Voting Day?

It's just plain nuts to have today - of all days - to have people to go out and vote. I mean, why would you expect people to leave their homes when we have been ordered to stay at home, and not be in contact with others - then suddenly tell us that 'oh yeah, you have to vote for your mayor!' 

Sure, that sounds like a brilliant plan to infect us all!

Idiots!

Well, I voted earlier this week and the place was a madhouse. Parking was crap, I got sanitiser all over my hands and the pencil I was going to use (thank goodness for the huge container of it - and there being too much in one pump) and I was in there, and out of there as fast as I could.

But once home, I thought that it would be a good idea to stay home unless I really need to go out anywhere to do stuff. 

And in all honesty, it's the best way to be. 

In the next week, I'm hoping to get my butt out to Bunnings to pick up 2 pots and more potting mix (as I have some more gardening to do) and maybe see if there's any other plants I can grab to make my garden look better. Then, there's petrol to get for my car I have to get too. If there's cheap petrol before pay day, I'll get it - if not, well, I'll just deal with expensive petrol. 

But everyone is working in a knee-jerk way. I've heard that in the USA, trucks on their way to shopping centres are being pulled over by citizens and held up at gun point and robbed of their load. And now, it's the national guard which is delivering those goods - not truck drivers. It's getting really hairy over there, safety-wise. 

However, here, people are just stripping the shelves of toilet paper, paper towels and tissues - the latter two we can't flush down the toilet (but some people don't know that). And yet, I have to think about what will happen when I run out of toilet paper as well. It's just something I'll be thinking about - and I guess you all will think about as well.

Now, it's gotten to a time where I think we have to all start thinking before we act, thinking before we say something. It's time we stopped acting as though this is the end of the world.

This is not the apocalypse. If it was, Mother Nature would give us some certain signs. For example: the birds would be a sure sign that something was wrong. Animals would be stampeding because they'd feel and smell something was wrong. So, no, it's not the apocalypse. 

So stop acting as though it is.

This is a glitch in our health - not just a few people, but all of us. It's a plague and yes, it will affect all of us. So, it's a good idea to start thinking about how your behaviour is going to affect people around you, and stop acting as though you're the only - and last - person on the planet. You're not. We're going to lose a lot of people in this. Rich people, poor people, old people, young people... so start looking at how you act around the rest of the Human Race before you do something stupid. 

Yes, I said stupid - because people out there who are panicking are acting stupid, single-minded and panicky... and panic rubs off on others. It takes one person to make everyone else to change from being normal, level-headed and calm. So, when you do go out and do your shopping, be calm, stick to the limits we are told there are, and keep your distance with people. We're all in this thing together.

Mid-Week Work

It's Wednesday, and I was up at 7:30am - but not by my own choice. Neighbours were fighting over whether he was allowed to go out and she wouldn't move her car because they had to stay home - he flipped out and, well, the fight continued inside their home.

Yep, it's going to be like this for a while, isn't it?

More restrictions are happening around Australia as of midnight tonight. So many more things are closing which are non-essentials; and I heard there's $20,000 fine for crossing the Queensland/New South Wales border if it's not for work purposes.

Yesterday was my last day out for a while. I have enough food in my pantry and in my fridge and freezer; and my doctor has advised me to stay home. Because I have Epilepsy, it's not a good thing to go out; and it's even worse because I could catch this and if it goes to my lungs (which this thing does in the worse cases), there's nothing they can do to help me. I am allergic to a lot of things they normally give people; and do it's just simply dangerous to go out for me.

Anyway, I stocked up on potting mix, and tried to buy some plants for the garden - which was easy for one, but non-existent for the other. There's plenty of garden soil, but no herbs or edible plants for the garden... yep they're all wiped out by people who think this is an apocalypse. I ended up with a patio lime tree - which isn't bad, but looks nice in my yard.

Being in isolation was all bad for me; right up until I thought to make it better. I pulled out the Christmas lights and put them up today, then started putting away some serious things - like some of the clothes I had washed, shoes and hangers from when I was at my brother's house. 

Yep, things are starting to pull together; and I'm starting to get a hang of the isolation thing. I'm a natural introvert, but when I'm told to stay home, for some unknown reason, I want to go out... how ironic is that? Well, until my next post, stay safe, keep in touch and remember I'm always here.

Corona Virus

Since January, we've all known one thing: the Corona Virus has been spreading across our home planet and killing, hurting and making a lot of us very sick. 

At first, I was all 'it's just a flu, it's just a virus!'

But now, it's begun to interfere with my life in more ways than anything else. 

Pub, clubs, casinos, cafes, restaurants, gyms, libraries and other indoor public places are going to be closed as of midday today. 

Supermarkets and shopping centres are still open. 

This is a scary thing for everyone to live with, but it's not going to be forever. It's temporary. And if we all calm down on the toilet paper buying (as we all need to use that stuff for our butts - not just those who are hoarding it in their garages thanks), we can get through this. 

I've tried to donate things to Vinnies but have been told that we can't donate anything because of the Corona virus. So, it looks like we have to hoard things at home until this is over. But I was able to buy thing from there - how weird is that?

Anyway, I've noticed that there's less traffic on the roads since places have been closing and people are self-isolating themselves at home. And that's not all. The night times are eerily silent around my area - no music, no people walking around, no cars, no parties,... nothing. It's creepy in a strange way. 
At around 10pm, all the lights are out and there's a weird silence in the area, and that should make us all feel okay, but it doesn't make me feel good at all.

So, how are you doing with the stay-at-home gig? I'm okay during the day, but once the sun goes down, I get nervous and weirded out at every sound. Is that just me? Or is everyone feeling like this?

Six Weeks

I've been away for a month and a half and a lot has happened.

Well, I went and house-sat my brother and his girlfriend's house at Brighton here in Brisbane, and pet-sat too, and it was a totally different experience from where I normally live.

For one thing, it was by the sea, and it was gorgeously quiet and pretty. I was looking after 6 chickens who all laid their eggs in relative privacy and 3 of which enjoyed a pat when I went into their pen. 
Then, there was Ellie the dog. First off, she didn't really want to hang out with me, but then, after my niece moved in with her boyfriend, she was cool about sleeping in the cottage in her own little bed. And she got used to sleeping at the foot of my bed in her bed... which was just the cutest thing! 
I became accustomed to her waking me a few minutes before my alarm and she got used to going for drives with me around the shore... and to cool parks and cafes at around 8am to socialise. She was so cool with people greeting her and patting her that she looked forward to our mornings out together. Ellie even made a friend, Kevin, who totally enjoyed hanging out with us and chatting. 

Then, the Corona Virus hit the news and people panicked. I wondered about how bad it was going to get; and it spread like you wouldn't believe... the panic I mean. The media hasn't done us any favours in this either. So, I'm hoping to look at staying at home more, instead of being around the social events. 

How fortunate I'm an introvert - yes social outings make me very nervous.

Well, it's been 6 weeks away and I'm looking at getting a bigger greenhouse, so I can grow my own vegetables... I've been keeping a second pantry for some years now, so I'm not worried about shopping centres. But from what I've been seeing on the news on Facebook, it's been getting violent out there. 
And on the way home today, I dropped into the Rochedale Fruit Market and people were being okay with each other, but I could feel a tension in the air. Nobody was talking to each other, not like it used to be. I smiled at people and said hi, but was greeted with a scowl. 

This virus is freaking people out, and everyone has to remember that we're all in this together. You can't treat people like shit and not expect the same in return - all because you're terrified that it'll get you. Take a breath, and please stop hoarding things.

Yes, it's a virus which is highly contagious.

But so was all the other virus' they told us about... and we are all still here - right?

In this time of what is happening in the world of closing down schools, and libraries, and people getting sick (and believe me it's not everyone - it's the old and people who have immune problems), it's a good idea to look inwards and realise what you are to be thankful for. 

For me, I'm healthy. I have a roof over my head and books to read (which I've been meaning to read for years), and now I will get the chance to. I have a house to clean out better, a garden to tend to. I'm writing books, painting and finishing artwork from a few months ago... if I have to stay home, well, this is what will be done. And really, it's not going to be so bad.