gloomy but it does seem to have stopped raining. For now. And we are locked down. Again.

It is alleged that two separate groups of people carelessly, maybe even recklessly brought Covid with them from Sydney and let it rip in Victoria. It is suggested that they knowingly violated the conditions of travel for people in their categories coming from Sydney and thus seeded Covid into the Victorian community. As daily numbers of cases went from 0 to 19 in a short number of days and the virus pottered out into the regions, we were put into a five day proper lockdown. Numbers are still rising. I don't think it will only be a five day lockdown.

It is ever so slightly annoying.

Jim had a visit to his geriatrician on Thursday, before the lockdown was announced. I stopped for lunch on the way back at the Ballan services, which had been an exposure zone when one of the groups of people passed through the previous week. Fortunately, it had been deep cleaned and was open for business. I knew that Rupert and Hugo were home alone, so I bought them a Happy Meal from Macca's each. We don't usually eat MacDonalds food but needs must and their chips aren't bad. By the time we got to Hill House, Lindsey had returned. Rupert and Hugo were delighted to have all these visitors and were even more delighted that I had brought them fast food for lunch.

Then they announced the lockdown, to start from 23:59 that night. Lindsey, Jim and I trundled out to the Mushroom farm and the IGA to do our Saturday shopping on a Thursday. The IGA is within our travel zone during lockdown but the Mushroom farm isn't. We didn't have time to head to Elaine, which is definitely not within our travel zone. If the lockdown lifts we can go on Thursday. Or wait until next Saturday. Or whenever the restrictions lift.

The bloke from the council home help who was going to come and replace our shower head on Tuesday can't come during lockdown and will reschedule when it lifts. I haven't heard from the fire installer so I don't know if he can come on Monday. Time will tell. However, Jim can have his CT scan on Tuesday, plus his blood tests and I assume the district nurses will come as usual. Not sure about his podiatry appointment. That will depend on when the restrictions lift.

In the meantime, it has rained with enthusiasm since Friday. I wondered why the gutters were overflowing with such enthusiasm outside the laundry door. Investigation revealed that over the back fence's tree had a branch that had drooped with the weight of the rain and was now snoozing in our gutter. We are on the list to have the gutters cleared by the council Home Help people but I think the branch might need to be dealt with before that. I shall ponder. If only we were allowed one visitor I would summon Lindsey with her branch cutter but I don't think this counts as an emergency and can probably wait until we are allowed a visitor.

Oh - and I used the tumble drier for the first time yesterday to dry some towels.  I had no idea I would need a space pilot's licence to use it.  It has many different programs but no option simply to say: Be hot and run for this amount of time. I think I have worked it out now.  I think!

Brandy and Whiskey are enjoying the early mornings, when I put the little radiator on to warm our bedroom for when Jim gets up.  They lie on either side of it until either the sun comes out and they get too hot, or I turn it off.

Brandy looks as though he is in jail
and Whiskey is visiting 😁

and up at Hill House,
Rupert and Hugo are in their exercise yard,
looking longingly at freedom
(or the rabbits that are beyond their reach)