January 18th, 2022Just sayin’…

I honestly thought 2021 would see us out of this mess and back into a normal way of life. That was wishful thinking.

Here we are in 2022 and still wearing masks and hand sanitising and boosting and rapid testing. If you can find a rapid test. It seems like Australia just sits behind the eight ball at every step. Firstly you couldn’t find a vaccine for the stupid virus now you can’t find a test.
We had a few friends over for New Year’s Eve and asked them all to take a rapid test before they arrived at our house. All six of them basically trawled all over Melbourne, trying their luck at the huge shouty chemists, the small out-of-the-way friendly chemists, big chain supermarkets and small grocers. One couple found spit tests, one found nasal swab tests and the final couple found nothing.
Luckily we had planned ahead and bought a few extra tests when they were still in supply. We did the same with masks and even hand sanitiser. I think it’s the journo side coming out – you see the headlines before they happen and probably tune in to the news more than you should. But in this case it worked. (Toilet paper – hmmm, didn’t see that shortage happening – how much does a person need? We also stuffed up buying food for lockdowns. For some odd reason rice and tinned tomatoes seemed like a good idea at the time, but really, there were packets of nice Luv-a-Duck going begging.)
Anyway, here we are in 2022 and I guess, touch wood, most of us have made it this far. It’s been with its challenges though. Mostly I have had to contain my anger at those who still refuse to wear a mask or have them under their nose, or even under their chin. Just not that hard. Or people who don’t keep their distance. We had one person rifle through the items in our shopping trolley one day. Just for fun, but honestly, in a pandemic? Don’t touch my stuff.
I have given up wondering what the new year will bring. Hopefully less fear and more joy. A bit more fun and some extra laughs would be nice. More chances to be social and really relax. And travel would be amazing. As much as I love Victoria and Australia, I really miss Japan. And Kyle would do anything to get to New Zealand and catch up with whanau (family). But who knows when Jacinda will open up her country?
Workwise, The Local will keep on rolling along. We don’t take breaks but you will see this edition is a bit about looking back, and the next one, January 17, is all about the history of the region.
And then on January 31 we’re back to our usual programming with lots of stories about our amazing locals. If you ever think of someone or something we should be sharing with the community please get in touch. We love hearing from readers and are always up for a chat.
Anyway, I hope that you have had a lovely Christmas and New Year and managed to catch up with family or friends or even both. I hope that 2022 brings you happiness and good health and joy. And that we return to some sort of normality. Whatever that normal may be.
And if you do find a rapid antigen test, go for the spit one. From experience, it’s much nicer that the nasal swab. Just sayin’…