Our Chair, Marlene Julian has written from her bubble to let us know how she is getting her daily dose of the outdoors during the New Zealand Covid-19 Alert Level 4:
From my bubble to yours….what a glorious autumn day it is today. Just because I can’t drive to the beach, go hiking or head off for a mountain bike ride it doesn’t mean I can’t get out and enjoy the outdoors. I’m about to jump on my bike and take a ride around my local area as I have most days since lockdown. These rides are even more fun than before as dotted along the ride are families out walking, people in their gardens, cyclists like me, dog walkers ….all keen to wave back to a crazy woman calling out hello and waving madly at them (from a safe distance of course). I’m finding joy where I can, and love nothing more than seeing others finding theirs.
I think the old saying “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” applies here. Now that we are all told to stay home, we are all desperate to get outside. And we can, so long as we do it sensibly and safely.
I’m lucky enough to have my family of adult kids and a couple of extras home in my bubble. Although eight of us means I feel like I am running a restaurant at times, it does make for a lot of fun and games. We have got pretty creative with games on the lawn, and have plenty of indoor games to keep us occupied. And movies courtesy of Netflix works for us all on the lazier evenings. I feel for my mum though, daily phone calls don’t really make up for visits. Luckily she has her iphone and laptop so can stay connected (at 85 years old I reckon that is pretty impressive). And she has her knitting, and a lovely village to walk around.
Anyway, got to go, my bike is calling. Give me a shout, a wave and a smile if you see me out there!!
Be kind everyone.
Cheers
Marlene
