New Zealand did not feel much impact from the virus until March. But like all places, once it was here it began to spread so something had to change in order to curtail it.
The something is what the government Level 4 lockdown, which put the country in a socially isolated state for five weeks to allow cases to be treated and prevent increased infection rates. It was effective, but was a challenge for all in one way or another. Life is not back to "normal" yet, and I suspect will be a bit odd for some time, but I am thankful that the government chose to act early to prevent widespread infection. I am also grateful that Troway and I were at a point life-wise where we were able to get through this strange time without too much stress.
In hindsight, this year so far has shown me that you should be a little bit careful what you ask for. After the last couple years of planning a wedding, doing grad school study and still working mostly full-time, one of my goals for this year was to slow things down a bit, and re-learn how to enjoy relaxing and pursuing hobbies. I did not intend this goal to be achieved by society shutting down, but it does mean I have had lots of time for said hobbies and relaxation.
One thing I am grateful for throughout all of this is my ability to continue working. My job is considered essential and it is not a job that can be done from home, so my daily routine in terms of work was minimally disrupted (if a bit hectic and exhausting at times due to navigating new ways of working due to isolation requirements, etc.). But when my work day was over, my only "to-do" was heading home to hang out with Troway and the cat and pursue whatever home activity tickled my fancy.
Troway has not been so lucky in regards to his daily routine. He had resigned from full-time work at the start of March to go back to school. But that all got shut down at the end of March, just as he was looking for something part-time to fill the gaps when he did not have study. Naturally nobody has been hiring lately so he has been at home, trying to study remotely where he can. Rugby was cancelled, the dojo is closed, and the fitness classes he runs are still not able to resume due to restrictions on group numbers.
What then have we done with all of this spare time? In the interests of our clothes still fitting, we set up a fitness routine. We have taken turns choosing what to do in order to keep it interesting. Troway is in charge of weights sessions (Denise's least favorite, but apparently it is good for me). Denise is in charge of motivating Troway to go for a run in case he does get a short rugby season this year (it is finally looking good on that front, they have practice this evening, albeit with limited numbers to adhere to group restrictions). Some days we chose to go for a walk and explore a new part of town. This has allowed us to observe what everyone else is up to. There is LOTS of DIY happening around town!
We have also spent a lot of time catching up on yardwork. I enjoy having a lovely garden and a good-sized yard, but that of course does mean lots of things to do to keep it that way. It is probably looking better than it ever has over the last couple of years :) I have also taken up quilting again; there are now about three projects on the go... and I am working on a proper wedding scrapbook, which is lots of fun!
The biggest change we have seen has actually been in the shift of "normal household duties." I actually commented to one of the other ladies at work that I finally understand what it is like to have a wife at home! I have hardly done housework the last six weeks, and Troway does 90% of the cooking now. It has prompted some interesting reflection and discussion on traditional roles. I am thoroughly appreciative of the fact that Troway has been home and able to take over grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, entertaining and training the cat, etc. etc. etc.
We went for a walk in Tupare gardens over the weekend, thought it would be good to share our fall colors while those in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying spring :)
