Plague Diary Week One

Directions from the governments (federal and state) have been changing rapidly, but this feels like the first proper week of semi-shutdown. I've cancelled all face-to-face tap classes and am in the thinking stage of how to deliver content online, Steve is still at work (essential service) but unlikely to be for much longer, Jake is properly home - no work, no face-to-face uni, and Sean is on school holidays, starting 4 days earlier than normal as directed by the Dan Andrews-led State Ggovernment.

Yesterday I went to Piedimontes supermarket and felt happy because I was able to buy a box of Weetbix and a 4-litre tin of olive oil. The supermarket is a very strange place to be recently. There's been a lot of panic-buying, so the shelves are bare, and limitations (maximum 2 of any item per customer) are now in place.  The government message is that everyone should stop panic buying because there is plenty of food, but that's not what your eyes tell you when you visit the shops. It's stressful. I feel very lucky that I'd received my normal bulk order of toilet paper - I buy a box of 48 rolls from Who Gives A Crap a couple of times a year -  two weeks before all the panic-buying of toilet paper happened, so at least I've been spared that particular anxiety.  But when I can't buy an item of something we're nearly out of because the shelves are empty, it makes me stressed.  It means I have to keep going to the shops until I find that item, and going to the shops SUCKS. You queue differently, you are horrified if someone coughs near you, and all the shelves are bare.  We are not used to bare shelves!! I mean, I think we soon will be, but at the moment it's weird and worrying. I was nearly out of spray-and-wipe, and the only detergent-y things to be found at the moment are glass cleaner and fabric softener.  But I found a small bottle of spray-and-wipe at Pieds, and then when I got home Sean handed me another bottle, gifted us from Sean's girlfriend's family who had heaps. So now I'm okay. And quite touched that Sean had been discussing my worry about that particular item and that his girlfriend's parents heard that stress and alleviated it.

This whole pandemic has my brain swinging from People are The WORST and People are Awesome

Also yesterday I had a face-time catch-up with my friends Jen and Astrid, a phone call with my sister and many text messages with other friends and family.  Trying not to be too isolated in isolation.

Today I started the day with a 30-minute workout via 28 by Sam Wood on facebonk. It was free and fun and I want to keep doing it. I'm someone who needs structure and routine and a lot of physical activity to keep me happy and calm.  Even if that involves push-ups. Sam Wood has a wife and young children, it was actually really sweet doing a workout while the kids were wrangled between the two parents as they worked out with us.

Jake had an online meeting for his course today, this is what he wore.  Footy shorts with a shirt and waistcoat. He is the coolest.

Basil tried to stop Sean getting up. It only worked for a while.

I am trying to make sure Steve gets gentle exercise too, by going out for a walk with him after work.  It's really nice, we get to chat and explore our new neighbourhood. Steve's body is too broken for anything high-impact, but an evening walk is really good for him, he is so stressed with the job/money worries, and has a terrible tendency to ignore/push through the stress, which is bad for him and bad for the rest of us as well.  Nobody likes Grumpy-Steve.

I am about to embark on a Georgette Heyer re-read binge. I was doing Harry Potter and had got as far as the Goblet of Fire, but the last 3 books are so dark that I'm shying away from Hogwarts for now. Light and funny is required. I'm starting with Lady of Quality.

Last night's dinner was Pumpkin and Halloumi fritters, adapted from the Plan, Buy, Cook app, created by my friend Gaby . We are eating mostly vegetarian these days, following Jake's decision to give up meat.  I've had to up my cooking game, but I'm quite enjoying it and have even been making my own recipes up, based on adapting similar recipes.  I've done a veg bolognaise sauce using cannellini beans, some pasties using roasted root veg and sauteed leeks, a baked-bean with couscous which everyone LOVED, and a roast veg quiche which is more like a savoury cake than a quiche. Last night I asked Jake to chop up some cucumber and capsicum to go with the fritters, he presented this in a very architectural way I thought.