Week Five
SURVIVING IN THE BUBBLE
We are officially in Lock-down Level 3. Amanda and I celebrated by cracking open a bottle of Rose and sharing it with Jolie and Ian who were out for a walk with Missy their dog. They are part of our bubble extension along with my friend Jackie and Amanda’s friend Matt. We plan to catch up with them next week on Rabbit Island for a walk and a picnic lunch.
To be perfectly honest Level 3 doesn’t feel a helluva lot different from Level 4 except that there appears to be way more cars on the road when I go out for my daily walk and I can hear the distant hum of vehicles in the morning.
I had forgotten to mention that Pip and Greig had made their way to Picton a couple of weeks ago. One of Pip's friends owns a holiday home there and offered it to them. It was quite a rigmarole for them to get the "official" paperwork from the National Crisis Management Centre but eventually they got the required permission to travel back to Wellington once the country moved to Level 3.
I had forgotten to mention that Pip and Greig had made their way to Picton a couple of weeks ago. One of Pip's friends owns a holiday home there and offered it to them. It was quite a rigmarole for them to get the "official" paperwork from the National Crisis Management Centre but eventually they got the required permission to travel back to Wellington once the country moved to Level 3.
I am curious to know how long we will be on this level for though as I’ve heard a rumour that NZ is likely to be at Level 2 for at least two months (which would take us to June… and what did I say in last weeks blog…that the Govt. must have had some idea that this would be the case when they offered the subsidy)…so be prepared NZ.
But the drop to Level 3 has allowed us a wee respite from what had become our regular routine these last five weeks.
For a start it is terrific that some trades and businesses have been able to re-open. It was lucky for us as our kettle had just spat the dummy so we were able to order a new one from the Warehouse with their click and collect system.
Amanda was also excited because it meant she could finally get a tradesman around to grind the tree stumps out of her garden. Now she can prepare the soil for planting and has compost and blood & bone on order from Mitre 10. Apparently late Autumn-early Winter is the best time to get your native plants in the ground.
We were also able to arrange for a bigger fridge to be delivered. With winter approaching Amanda will eventually move out of the bus and into the house. The little bar fridge kept icing up and was not big enough for the vegetables as well, which were in the bus fridge. So now all the food is together and it’s great to have some freezer space to store leftover meals and sweet treats like ice cream!
When the lock-down first began, I felt pretty sorry for the people who didn’t know how to cook and had relied on eating out or takeaways for sustenance. I figured it would be a crash course in cooking if they didn’t want to starve and often wondered how they were getting on, especially since Amanda and I have been eating so well.
However, like many of the populace, after five weeks of home-cooking we were ready for a take-out of some description. We decided it might be in our best interest to wait a few days before doing so, to let everyone else get it out of their system first. We opted to support a local business and went for a greasy Kiwi classic…Fish n Chips. Always good at the time but much regretted after!
What was horrifying to see on the news was the queues of vehicles/people waiting to get their fix of KFC or McDonalds and other “junk” food.
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| Take out treat - Shark n Tatties for dinner |
Stealing the words from a shared post by one facebook friend, Emily Van Osteroom:
“Can anyone else see the glaring irony of opening up multinational fast-food chains amid a global health and economic crisis; at a time when small NZ owned businesses are facing collapse and closure? We are fighting the WRONG fight, people”.
Then another facebook friend, Tony Callaghan took this picture that went viral. It was taken on his way to work the day after NZ had gone into Level 3.
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| Pig Out Point, New Plymouth. Photo Credit: Tony Callaghan |
It makes me ask what is wrong with some people? Have they not learned anything about respecting our environment these last few weeks. It makes me sad to think that some people really don’t know any better and perhaps this proves that the vast majority will just fall back into their old habits.
On a brighter note, some good friends from my time in New Delhi made contact via messenger. Originally from Israel, Sephi and his wife Shefi have called India home for nearly twenty years and now reside in Goa. A talented photographer, Sephi and I met while working on a print campaign for the Indian Govt. many moons ago.
They wanted to know if I would like to participate in a project, portraits of people in lock-down in their homes around the world, shot on face-time. I would have jumped at the opportunity to be involved but sadly I don’t own an i-phone, so I hooked them up with Jolie and Ian instead. The end results look amazing, so check out Sephi’s" Life in Lockdown" link below:
It is great that people are finding ways to harness their energy and still be creative in these strange times. Myself included. I’m feeling quite inspired and pleased that I completed and submitted my 12 page script, titled “Choc Royale” on time (PM me if you would like to read it), plus I also entered a 300 word micro-fiction competition. Now I intend to finish writing the screenplay I started last winter (about 25-30 pages to go).
I also got sent an invite to join this group and it looks like a great way to support local NZ businesses, products and services if you want to check it out:
I shamefully admit that Amanda and I were not very patriotic this year. We overslept on Anzac morning and failed to make the dawn parade at the end of our driveway. Admittedly I did not hear any blaring renditions of “The Last Post” nearby but I have enjoyed checking out the creative poppy displays in the neighbourhood. I did find this information about the origins of “The Last Post” fascinating reading too.
Sadly, no one seems to clap for the essential workers at 7pm in our street either. I feel like I am missing out when I see/hear about people in other cities experiencing this.
The kitchen is still getting a good workout. Some of the delights to come out of it this week were a Feijoa cake, Feijoa chutney, Russian fudge and home-made pizzas, including the dough. We personally delivered some cake and chutney to friends and neighbours as a thank you for their help since this madness began.
Here are the recipes for the Feijoa chutney and cake:
I can’t help myself…I’m not a huge fan of Donald Trump but these jokes were too amusing not to share:
Along with these other anecdotes and serious things off social media:
Along with these other anecdotes and serious things off social media:
Anyway sending good vibes for the week ahead from my bubble to yours.
Thanks again for tuning in to surviving in the bubble.
onepurplefish
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