Things get worse

7.9.2020

Things are not good.  We had a small amount of time when life became more normal but now all the area around Melbourne is in lock down again.  We are actually living just on the border, but our shire stretches south towards the city, so we are counted in with those places.  This is probably right because anyone living here would go to Lilydale quite regularly.

I was pretty sure that restrictions would be on again soon, so we took the chance to visit Wayne and family in their new house.  They had not unpacked but we got a feel for how the place would be to live in.  It is very spacious and light, with areas for everything.  They were very happy, and I think they will be even happier now they know that they got the move in before they were put into lock down again.

The wet weather and grey skies have continued.  No one can remember a year like this. We have had years when there have been floods but they come and then go.  This time the ground has stayed saturated with continuous drizzle.  Everywhere we walk there is a sea of squelchy, mud.  Thank goodness we get a day or two of sunshine most weeks. I rush out and work in the garden and get the laundry done.

Edd has been at war with an army of slugs who have night-time raids in the vegetable garden.  We have beer traps made out of milk bottle bases and Edd does a late-night patrol. I am not sure, but I think the slugs are still winning!  We also have a bigger something that also raids the garden.  It ate all my rocket and lettuce plants that were just reaching the stage we could eat them, (the vegetable not the slugs).  

Our family is suffering.  Simon had beer in kegs all ready to supply the pubs that had re-opened. They have now  shut down again, so he is now trying to get the beer into cans.  Morg’s work at the airport has stopped, no one is flying, and the grass runway is flooded. Schools will close again at the end of the holidays, and our family in WA has had salary cuts.  Al is still very sick.  His first test for covid19 came back negative but he has now been retested. 

The saddest thing is that people are trying to find someone to blame. This seems very counter productive to me.  This time the lockdown will be harder to recover from so of course people are upset and afraid, but we should all work together to manage.  The border Victoria has with other states is now closed so there is no escape. This will not make much difference to us, but it has wrecked lots of families’ holiday plans.