We are in the no-mans land between Christmas and New Year, the time when one hopes not to get sick or have toothache or need a plumber.
In the last few days I have slept late, visited one of my seniors at her nursing home, been for a drive in the country and made some effort toward altering and hanging some curtains. The weather is cool, more pleasant than I can expect this time of year and perfect for sitting under a hot curtain as I work.
The chaos of having two kids return home with their possessions, painting and carpeting a bedroom, Christmas etc is slowly abating.
The girls have done a big sort and clear in their room so the rubbish and recycling bins get filled the moment they're emptied and then the next fortnight's additions sit around while we wait for the next collection. It's a bit messy but we are making progress and I'm happy they have a nice, fresh room. We moved into this house in 1997, the girls didn't even exist then but their room was carpeted in a deep, beige shag at the time and has always been the same, eventually wearing to threads in the centre. Finally, they have something cleaner and more modern, something they chose. They have hung a number of art works on the wall and acquired "new" beds, both found on marketplace and only $20 each.
Sydney is experiencing a few community acquired covid cases right now, it's not out of control but restrictions are in place to try to keep it contained. We are being urged to stay home for New Years eve. There had been a plan to give front-row fireworks "seats" to essential workers but latest restrictions ban people from the harbour foreshore and only those with reservations at hospitality venues will be able to see the fire works live. It seems terrible indulgent to even go ahead with the fireworks but I'm not sure if they could even be kept for another time.
Residents of the northern beaches are in lockdown and after only a couple of weeks are starting to complain bitterly. Just this morning I read calls for more support to teenagers as their social lives and agency have been "taken away".
Maybe I'm just becoming a grump but I don't see it as having their agency taken, more as being asked to use their agency for their own and others' protection. If there was any time in history to be in quarantine/ isolation, this is it. And if there was any place better than others, it's the peninsula where Home & Away is filmed. There are beaches, parks and lagoons, all temporarily off limits to the rest of us. I'd rather be isolated there than in a public housing tower or a western sydney ghetto.
I don't expect 2021 to be a lot different to 2020: covid will remain, plans will be subject to last minute change as case numbers are scrutinised and restrictions re-evaluated, life will continue as usual but not like it was. It's good for keeping us on our toes, right?
We love our kids but when they move in and out it gets a bit crazy.
ReplyDeleteRefreshing a bedroom added a layer of things to deal with but I wanted to make it nice for them. It all had to be completed in the couple of weeks between Caitlin's final exams and Brionys return at the end of school year
DeleteIt’s a difficult time indeed. Selfishly I’m hoping nothing ‘crops up’ middle of the year to stop us going north but I’m sure I would cope ‘wintering at home’ again.
ReplyDeleteHow are you coping with bathroom rosters now there are three females in the house again?
Yes, after winter as well as lockdown, I'm sure you're looking forward to heading north and I hope it happens!
DeleteJust quietly, I think all three females could finish in the bathroom in less time than my son takes! One of the girls often showers at the gym or the boyfriend's place to make sure she's not stuck waiting at the end of a long day. Smart girl
Hooray for decluttering - and I do hope the girls are doing most of it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you are being a grump at all - which may just mean that I am one.
I hope that 2021 will be a gentler year - with less shocks. As you say Covid will remain, but our access to the vaccine (March I believe) may start to help.
I hope that you and all those you hold dear have a healthy happy year. And all the years to follow as well.
The girls have done it all, I'm just not steady enough for physical work but I support with meals and positive feedback 😊
DeleteI hope the new year holds good things for you, too!
I think covid might get even worse before it gets better since it seems to be doing its virus thing and mutating. I have hope in a vaccine and also better treatments.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the decluttering and renewing your home!
I have hope for better times with covid but I am very aware that as pandemics go, this one could be a lot worse.
DeleteDecluttering small amounts is something I do regularly but we've still accumulated quite a bit!
I'd go bonkers having to share my space with anyone else having lived on my own for 20 years. Good luck. Have a safe and enjoyable New Year whatever you do.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Graham.
DeleteI enjoy the company and the help and I haven't ever lived alone so I'm used to it. There will be plenty of time for space and it will come at speed
Except for brief spells, my only son has always lived at home and now he is joined by his wife. Our home is large enough to accommodate all of us comfortably and we have no problems with two dogs and a cat to boot.
ReplyDeleteHere too it will be well into the new year before total normalcy returns and that too only if the covid comes under control.
Happy new year to you.
Our house is not large but we always managed so we will again but I must admit I was getting used to the quiet and extra space.
DeleteI like the way you call your husband's wife your daughter-in-law. It tells me all I need to know
And happy new year to you!
DeleteI am so happy to hear you do not magically expect the world to be better at the stroke of midnight. It is good the children can help you now. Things are getting worse with a mutation, but the vaccines are being given, too.
ReplyDeleteA vaccine is up to a year away for Australians, which is understandable, given that most places need it more than we do.
DeleteRealistically, I think it could be several years before we see any return to normal....and even then, it won't be normal
The last thing remaining in Pandora's box was Hope: Pandora closed the lid before Hope could fly away.
ReplyDeleteAustralians are such cheerful people, once the backbone of the Empire, along with the Kiwis.
Never despair, Kylie.
Let us hope 2021 will be better than 2020, until we have reason to think otherwise.
In Blighty we look to Australia for courage.
And a quiet happy Hogmanay with your girls is party enough.
2020 was a very good year for me and I'm hoping I'm on the up now after a lot of hard years.
DeleteMy hogmonay will be me and the dogs, it's almost traditional!
I agree - an arbitrary change of year won't make any difference. We all just need to act like adults and suck it up. Many in the world are doing it really tough.
ReplyDeleteAs for fireworks - bread and circuses. COVID or not, do something worthwhile with the money.
With things like fireworks, I'm always torn between thinking they are a complete waste or maybe they have unquantifiable benefits in things like morale and civic pride
DeleteHappy New Year to you Kylie. I sincerely hope things will go well enough for you in 2021.
ReplyDeleteAt home with the dogs on NYE, they won't get drunk and behave badly. Sounds good to me.
What news of Miss London?
Alphie
Alphie! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!
DeleteFunny you ask about Miss London, she was diagnosed with an oral cancer just a couple of months back. I didn't mention it here, did I?
She had her perfect Christmas and yesterday went to the place old nurses go. I requested that the window be opened for her soul to fly away. I learnt that from John.
She would have been so delighted that you asked
I don't think you're a grump, I think you're right that people are making too much of a fuss about taking a few necessary anti-virus precautions. They just don't understand that anyone can be infectious and could cause someone else to be desperately ill or die. Why are they being so obtuse?
ReplyDelete