Physical distancing, exploring the bush

One of the silver linings of long walks and time to explore different places is learning to appreciate more the bush around here.  Some days it's too windy for the beach, or there is a need for a change.

There are many bush walks around here, some off leash, some not.  Some small and contained, some you can walk for hours, if the dog will allow.

My bush is not green and lush,

though maybe the rainforests are,

Instead my bush is shades

greys, blues, greens 

Surprising bolts of colour

the golden wattle, sign of cold 

winter around the corner

the occasional burnt red leaves

It’s a bush that asks you

to work on enjoying it

finding little jolts of joy,

wild orchids pushing heads

up just above the soil.

It asks you to get up close,

to notice the beauty

that is there, not obvious

but waiting to be found.

Physical distancing part 2

Ahh the life goes on in a small part of our geography, mainly known as the house.  I have been four days in a row where I have not needed to use the car.  I have enough food, including from my little garden, I have enough wine to last me at least 3 months even if I drank one bottle a night, which I tend not to.  I have plenty of toilet paper thanks to Who Gives a Crap - the one time in my life I have been able to feel superior because of my shopping habits, buying toilet paper by subscription has been a bonus in this environment.  I still go to the local farm gate for most of my shopping so have largely avoided the craziness of the supermarkets.

There is a facebook page which I have grown to love called the Pandemic of Kindness which asks people to post either acts of kindness that they have done for others or that others have done for them.  In these strange times it is a good way to be reminded of people's humanity and thoughtfulness.  The other bonus of these times is the creative people who are putting themselves out there for our benefit. My favourite at the moment is the Instagram Account of Sam Neill @samneilltheprop, he has the most soothing voice and listening to him say it's all going to be okay makes me feel so much better.  And he takes the mickey of himself - he plays the ukulele and sings (he says badly - I reckon quite well), tells bedtime stories and reads poetry.

It is amazing and a little bit overwhelming the number of people who have written and performed songs, made memes and a host of other things to help get us through.  Anyway I thought I would share some of the silver linings from my days and reminders of acts of kindness. Jac and I are going for one long daily walk now instead of the two shorter ones we have been doing.  My favourite walk is down to the beach, which for a while s not a source of kindness as the Peninsula in their wisdom  decided to close the beaches and there are conflicting stories about what that means.  Finally it was clarified, closed for people gathering, but being on the beach for exercise is okay.  

Anyway back to the daily walk.  One day on the home stretch, where we have to walk up a very steep hill, a bloke was shovelling mulch and I admired the work he had done in his garden, and he offered me some. Said he got it for free from a mate and there was too much for him to use.  So went home, got the car - ahh I did use the car, and he filled up two bags for me which was enough to cover the new front border i am making with Blue Tuscan Rosemary bushes and herbs.  Act of kindness no. 1.  he did, mind you, warn me that he had found some chopped up possum while he was shovelling - I could have done without knowing that.

One day I decided to walk the back streets of Rye, windy and hilly.  First it made me aware of how diverse the housing in Rye is, from tiny little fibro shacks to old and rather stately old houses and then in your face square black mansions and lots in between.  And little neighbourhoods, some green and leafy, lots of natives, curving patterns, no fences, then just around the corner carefully manicured lawns with roses and hydrangeas and lots of concrete.

On one of these back streets a little dog started following us, the cutest and sweetest little Jack Russell.  He had a number which I rang and there was no answer and while I was patting him and working out what to do a woman came along and said oh that's Charlie what's he doing with you.  She knew he belonged to an older man who lived somewhere near but she was not sure where and said he had alzheimers.  She took him to her place across the road and was going to ring Phil who was the owner. I walked off and then got a phone call from Phil who was returning my call. I tried to explain what was happening and he kept saying oh you are ringing about Charlie, that's funny I don't know where he is, he's not inside I'll have a look outside.  He finally gave me his address so I walked back to the woman's house and gave her the address and said she would take Charlie there.  She gave Jac some water and a Smacko, much to Jac's delight who is getting a bit worn out with all this walking.  

Walking down the street I realised that I was in the street where the cemetery was where Mum and Dad are buried so I thought I would just have look at their graves, someone has been putting flowers on them which is very nice.  No idea who.   I was reminded of the time I went to Dad's grave after the Swans won the Grand Final with Tykie to put red and white balloons on the grave and we danced around on the tombstones singing Hallelujah I'm a Bum, a song from the depression which Dad often sang.  Jac found a nice shady spot to lie on so I stayed and sang Hallelujah I'm a Bum for the both of them much to the amusement of a couple passing by.  Then I met Julie who had taken Charlie home, talked to the neighbours and they were going to talk with Phil's doctor to get him some support.  He lives just near the RSL and was in the habit of walking there every day for lunch and doesn't quite understand why they are never open when he goes there now.  It must be so hard for people like him who have lost all their social connections and don't really know why.

it was a 5k walk, there were a few people out and about, everyone very friendly and chatting but also careful about maintaining the distance.  It does seem that this challenge we are all facing is bringing out some good, I've had neighbours who have gone out of their way to introduce themselves, from a distance, when they have lived just down the road and we have not ever met each other before.  so many people who when they chat say both their name and which street they live in and offer help or contact anytime.  Because I've been planting herbs out the front had a lovely chat with the next door neighbour who has always been polite but we've not spoken much, then last night he asked if he could have some thyme from the back yard and came in to the garden and, at a distance we talked about herbs and gardening.

Phil rang me when I got back and started off saying thank you then asked who I was and where I lived and why he had rang me.  We had a strange and circular chat about Charlie.

There is a Facebook page called the Rainbow Trail with mainly children painting or drawing rainbows on their house - there is one on a fence just around the corner.  So I decided to paint one and despite having two incredibly artistic and creative daughters, I cannot draw or paint for nuts, but Beci sent me the colours to use and explained how to use a pencil and string to get the curves and I painted a rainbow to put in the front garden.  This afternoon I was having a tea out the front and the little boy from around the corner was bringing his bike up so he could ride down the hill and he stopped to look at the rainbow and kept saying oh that is a beautiful picture, look at the beautiful picture he was saying to his older brother...


The bonus of children being at home instead of racing around all over the place is they are playing in our quiet streets so there are the sounds of children everywhere which normally I don't hear.  Bouncing balls for basketball hoops, riding their bikes up and down the street, jumping on the trampoline next door and making up long and complicated stories.  It is comforting to hear those sounds, it's comforting that people will stop and say hello and smile and make that all important social connection, however fleeting.

I have thought a lot about whether it would be easier if Erwin was still around and he and I were doing the isolation bit together.  Is it better to have someone you can talk to, someone who you know you will see something through together, someone who can be cheery when you are feeling sad or just to work out together what to eat or plant in the garden?  I don't know, I like my space, I like being able to eat what I want when I want - the other day I had a dozen oysters and some Prosecco for lunch because I felt like it.   But after a few weeks will I tire of the sound of my own voice, (I do talk to Jac a lot) will I miss the lack of touch and closeness to someone?  I do obviously miss the family, not being able to call in to Beci's for a meal and talk, however fleetingly to the kids, I miss the daily chats about nothing much with our dog walking group.  But there is something satisfying about not feeling I have to race off to something, to just have the time to spend in the garden or reading or practising the ukulele.  Will those of us who are experiencing this enforced slowdown become slower altogether and learn to appreciate stillness and quiet or will we all go back to racing around as soon as we can and distracting ourselves?  We will see when we have got through it.  In the meantime stay home as much as possible while looking after your mental health, wash your hands, and do the things that need to be done to stop the spread!