Our winter

Winter is done. It was a mild but wet season, so we especially appreciated the clear, beautiful and sunny days when they arrived. It’s hard to believe that it is now September and spring is here.

It’s been more than a month since the last active Covid-19 case in the ACT. Restrictions have eased and larger gatherings are allowed but we remain cautious. The children have been more social with their friends as social distancing is not required at schools. We allowed some of their friends to sleep over the weekend before last. As the weather warms up, we are looking forward to spending more time outside (when hay fever doesn’t get the best of us!).

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Our new normal is working from home. Phil and I have not been back on campus since the end of March and we probably won’t go back before the end of the year. It’s been quite an adjustment, but I think overall we’re finding working from home to be positive. We are accomplishing more both on the work and home fronts, but days seem longer and sometimes exhausting. Our current routine involves Phil doing the morning school run, meetings, work, lunch and me doing the afternoon school run. When time permits, we walk Comet after lunch, run errands and/or have takeaway for lunch and eat somewhere scenic followed by a walk. We were also able to catch the last Qantas 747 Canberra fly over from the Arboretum one Friday afternoon. It’s nice to have this time together. A few times my I’ve met up with my colleagues somewhere outdoors for lunch and a catch-up. Other times we’ve had a rotating lunchroom with 2 other neighbour couples who also work from home. 

This winter also included a short trip away to the coast during the school holidays. We also met up with the cousins whom we hadn’t seen since Christmas. Catherine and I had a drive-in movie experience for the first time and watched The Karate Kid at Majura Park. Phil went to choir for 3 rehearsals for a collaboration project. We spent more time at home baking, painting, sorting, decluttering, reading, jigsaw puzzling, gardening, drawing and watching old movies. Phil and Catherine also experienced fame with a mention in the Sydney Morning Herald and an appearance on commercial television respectively. We also found an old television clip with Phil in it on YouTube. I guess it’s been an interesting winter.