November 4th, 2020Just sayin’…

I must admit I felt a bit teary. It’s been a long bloody haul and I feel like making up a tee-shirt that says “COVID-19. 2020. And yes, Victoria!”. I would like to say “I survived…” but as I said it is not over yet and I am not going to jinx anything. Not now.
Some good friends of ours, well our subs Nick and Lindsay, said we should run some symbolic doughnuts on this edition’s front page. (For anyone who is not watching or listening to the news, the doughnut stands for zero, unless it is a doughnut like we got from the Sunday Market from the Wombat Hill stand. It did not have a hole but it was filled with delicious custard and was bloody amazing. But I digress.) I did think about the doughnut front page idea but then, you know, the printed edition comes out Monday and suddenly, bam, the figures are up again…best leave that one alone.
Anyway, lifting restrictions means I can finally see my sister and her kids, some very good friends, some of whom have been doing it pretty tough, and just enjoy other people being able to catch up with friends and family. We are also hoping that if things keep going in the right direction we can head to Queensland in May for a wedding that was meant to be this year in October. A pacific bubble also looks pretty promising so that gets us to Kyle’s family still living in the country of the long white cloud. Of course, my favourite place is Japan. On the cards for 2022.

Yes, on the downside masks are with us for a while and it looks like hugs and kisses are out until we find a vaccine. But masks are a small price to pay and there is positive news on the vaccine front. So fingers crossed.
I still find it quite surreal that we are in a pandemic. It is not what I thought one would look like and we often head off for a country drive and, with our masks firmly trapped in the glovebox, you could forget you are living through a once-in-a-century event. Unprecendented times. (How great will it be when that word is stood down?)
People say there are upsides – life slowing down, time to take stock, revel in the important things, which are all great, but if I had my druthers I would like a life without COVID-19 on my horizon, or anyone’s. Anyway, let’s enjoy this time, keep doing the right thing, and also support local. It’s been a long dry run for many of our businesses and if we can support them, and if you want to, we should. And a big heartfelt thanks to everyone who has kept reading and advertising and generally supporting The Local. We couldn’t have made it this far without you. Just sayin’…