The greater good

It’s definitely not fun times for Victorians at the moment especially those in lockdown once again. I have friends and family in some of the lockdown suburbs and today’s news about those in Housing Commission buildings was pretty heartbreaking. Between the Ruby Princess debacle in NSW and hotel quarantine in Victoria – the government has definitely dropped the ball. I am hopeful that we can get on top of things and see numbers going back down – there’s no use finger pointing but the community transmissions have left most people pretty dismayed. I am extremely grateful to those in lockdown who are ‘taking one’ for the nation – I don’t think any of us will ever take the freedom we had pre-COVID-19 for granted once this pandemic is over.

I am working on staying calm and looking forward to returning to in person (but socially distanced) yoga classes with my longtime Iyengar teacher Pamela Speldwinde at Action Yoga in Ivanhoe and have also booked a shiatsu (Japanese fully clothed) massage with Aliki Zouliou who Mr Rosanna and I try to see a couple of times a year as much as it would be preferable to see her at least quarterly. We have friends who are keen cyclists, one of whom is also a tradie, and they have monthly massages as a preemptive health measure given the amount of bodywork they do on a daily basis. Pamela and Aliki have only just reopened their businesses and are being very cautious. I’ve had to buy a number of my own props to use in class but see this as a worthwhile investment given my yoga practice has been lifelong.

It’s been a strange time to celebrate my birthday but I was very spoiled over the weekend with home made meals by Mr R and time in front of the fireplace just to sit and read – it is all about the simple pleasures. Mr R and I have had our eye on an Art Deco vintage poster for some time – the original one we liked from Vintage Posters Only sold (and you can buy other original posters from Letitia Morris and The Galerie) and it was way too expensive, so we instead bought a reproduction (with the same design) from Picture Store. You can also find retro-style reproduction posters from La Brocante and Harper and Charlie. It’s often the framing which costs a lot of money – we took our poster to The Print and Framing Company in West Heidelberg (who also do some amazing things with mirror TVs) and along with my birthday flowers and cake, I was very happy with my present this year!

We are all spending more time at home and if you are still working, it’s lovely to be able to invest in interior design, and decor, that makes you happy, adds value and lifts your spirits. The one thing I always keep in mind at this time every year (traditionally the two coldest weeks in Melbourne) is that once term 2 school holidays are over, we are in the second half of winter and on the journey towards spring and lighter days ahead.

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The luxury of time

Happy Easter. It’s a different kind of Easter celebrating at home this year. From the sentiment I’ve picked up on social media, it has not been an easy week for a lot of people dealing with the subsequent fall out socially and economically of Covid-19, coupled with being confined at home with their family or housemates if they live with other people. Many people live on their own and self-isolation can be even more challenging for single people, given we are social creatures.

Some of my friends are questioning the severity of stage 3 restrictions but personally I’d rather go hard, go early than experience what New York or Europe has in terms of infection and deaths. I guess we’ll never know, but history will be the judge. And for those complaining about how difficult things are, The Project’s Waleed Aly issued a good reminder this week as to why we are still the lucky country. Things are hard relative to what we’ve been accustomed after almost 30 years of good times in Australia. We’ve been extremely fortunate to live in an incredibly privileged and affluent country, which is why the hardship we’re experiencing now is such a shock for so many people.

Trying to see the pink supermoon from our deck on Wednesday night

I keep returning to that conundrum of when you have time, you have no money but when you have money, you have no time. Whether you still have a job or not, all of us now have time on our hands and time to choose our own adventure regarding how we spend the next six months (and beyond). A lot will be determined by our own strength of character and our attitude, as the challenge will be largely mental. Instead of chasing after what we want in the external world, we have to turn this around and want what we already have inside the four walls of our home and in our own minds. I’d like to focus on what I can do and use this time more productively (as someone who has previously questioned and complained about the busy-ness of modern life) with time being a precious commodity not even the richest person in the world can buy more of (which Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have discussed in the past).

Mr Rosanna’s landscaping handiwork

It is a chance to live life in the slow lane with a focus on the local and sustainable. A chance to read or write that book, do that course to re-skill or upskill, take up an art or craft, start that herb garden or veggie patch, raise some chickens, clean up or do up your place in whatever way you can, exercise, beautify, create and bake. There’s been a massive pivot to all sorts of online entertainment and courses and in some ways, it’s a blessing to be heading into Winter where it feels more natural to be inside, as much as getting fresh air and spending time outdoors will continue to be important.

People are already embracing this time spent cocooning, there’s been a run on building, nursery and hardware items, activewear, lounge wear and comfy clothes, bread tins, puzzles, beauty products and hairdressing scissors! Food-wise, I’ve been told the Coburg Farmers Market is still on as well as CERES Joe’s Market Garden. You can also now order and pick up fresh fruit, vegetables and other groceries from the Open Food Network with the Melbourne Farmers Marketplace in Alphington until online grocery services are up and running.

I’ve now done a couple of Zoom yoga classes and had to improvise in terms of props (as you can see above) – I always knew that sociology text book would come in handy one day! Needless to say, I have ordered myself some yoga blocks and a belt from iyogaprops for home practice. My work colleagues have also started doing pilates and HIIT classes on FitOn. There’ll be no excuse not to emerge from this time fitter rather than fatter…