I think growing vegetables is a good idea.  I would like to plant just a couple more trees but need to select carefully as I do have a couple planted way before I was here which are too large.

I’m thinking about some more Crepe Myrtle trees on the sunny side of the house as they lose all foliage in winter buy provide shade in summer. They seem to grow well here. There is also a type of fruit – I’m trying to think of its name that grows well here.  Yyou have to cook it for it to be edible. Looks a little like a cross between an apple and pear. Beautiful with vanilla ice cream.

Helucat, so sad about people struggling with food.  I have only had to go to a food bank once.  That was at the beginning of the pandemic when I lost the pathetic job I had through COVID, but fortunately, I got a much better job a few months later.

I was thinking also about how COVID has changed our lives so much. We had a lot of lockdowns here though it’s open now. Even though we still have COVID, so mn any people are against lickdowns because of the financial stresses.

It bothers me that there is COVID in my workplace.  I have felt very angry about that these last few days as I blame the worker who brought it here (though I keep that to myself), and this is having an impact on the lives of clients and workers. I’m angry because I believe she has lied about a couple of issues- saying her husband is on his deathbed with emphysema so she has received exemptions from working sleepovers, and I have had to pick some of hers up.  When she was found to have COVID, she admitted to travelling with her adult daughter around 2,000kms so was a couple nights away and claimed it was to attend a funeral.  I think she is lying – and the point for me is that we can’t know how responsible others will be. For me, it stresses the importance of hand washing, masks and social-distancing.  The scientists are saying that there will be other illnesses to come which will require similar measures.

As well as the financial strains many people have experienced, it’s place an overwhelming stress on the m rental health system and people’s emotional well-being. For me personally, I have coped better than most despite living on my own without family close by.  I couldn’t see my only song For 7 months because of the pandemic.

I think we are going to have to a adapt our lifestyles and expectations to develop resilience and be happy.

My son phoned me today.  He lives in a very large city around 350kms away, and nearly always calls me once a week.  He and his partner have been looking at small 2 bedroom dwellings to buy, and even a small 2 bedroom on a shared block sold out for $900,000. It’s so disheartening for young people.  If I had to enough money to become a property developer, I would find a way to build nice affordable dwellings.

My son said how he envied my generation, and especially for the way we were able to live as children with a lot more freedoms than children today.  I think generally that us true.  I told him how the reason I moved  to this small timeless town was because it v reminded me of some parts – good parts of my childhood.