Lockdown: Day 16

Two weeks in and, hopefully, halfway through. Jacinda told us yesterday that we shall know on 20^th April, two days before this lockdown is due to end. Something to look forward to. I thought this a good time to look at things I am thankful for.

A home. There are many who don’t have one. It’s not my perfect home, but it’s weather tight and warm and I’m immensely grateful that I am not on the streets or some crummy rental place that leaks and has mould climbing the walls (of which there are far more in this country than you would think). As I type I can hear a piwakawaka twittering away in the tree by the church. I don’t know if he lives there but I’ve heard him a few times. He’s my little bit of country in the city.

A safe home. There are some who have a home that is not a sanctuary. Neil may have a dodgy sense of humour and isn’t half as funny as he often thinks he is, but the closest he gets to violence is wielding a rolled up newspaper and chasing a fly around (usually accompanied by a few of his unique swear phrases – he’s sometimes funnier than he wants to be).

My husband (the aforementioned Neil). He can be a pain sometimes (and God knows I can be) but I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be locked up with.

Money. It doesn’t buy happiness, but it does buy the food I need (and, if I’m being honest, a fair bit of it that I don’t really need but like eating). It also means I don’t have to worry about turning on a heater when it’s cold, or buying a new pair of shoes when my old ones wear out (when lockdown is over, of course).

Living in NZ. A lockdown anywhere is bad but, from what my friends and family tell me and what I read, it is far better here than it is in the UK. Yes, we all have to queue to shop, but when I get in there I don’t have a problem buying what I need – it seems the shops in Britain are struggling to keep up with demand. It also seems Kiwis are better than the British at doing what they should and, for the most part, are obeying the rules.

The internet. It might sound weird and, yes, I know it should be farther down the list. But we initially faced lockdown without it, which would have seriously compromised my ability to keep in touch with people. On that note…

Friends and family. Wherever they are. As I write I still have all of them. I hope I still do in a few months. I love you all; I miss you all.

A coffee machine. If I had to go a whole month without a flat white I would not have been responsible for my actions. And a local solicitor might have had a bit more work when this is over.

I’m sure there are more but, although they’ve been racing a grand prix around my head for a few days, I’m buggered if I can remember what they are.