I am grateful that I live in a country where COVID 19 is not in the community, for now anyway!

We have a few in our managed isolation units, however and we have worked hard to get to this point and now I wonder whether complacency has set in. Everyone thinks that we are free from this virus, when in fact, it is still out there,

We went to the City on the train yesterday and I understood masks were still compulsory on public transport. If it is, it’s not managed and many travellers had no masks on, Train crew did not ask for them to be put on. Hubby and I had ours on. I wear mine because I do have a lung issue because of a previous illness, many years ago.

We have a Q R code system which we use to scan into shops, bars, cafes and on public transport etc.. Not many people use these scans either, which would help should there be another outbreak in our community,

We have and are very lucky at the moment. I wonder whether it will only be a matter of time before we get another rogue one in the community, which will set off another lockdown! Let’s hope that this does not happen and we keep it out.

Thoughts are with those who are still suffering and who have suffered from this horrible virus. Stay strong and stay safe.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Hubby told me over the weekend, that he had heard, travel will not be anywhere near normal for at least 5 years.

Well, that was bummer news. I knew that it would be a while, but 5 years! If all we can do is travel local, and by the way, that is great to see our own local backyards, then when things do become right in the world, what amazing holidays some of us will have.

I don’t know about any of you, but I for one need to renew my passport. I may need it and if I leave it to renew when the world does start moving around the queues at the passport renewal centres will be enormous. Hubby and I would have to book a holiday a number of months out from the booking date just to make sure that everything arrived in time.

I had some ideas of where I wanted to see before we found the world in the mercy of a pandemic. Those plans and ideas will need to change and be modified, or maybe just left for a date further down the line.

We have all got to have something to strive for, otherwise we work, sleep, rest a little and repeat each day.

The days seem to be passing me by at the moment, I am not sure if this is just me or whether you all feel the same way. Nearly halfway through the year, is a scary thought, but what have most of us actually done during this time?

Smile and have a great day 🙂

The roads are getting busier now and it seems that almost every person has one. Trying to move people out of their cars is a hard challenge because public transport is not as effective as it could be.

The trains here are not running most weekends it seems as they have maintenance and upgrades going on. The buses not as reliable as they could be and so everyone uses the car.

I don’t mind using the car when I need to, but, a lot of drivers do not have any patience behind the wheel. You hear that expression ‘merge like a zip’? It doesn’t seem to work very well as everyone tries to get one car ahead. Even at road work signs, they leave it to the last minute so that others have to let them in.

Drivers pull out of side roads in front of you, when there is nothing behind you.

Why is everyone in such a hurry these days?

With all the lockdowns we have had, I thought everyone had learnt to take in that moment and slow down. Sadly no, everyone is back to the way they were before lockdown.

The joys of driving!

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Now that our clocks have changed and it is going to get darker earlier in the evenings and therefore cooler, it is time to get my puzzles out. They are just one of my hobbies!

Doing puzzles is a great way for me to relax, especially when the weather is not so great. It does not matter how many pieces they have, it still challenges me. The more pieces the better.

A friend of mine sent me a plain box with some wooden pieces inside and wrote to me to say that the puzzle has no picture to look at but that it is animals. Apparently some years ago you could buy some like this. The box just had what it was, i.e.: flowers, buildings, etc. That was a challenge and well worth it at the end.

I have also done a round puzzle which was awesome. The puzzle pieces very different from the usual shapes which was cool. The picture was one of a chalet in the mountains and a forest below.

There are a variety to do in so many categories, sizes, puzzle pieces etc. Hubby and I brought a grand-father cloth puzzle for his parents one Christmas. Once it was finished, they mounted it onto a piece of plywood, cut it out and hung it on the wall.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

I am sure that this is not the only country that is experiencing ‘ghost towns”, and by that I mean shops starting to vacate the premises.

Hubby and I went to the City last week and noticed as we were walking around, there were a large number of empty shops now sitting idle. This wasn’t just up and down the high street, but, down the side streets as well.

The towns are not getting that walking traffic like they used to, as a lot of people are shopping on line and of course we have no visitors. It is a shame and I know from the shops that I have seen here shut up, some have been around for some time.

Shopping on line is great, but looking at items in a shop is also great. I find I do like to look around and see what I want before I buy it, but that is just for me. Not everyone enjoys shopping on line or even in the malls, but it is something we all have to do at some point. It doesn’t matter what you need, whether its clothes, electrical or food, you can choose to do it either way.

It is sad though that I think once these shops have shut up, they probably won’t return and so the town and city centres may become ‘ghost towns’ for sure.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Well done and congratulations to Emirates Team New Zealand for retaining the America’s cup.

Have been watching some of the races and it has been great to watch. These boats are so quick and so graceful and I feel for Prada Luna Rossa for missing out.

These boats are so technical and it is such an eye opener when you realise just what is needed to make these boats move. With the wind in the right direction, these boats move bloody fast.

The races have been exciting and nail biting at the same time, even for someone who is not particularly into boating, it has been amazing to watch.

We had tried to see them when we were in the City, but every time we went, the course was changed to suit the wind direction and speed. It was therefore much easier to watch it at home on the television. It wasn’t the same but at least we were guaranteed a good view at all times.

Awaiting the next America’s Cup in four years time.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Love them or hate them, they are with us during the summer months.

I can’t say that I particularly like them or loathe them. I find them frustrating at times, especially when you are trying to focus on work and the noise from one is audible, but, when you have a number, it can be quite disruptive. I know they are only around for few months and so really just tolerate them.

Catching them can be a little tricky as some of them are very hyperactive and bounce around all over the floor. We catch them and put them back outside, but when they walk around the outside of a room so that you cannot get to them is a little tricky. We have both carpet and ceramic on our floors and they are far easier to catch on the ceramic floors as they cannot get grip and so cannot run away so quickly.

Over the weekend my hubby had one on the arm of the sofa and it wasn’t until I pointed it out to him that we managed to catch it. The other one was on the television unit so that one was an easy catch.

I don’t know how they even manage to get into the house sometimes as the house was shut up one day as we were out shopping and looking for plants. They must come in through some very small spaces. At least this year has not been as bad as the last couple of years!

Smile and have a great day. 🙂

Last week our new lounge furniture finally arrived. It was ordered at the end of October and should have taken around 12 weeks to be made and delivered.

We finally received a text from the delivery team to say they would drop it off in 48 hours. We still had the old one to move and as we were in lockdown, could not get anyone to pick it up. We could find no telephone number to change the date and so had to put the old one somewhere else until we came out of lockdown.

Our new furniture arrived in huge cardboard boxes and once they were put into place and checked the delivery men left. It seems these days that old furniture is not taken away, even for a fee, but left for you to deal with. Not only that, but, the huge cardboard boxes are left for you to get rid off too!

The following day the boxes were cut down and although we do have a recycle bin, it ended up being filled up with just one box. The other one will have to be put in once that one has been emptied on Wednesday.

I guess companies have reasons as to why they cannot take old stuff or even take the packaging away, even, as I have said for a fee.

We are pleased that it has now finally arrived and are getting used to our new furniture.

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Had a text alert late last night to say that as of 6.00 am this morning (Sunday) our city would be in lockdown for the next seven days.

We have another case of Covid in the community. Every time we have another case in the community I find myself checking the locations of interest, just to see if I have been there or not.

Why do people still carry on doing their thing even when they have just been tested?

Why aren’t people going home and self-isolating after a test or even staying at home if they feel unwell?

So, it is going to be a walk, exercise and a very quiet week as hubby will be home too. We just get up and back on our feet, when it come back again and we are back in lockdown.

I realise that we have much more freedom than other countries and how lucky we are for that. My thoughts are with all of those people who are still suffering and who have lost loved ones through this. Sadly this will be with us for some time to come, but, let us hope that it won’t be too long!

Smile and have a great day 🙂

Hubby and I were called to have our two year eye check-ups. With Covid still around I was a little anxious I have to say. I mean working so close to your eyes. The opticians were reassuring and so yesterday we had our eye tests.

The usual precautions were taken, in so much that you needed to wear a face mask, hand sanitise and scan the QR codes as we entered. Hubby was first and I went to have a coffee until my test a half hour later.

He needs glasses for reading and so he went for a coffee as I had mine done. I was pleasantly surprised how smoothly it all went. Am not a huge fan of the puff of air into the eye for the glaucoma, but everything went well and received the all clear. My eyes have not changed that much since the last time.

Now I thought I would be the one to require glasses, but, no it was just hubby. When he returned it was time to pick out a pair for him to order. They were nothing fancy, as only for reading. he did not need them outside at all.

It was a tick on the calendar, until next time, or unless we notice anything different with our eyesight. Huge thanks to the lovely optometrist we both had yesterday. It was smooth sailing all the way.

Smile and have a great day 🙂