Written late June 2020, found in drafts and published Dec 2021
How is the world treating you? We have had the most saturated week of rain – 100mls since Sunday, which is amazing for us. The days have been grey and blanketed in low-lying clouds that look as if they have given up on ever finding the energy to rise up high again. The rain has wandered between heavy falls beating on the corrugated Colourbond roof and misting wafts of moisture that look like the fog droplets doubled-up and realised too late that they were attracting gravity’s attention. All the trees and plants and grasses look clean and green and only a little overwhelmed by all this unaccustomed wealth of H2O. The sky, when little glimpses peek through, showcases a spectacular range of blues free of the usual haze of modern living clogging up the atmosphere.
I have been home all week (which translates to 3 days so far, but it feels like so much longer) as I woke on Monday morning with a nasty sore throat and little voice, and decided to keep my ailment to myself. While trying to arrange a doctor’s appointment for the necessary medical certificate to explain my absence I was advised to go for a COVID19 test, so a few phone calls and lots of waiting later I had my test today. Nasty! Having a tiny brush – like those ones for cleaning between your teeth, only much longer – scrubbing down my throat and then through the nasal passages almost as far as my throat again was really not a lovely experience, though mercifully brief. Now I have to wait for a text message (good news) or phone call (not good news) somewhere in the next 24-48 hours. I had a phone consultation with a GP this afternoon to organise my medical certificate for being off work. The irony is of course that three days of being home and minimal talking means I am feeling quite a lot better, though still quite a lot huskier (think sexy radio voice) than my normal range (think Tweetie Bird).
The bizarre news from around the country and wider world continues to foster a sense of disconnection. Being in a school we are back into the swing of things, albeit with far more surface sanitising than previously. Tasmania is travelling well, 39 days since last reported case, but still no travelling interstate while Victoria and NSW are reporting new cases daily. News from farther afield boggles the mind, from the terrifying statistics from a purportedly first-world country to the incredible success of some second/third world countries. It seems to be a combination of government policies and community attitudes, which is not making me enthusiastic about visiting the Lands of Enormous Self-Serving Rhetoric any time soon.
Family life continues to be quietly rewarding. My children are all happy, reasonably healthy barring eldest son’s tendency to catch every cold germ that passes, and youngest daughter having two days at home with a nasty headache – she slept until lunchtime both days, so I don’t think it was exaggerated. Middle daughter is going strong with Y11 and getting regular shifts at a local supermarket, so I feel like she is on track to a) find something interesting to pursue as a career and b) has a fallback position for supporting herself through uni or gap year or whatever life events come up. Eldest son is contemplating purchasing his first car – very exciting, when it actually happens, and will put him one step closer to full independence.
Knitting has not been high on my agenda – somehow I haven’t had the energy for working through a couple of small tangles to put my current projects back on track. Despite that I am really enjoying the weekly Zoom Knit Knights that we started during lockdown – I certainly get an hour or more of progress each week while chatting with the knitting peeps. I am resisting the urge to cast on some new projects – there are enough UFOs in my piles already!
Wherever you are, I hope that you are well, and warm, and safe, with enough to occupy mind and heart with interesting and rewarding activities.
Knightly Knitter 