Lockdown Diaries

In 2019 I travelled to Paris, London, Japan, The Maldives and South Africa. I had crisscrossed the world. So when I said goodbye to my middle son who was heading to the USA I was not worried in the slightest…

Two weeks ago, I completed marathon number forty three. Virtual, of course, with the shadow of COVID impacting every facet of life…

My 2020 took the shape of a heart. Specifically, a delicate silver heart dotted with shining zirconia that I have worn around my neck for the past two hundred and seventy-one days…

I’m in the moment. The Covid moment. At first, we called it Coronavirus and made jokes about ay-corona and beer…

Early morning: kookaburras call, then magpies, peewees, minors, wrens, parrots, black ducks in the creek. I’m alone in the bush at sunrise, shafts of yellow lighting up the mountains; I’m alone in the bush at sunset…

I turned 77 shortly before Lockdown hit my gym. Bummer. I had recently discovered powerlifting and I wanted to continue with the Zen of squat, bench and deadlift…

This year I’ve reflected on the snippets of my mum’s pandemic stories that I’d never really listened to. For once, in my busy life, time stood still. I started piecing together the patchwork…

‘The weeds are actually my favourite plants,’ my sister said, as we stood, arms folded over bellies, supervising muddy children, lamenting the blossoming jungle that had, in a less time- poor era, been a curated cottage garden…

One thing the 2020 Pandemic made quick work of was sorting out who between us are pessimists, realists, and optimists…

While some were binging on Netflix

- Some of us were too scared to sleep.

While some were day drinking…