I find it hard to believe that I have been back in Australia for a month already, the first two weeks of which I stayed at home but since I have been allowed to wander I have been venturing further afield most days. I’ve been going to the shops for supplies and each time I take a different route to get used to my surroundings and to see a bit more of Armidale. It’s not a very big place but when you explore it on foot then it will still tire you out mainly due to the many hills. It would be nice to stop off for a coffee or maybe a bit of lunch along the way but of course we are unable to do so, you can buy takeaway coffee but it’s not the same.
Two days ago I went for a longer walk, for about 15 km and this took me out towards a place called Kellys PLains and then I turned left and then shortly afterwards another left which brought me back in the general direction of the house. The road was a bit busier than I anticipated but the worst thing was the amount of flies, they were just terrible. They buzz around your head constantly and so I ended up waving them away for the most part, I had forgotten just how annoying they could be and so when I came home I went on Ebay and ordered a net that I can put over my head which should keep the flies and mosquitoes away from me nut at least. This is cattle and sheep country after all.
I’ve been reading a few books too, in fact I am on to my fifth book which is 2001 A Space Odyssey, I saw the film many moons ago and I must admit I was left wanting more and was not quite sure what I had just watched, so I thought it was time to read the book and then maybe I will watch the movie once again and finally understand what I had just watched. I think since the start of the year I have read about 12 books.
It’s good to be reading and to be back in Australia, but like everyone else on the planet our lives are in limbo and we are unable to plan anything. I’ve been living like this since I came back from Thailand on the 8th of January back to Suzhou because shortly afterwards China went into Lock down too.
So for four months, for the most part, I have been unable to go anywhere or make plans to go anywhere. There does not seem to be an end in sight to the current situation and the best outcome predicted so far is that in 6 months time we might be able to at least travel within the country but still unable to leave the country but then again where would you go, the rest of the world is in a mess too. So as most people have said they wish they could just skip 2020 and go straight to 2021. Australia has been lucky so far because the numbers infected here a very low in comparison to the rest of the world.
But we must all put things into perspective at times like this, I mean if you have your health then this is a minor inconvenience but if you already have health issues or live in a situation that is not good then this will disrupt your life in ways that most of us would not know about or could imagine. We should use this time to learn something new, or take the time to appreciate what you have. Read books, write down your thoughts, don’t spend too much time on Facebook reading the copious amounts of crap that you will come across on that platform. Don’t believe all the nonsense that you read there and if you see something look elsewhere for confirmation. I’ve tried to listen to Trump some mornings when he is giving his daily briefings but he is such and incompetent fool that after 5 mins I really can’t handle his inarticulate ramblings. I read the news everyday and then I go and do something else and don’t dwell on the global situation, instead I stay with in my own world and make sure that I do my part in keeping our household virus free.
In a few years time when this is a distant memory I hope everyone will have taken something from this experience and that we may grow for the better because of it. One person that comes to mind is Boris Johnson, maybe him and his government might finally see the value of the National Health System in the UK and for once they might spend money on it rather than continue to cut a service that is such a necessary part of the establishment and of the people. His near death experience might just let him see the light.