Lockdown 2020

Our trip to Hawaii had to be postponed indefinitely. 4 days in Kona, 4 days in Lihue and 10 in Waikiki were cancelled. April would find us hunkered down in the inner Brisbane suburb of New Farm marking time while the world focused on finding remedies for the Covid-19 virus that is relentlessly, stealthily sucking the life out of unsuspecting humans.

The world was not ready for a pandemic. Vaccines take time. Governments were thrown in to crisis mode.  As my mother often quoted “The situation doesn’t make a person, it reveals that person”, and  Covid-19 is revealing the true leaders of our nations. The smoke and mirrors that may have worked for some in the past are no match for Covid-19.  

Fortunately, lockdown in April has not been harsh in Brisbane with autumn temperatures ranging 27-30 C (low 80s F). Exercise outside was always allowed. The local grocery stores eventually found their groove and are providing safer shopping experiences. The Brisbane City Council maintains a bevy of beautiful parklands and most of the inner Brisbane suburbs have easy access to the Brisbane River with its scenic walkways and bike paths. Holidaying at home with our music collections, craft collections and internet has been rather fun.

Here's a snapshot of our month in Lockdown.

Early morning walks at sunrise set the tone of the day.

Brisbane River, near Merthyr bowls club

It's autumn here, so while the abundance of the rose gardens in New Farm Park had passed

Rose gardens, New Farm Park

the brilliance and beauty of late bloomers cheered the soul

Pink Rose, New Farm Park

The downstream outlook from the jetty near the Sugar Refinery Apartments is a go-to view of the river that fills my cup and invigorates my mind.

Teneriffe river walk, Brisbane River

Upstream has a pretty nice view too. During WWII the government decided that sugar was an essential commodity that had to be reserved. Output at this refinery was doubled 1940-1945.

Sugar Refinery Apartments, Teneriffe

It was always good to see the city cats operating on the river. With plenty of outdoor seating they would appear to be the safest form of public transport at the moment.

City Cat near Sydney Street, New Farm

Scenes of dogs on leashes and kids cycling with their parents helped you feel connected to the rest of the community.

River walkway near Sydney Street City Cat Stop

Sewing fabric face masks for the people I cherish helped me feel connected to my family. My darling 4 year old grand daughter wore her mask to the Covid-19 testing clinic. She was required to have a test because she presented with a sore, inflamed throat (the test was negative thankfully). And grandpa wears his mask to the fruit and vegetable market.

Homemade face masks - using free online patterns 

Guessing in late March that hair salons would be closed because physical distancing while having a hair cut would be almost impossible, I ordered hair clippers online so we could do it ourselves. I  YouTubed how to trim a 7.5 cm (3 inch) undercut, encouraged my husband to watch the video too (kind of like homeschooling) and last week he did it for me. He did a superb job. It blends in beautifully with the rest of the 'do'.

Undercut trim at home

It was also fun to buy a ukulele online for my grand daughter who is turning 6 very soon. It has already arrived at her home address and she loves it. We are lucky her big cousin already knows how to play the ukulele because she can teach her how to do the island strum. The simple chords for Happy Birthday will be a good start.

Simple chords from Ukulele PuaPua, Waikiki

As of 3^rd May confirmed Covid-19 cases in Queensland, Australia total 1,034; with 113,601 patients tested. So far six people have died. For Australia as a whole there have been 6,801 confirmed cases since late January, with 95 deaths.

Queensland's collective isolation efforts to “flatten the curve” are now being rewarded with the lifting of certain restrictions. We can break out from our house arrest and go on a picnic or shop for non-essentials. But wait, there are three golden rules that must be followed:

1) Hygiene and social distancing (1.5 metres) still applies; 2) Stay within 50 kilometres from home; and 3) only household members, or yourself and one other person can attend that picnic

Schools are still open for children of essential workers or vulnerable students. This will be revised on May 15. Playgrounds remain closed. Queensland’s borders remain closed.

More updates can be found at Health.gov.au