Monday April 6th – Day 12, usually a day of back to work stress for most kiwis……but not today (except for our fantastic supermarket, medical and other frontline workers)….today wakes to thoughts of working from home, taking a longer walk and what can I do with my rubber ball lemon honey!

Sunday (yesterday) was a long lazy day with an extra hour to fill in, as daylight saving finished…and no detective work for the Miss Marples! Apart from some fact research around Covid19 ability to move…(as the powers to be want us who got locked in here to do)….this is creating undue stress, as our emergency bolthole is Dads, a No go as dad is in a high risk category, can’t give my tenants notice during this time (and wouldn’t want to as they are medical essential workers) and when lockdown eases – I believe the 6 weeks notice period for tennants is increasing to 90 days! These are extraordinary times and kindness and a little leeway would go a long way….I wish Russell and Ron were still here they’d sort it!

The walk up the valley was peaceful, carless, people less and pushed away the soreness in my hip….the road did not feel like a road…

The beach did feel like a beach in autumn, a firm easterly, a small wave and no people….just the way I like it!

Blue skies, blue sea, back to the cottage….as a walk is a walk and not a stop in lockdown…

Limping Larry loves Len….hearing human voices was inspiration enough to leave the feijoa tree and limp across to visit….Larry thinks he’s human now all the ducks hang out at Waiwera place (down the road) on the berm and Larry lives under the feijoa tree in Riverhaven.

Our other bubble (Dan) appeared on his new wheels – skateboard – at dinner time and cooked the burgers

The Big Bonnici Burger…. will Maccas or BK even open after this….we are all cooking homemade with no takeaways or cafes or bakeries…..now what to do with the rubber like lemon honey!

P.S. we cracked the 1000 cases yesterday….it is still active in our communities, I hope this level 4 continues until zero cases…..for a number of days

Sunday April 5th – day 11, 5.00am, daylight saving has ended but my body clock has not adjusted!

Yesterday, while the Miss Marples where otherwise engaged, and limping Larry was lounging under the feijoa tree (easy access to constant food supply), the Waiwera locals were on the alert!

The boys in blue visit the camp again…The Riverhaven tractor (while currently not needed to tow boats) was retrieving stolen safes from the Riverhaven point…Hidden under a duvet and still containing amounts of money that couldn’t be reached from the hacksawed hole…

Meanwhile the building crew at my other bubble were hard at work…

Both benches finished with the assistance of local supplies, Dans neighbour supplied the bolts and Pete the painter had some black paint (which we had run out of) for the iron….like in the 60s and 70s when all the neighbours lent stuff to each other to finish a project and you didn’t run to the hardware store every five minutes (cause like now we can’t!) Community spirit is high and everyone is helping each other from behind their gates!

I just helped hold the screwdriver for the finishing touches!

The rest of Larry’s extended family is hanging out by the derelict Waiwera hot pools where there is shade…the birds are taking over the roads. The odd car is certainly 2nd place to walkers, wildlife and two wheelers!

On the topic of two wheelers, around 4pm yesterday, I heard my gate bang (well the riverhaven gate by my cottage that has become my responsibility in this lockdown)….before I could open my mouth, three Lycra-clad silver foxes (middle age, middle class arrogant men) rode their expensive bikes past my front door like they owned the place! Lookout Len (our caretaker) caught them at the turn (as they said they were visiting a friend – a no no in lockdown – they obviously weren’t very bright) and shooed them out the main gate. For the 3rd time I sanitised the gate latch and surrounds, every time it is not me or my bubble, I do this!

The Miss Marples have also been informed that new humans (we have car make, model and rego handy if needed) have moved into number 22 The Strand, the big yellow house on the waterfront, that usually operates as an Airbnb rental, but moving in mid lockdown…..more information is needed.

To put a full stop after broken leg (he was the man sneaking his daughters in and out of camp last week), has managed to sneak back, over the last couple of days, and retrieve his 2nd car that was parked across the road (or its been stolen -either way it’s gone).

In summary, 82 new cases yesterday, we are tapping on the 1000, but maintaining same daily positives with increased testing…is this a good sign? Time will tell.

And while those around me were active, my greatest achievement of the day was producing a very unsuccessful batch of lemon honey….can probably use it as a stress ball! (Solid but malleable – probably not edible and no image available!)

April 4th 2020, day 10 of lockdown 7.30am

Sunrise on day 9, courtesy of my neighbour who… 1. Wakes early and 2. Lives on the waterfront so doesn’t have to walk 50 meters in pjs to take the shot!

The sun rises and the sea is calm….the last week has been perfect for boating with all water activity banned in lockdown.

Yesterday morning I woke rather worse for wear from my workout with Floyd (dog) the day before…the lower back from the resistance pulling was having trouble getting moving….ok so now I understand why old people have those little dogs! Needless to say Floyd didn’t get a walk with me yesterday. I took four lists to the supermarket and filled up a big trolley (following all the rules) then packed all orders into separate bags once I returned to the car, and started the drop off courier deliveries outside gates and doors….ending up at home in desperate need of a loo visit (all public toilets are closed and I cannot enter anyone’s house to use the bathroom).

Morning gone, early afternoon I was off for a gentle stroll, to walk out the stiffness and got called to work at my other bubble…

The workstation outside number 17 now sports the old gazebo for shade…amazing how much we are reusing and recycling when we can’t leap in the car and buy new…

So, it began like this….breaking up the 2nd bench seat and getting rusted bolts out, joint effort! The makita power tools mum lesson…not sure what I was assigned, but it was a drill thing with a handle (long) to hold with the other hand and apply pressure, the thing on the end was a wire brush which zoomed around at a million miles (careful to keep Floyd’s nose out). This was then applied to all the wrought iron rusted bits….grinding it back to a paintable surface. Easy you say….the pattern on the back slab is “Tulips”….Two hours of this activity, numb fingers and thumbs, with the back all prepped (still two arms to go) I retired to prepare the roast for the evening meal!

Another of our diligent neighbours who has no chairs to repair has been using their time building signs to set strategically around our community…as this virus spreads in our country despite the drastic lockdown measures out government has taken. Only days before the lockdown day, even though the warning signs were apparent, teenagers gathered in parks (spreading a large cluster through and Auckland secondary school), large wedding gatherings, st paddy’s day celebrations (infecting a pub lot of revellers) and small outbreaks from overseas travellers not self isolating and returning to the workplace.. I think kiwis are now getting it, as the gloved and masked humans only venture out to get food…and the media is reporting the spread constantly and reiterating how easy it is to catch. I feel sorry for my Aussie family and friends who are trying to eradicate this disease, while people around them seriously do not understand….A bubble is a bubble of like minded supportive people who are staying home and staying safe!

April 3rd 2020 7.15am – day 9 begins. Learning to sleep in…vary my exercise…talk about something else…and date to look ahead!

Yesterday began, coolish and fine, promising another sunny autumn day! It was run day for George, so I decided I would walk up the valley for a more gentle stroll …. smell the nature and stretch the muscles!

Well good intentions…I walk past Dans Gate (who is part of my bubble as he lives alone) and he was out beavering away repairing my park benches (at 8.00am) – so Floyd (the canine grandson) was looking longingly through the gate….Floyd being a 50 kg Bull Mastiff x boxer x lab or something. I offered to take him on my solo walk, as dogs are now not allowed off leash at all (I figured he couldn’t run off after a cow or something)…..we started with the expected Tug of war as he was excited to be out, but this continued to a two hour training lesson, Floyd pulling, me pulling back, sitting, walking in circles, short leash…. long leash, change hands…two hands…..you name it, it was a battle of the wits. Don’t get me wrong there were some “good boy!” times and slow gentle walking in between the 2 hour full body workout for both of us!

We made it to the state hwy 1 bridge as planned, after my return I decided it was a bridge too far on first day training session.

And so did Floyd, after a big drink of water this was his proposed activity for the rest of the day..

Back to my cottage where George was working, I did a bit of work, it’s very minimal these lockdown days 1-2 hours a day when I have emails to respond to, almost all our clients are not operating during this time. Load of washing, lunch, then the call came to help with the final bolting together of my renovated bench seat!

Just a bit of background – these seats are 15 years old, brought at food town for $80 back then and were destined for the dump! Dad and Dan decided they were worth saving and repairing…so they sat broken at the side of my cottage all summer (being a health and safety hazard).

Ok so Dad and Dan were right – three days of mahi to get to this stage…

Dan having a rest on the finished product! And very happy with his work…now in this lockdown we need to find some more nuts and bolts to work on the 2nd one…only essential services are being supplied with any building supplies.

Three times I had tried to have a moment to read….finally got a half hour after getting dinner prepared before my social distancing happy hour….that’s another story, a whole new way of drinking!

P.s. limping Larry is doing ok…I offered him a frozen lettuce but I think he is enjoying the rotting feijoas.

April 2nd 2020, day 8 of lockdown begins….a very different day ahead than the one envisaged four weeks ago! Which was…Packing, car shuffling, saying goodbyes and winging it to Houston, Texas…and George carrying on back to his work life in the UK . Now, It will be more of local walking, jobs around cottage, book reading (for Sue) and remote working (for George) and Food!

Oh and talking to my new pet….limping Larry the lame duck, he kind of just hangs out at bach 10 around the grey “beer pong” table…just like all the young ones do over summer…I can pretend we still have social activity (even if it is only a duck with a crippled leg)

Yesterday’s exercise involved a reverse circuit of the Waiwera-Wenderholm hill, and more of a bush walk…which at midday was a wise decision – temperatures still hitting mid 20s in the sun!

Then the up began..

So far so good…,still half a bottle of water left…

Not a fan of steps and coupled with a constant uphill gradient, water bottle getting low… decided I would find some great view/Bush pictures to share….really just an excuse to have a small rest (my legs are a lot shorter and older than George’s) – here goes.

Wenderholm from 3/4 of the way up – the sea was bluer and the detail hard to capture on an iPhone image!

George framed by a canopy of palm trees, a pleasant flat walk before the decent.

This Bush critter, stretched out on the native flora…I need a name – he’s actually a log but at first glance I expected him to run away..,

The downward tramping track..looking back up or looking down? Either way it’s a good knee workout!

And back to the house..energy expended. To isolation , lockdown, quarantine, social distancing, staying in the bubble….sanitising…..just a whole new way of doing things. Taking your own beer for a social drink , now means taking your own beer, chair and ensuring you are 3 meters (any body part) from your pal…no hugs or looking at each other’s phones or sharing of anything…a human must be totally self sufficient. We are doing this, hang in there Kiwis!

April 1st 2020, day 7 lockdown.

There are a lot of lame ducks (metaphorically speaking) in this world right now, not knowing what the future holds for them as many of our choices are being taken away from us…

In the literal sense (of ducks) Limping Larry, on the other hand is doing all he can to survive… while I’m deemed to be breaking the rules,(Riverhaven rule number 159 – do not feed the ducks) why waste good food scraps in this environment when we can’t even buy flour! And the message out their is to be Kind….didn’t think this was species specific! Anyway, lonely limping Larry is very polite… does not venture inside…and appreciated my bean ends, outside lettuce leaves and broccoli stalk!

This is a great place to be with friendly hellos from a distance and people are learning to socialise (from a distance) and care for those in this community of Waiwera…if only it could remain like this…the beaches only have the footprints and paw prints of those that live here, the walks we take, if you see anyone, you know them….and no one is spying on you, calling noise control, counting the number of empties in your bin, or frowning at you if you have a ciggy,

We are adults, and we have invested in this place, (Riverhaven – the camp) and care for this place like anyone else that comes and goes, and when new “rules” are just thrown at you in a “newsletter” that point the finger at our life choices (the few we have left) makes one feel our holiday home will become a prison camp for old people and retirees and our young ones will no longer want to come! Next thing it will be no drinking in camp, no music or laughter after 8pm (bedtime) This should be the opportunity to open up some freedom in the place and ask people what they want ….. like take your boat out before 7am or bring it back after 7pm – evening fishing rocks! We will see what the future brings I guess…. ok rant done….just getting mail with petty new camp rules when we have been protecting our Riverhaven boarders (healthwise) in the absence of any of the board members was almost a breaking point of my love for Riverhaven…watch this space….

I was really going to share my story of scrambling over the hill with George…yes that one on the left in the picture above! All I can say is it must be a while since I went up and over as the track is vastly improved…no less steep….but an actual formed pathway and steps have replaced clay and tree roots.

From the top looking out to sea….usually on a day like this the sea would be littered with boats…crisscrossing

Back down to Wenderholm on the other side, childhood memories where Dad used to launch the boat and take us all out to Big Bay for the summer holidays (boat access only – like 50 years ago)

Before the decent…looking south….yesterday was a beautiful autumn day, the humidity has dropped, cooler mornings and evenings, but sunny 25 degree celcius days….when in lockdown and only using foot powered travel, the weather makes a big difference to our happiness.

The day progressed with book reading, a little work, happy distance hour and dinner! What will day seven bring!

31st March 2020, day six of lockdown begins and with a clean house, stocked fridge, no work to do, we become somewhat vigilantes…we are keeping an eye on this car parked across the road belonging to our story telling sneak (broken leg) from the previous evening, where a second car suddenly appeared that he took off in to dispatch children, who cannot come and go at this time. The original car has made its home on the street outside my gate.

However, Broken leg wanted to have the last word….he informed the directors he needed to return to his previous temporary abode at our safe haven…to collect medication. Time proposed 1pm. He duly arrived at 12.30pm, thinking he would trick the Miss Marples. Time of arrival noted and time of departure noted, half an hour to collect medication…. and a car load of gym equipment! Stopping intentionally outside Trudi’s cottage to inform her he was officially homeless, to which Trudi replied “no you’re not, you can stay where you stayed for the first two days of lockdown” (he had informed directors this was ex wife family home – his dual pod)….to Trudi he now replied “well that was a motel in kerikeri” The plot thickens, he certainly has been spreading himself around….and in contact with whom we ask? I somehow don’t think we have seen the last of him, but next time it’s the authorities problem, not ours….

Meanwhile, Limping Larry has obviously been abandoned by his family as an outcast and adopted the Riverhaven community as a safe haven in this hostile world. He is really struggling to walk and spend most of the afternoon curled up under the feijoa tree next door, looking somewhat sad (if ducks can look sad)…I know we are not to feed these guys, but this is one, and I think a not very well one…

So yesterday was cool in the morning, brought rain late morning and fined up to a beautiful afternoon and all the locals took to the streets for their daily exercise…

I tried to ignore that I should move, as I had finally got my Teeth into a John Grisham novel…and had decided it was my day five activity to read again (for the first time in 12months!) John(Grisham) and I did reach a point where one of the storyline’s was resolved and I felt I could step out of this world (of words) for a moment and take a stroll around the neighbourhood…it was lovely to see people out and about….keeping the 3-4 meter levels of separation but being able to say Hi to their friends…social interaction at a distance, a whole new world.

George and I put the cover on the boat, as we cannot use this while in lockdown, and ate our way through the big pot of vege soup I had made the day before!

Day 6 ahead, George has his homemade exercise plan well under way, I think I need to roll with the punches and ensure I get up and do some physical activity for at least an hour a day…so here we go on day six….

March 30th, 2020…..first Monday of the lockdown and what should be the start of a working week….

Sunday, saw our first casualty to the virus we are all fighting, but less confirmed cases of only 63 with a total of 514….it will continue to climb and sadly we may lose more…although we pray not.

That is Not if Everyone respects the lockdown rules!

Shopping is now an antisocial event, no point in putting on your best frock and lipstick or paint your nails for the only outing allowed at this time…

Keep your distance and focus on the cones, keeping your distance from the next person and only one way traffic at all times….this exercise now requires full concentration to remember everything we came for….and shopping for a week is a challenge…and at times overwhelming…still no flour!

The empty buses roll in and out of Waiwera on the hour. Public transport is a risk and an unnecessary resource at this time when we are all staying home apart from the odd trip to the supermarket. The council really should consider reducing this service drastically and allowing the bus drivers to stay home too…I’m sure Waiwera was a toilet stop for these guys but now the toilets are boarded up it is a wasted trip!

Life goes on, George eats!….watched by his new friend, Larry the Limping Duck, who patiently awaits the final crust….he sits and wags his tail feathers….just like a dog waiting for George’s offering…

The welcome to Waiwera Sign and

The warning to keep your distance sign….

Now it is all out there what the rules are and the signs are everywhere you look outside your door….the word of survival is “Stay in Your Bubble” we have six people in cottages (out of 84) with 1 or 2 shareholders staying for the lockdown, while the direction was to clear the camp, as it transpires we are lucky we have our spies in at each corner.

Ok here goes…..One of the other cottages has had a man, whom we don’t know, coming and going, but actually living there since last year, longer than me!!! But being very sneaky about it…the government order when the lockdown began was…where you stayed last Wednesday is where you must stay for the month!

Herein the issue began! As we (the five of us) are all in our cottages any unusual movement was obvious… in drives this man on Friday…Trudi, dons her ex prison warden hat and marches over and asks what he is doing….”Staying there of course, stayed at ex wife’s for the first two days and then on sunday was supposedly bringing his kids over for a week “hello” people do not come and go from a lockdown bubble!

Some people have the ability to tell everyone a different story and lie without blinking an eyelid! (This man is blessed with this gift) The Riverhaven bubble members were getting suspicious… the man was very sneaky and was advised by the Directors that he could stay(he is a brother of one of the shareholders) but no kids coming and going! As it is a privilege to be allowed to stay here for those of us who have no where else to go at this stage.

Sooooo…..last night……7pm….Trudi and Sue having a quick social distance drink behind my cottage and, bang, we heand the gate slam (this happens rarely in the lockdown and I Always check who) Ah Ha! “Broken Leg” (our name for this man as he runs around with a crutch in one arm) sneakily waves the family car (ex wife, boyfriend and yep…two kids in the back) to head around to the front beach gate where they can sneak in along the fence line behind a row of cottages unseen….I took my camera and Trudi raced off to get Len the caretaker… Super sleuths in action! Miss Marple x 2!

SNAPPED – can’t actually lie about this one, he was rude to Len – more lies, and then told Trudi to go away or she’ll get SICK….not even a joke in these times. So we called a third person in our bubble – Jacki the policewoman, while we watched from a distance as he drove one car out – parked on road and drive another car in (Miss Marple number 2 has photo evidence of both numberplates if he causes any more trouble) and proceeded to load children and luggage into to car to leave…roaring through camp at an unnecessary 30-40km speed, nearly putting an end to Limping Larry (George’s new friend) who had made his way over to see what all the fuss in his quiet camp was all about!

I think he (broken leg) was very cross with the Miss Marples, but these new rules laid out by the government and being enforced by our police and military are in for a reason, to save lives! We must stick to our homes and cannot allow anyone who has been in contact with others inside out houses or within a three meter space!

March 29th 2020 – 6.00am (early night last night)….and day four begins….it’s going to be a long day.

Yesterday, Saturday, blew in sunshine, rain, wind (had to pull in the awning before it took off) and many memories of my wonderful husband…

It was our wedding anniversary, and one of those firsts that I have to navigate without him in this twelve months…it wasn’t sad memories though, it was the good ones as we hunker down in this place that was a happy place for Russ!

Same bench, same cushions, same beer (no that looks like lion red)

Back to the lockdown activities….

Coffee…phone rings….chat….clothes out ready for long overdue shower….coffee…phone rings again…..chat….text….unlock gate….head to shower….Dan and Floyd on road….ready for beach walk.

Oh well, no shower, throw on shorts, T-shirt, and off for beach walk – 3 meters distance. A few people/dogs on the beach, so pretty much an on leash walk, or rather drag, as a very excited mastiff (50kgs) and determined master pulled against each other for half an hour until Floyd decided he wasn’t going to win and started digging (wet sand) on leash…needless to say they both probably needed showers when they got home.

The birds are very relaxed with little human activity and no outside our community visitors, the beach is feeling like it used to…a place of calmness

Walk done, it was time for today’s jobs…On my return, George was folding the washing and everything (clean washing from the day before) smelt like meat! Our delightfully busy neighbour had his outdoor fire and bbq cranking up in the afternoon before and given my washing that smoked bbq fragrance….tea towels in a bucket of Dettol and napisan to soak! And washing rewashed!

As George was sorting his clothes out, and unpacking some winter ones (that he was sure he would not need until recently) I did my makeshift yoga workout….with a bucket of hot water and dettol….windowsills, skirtings, and floors on my hand and knees (character building for my knees on the wooden floor) throughout the lounge,dining, kitchen and bathroom areas…I know this sounds like a huge achievement but the size of the cottage (very small) brings this back into perspective.

Lunchtime, banana fritters, and a “‘Brad Pitt” movie afternoon…pushing out and limiting the happy hour (beer time) to 5-6pm!

So the kiwi lockdown is fraught with activities, cleaning, home cooking a short daily walk and the catchphrase “social distancing”. Some folks don’t even want to say hello, their choice, but seriously we are not robots and standing four meters away on the other side of a neighbours fence (hands in pockets) should be ok! A five minute chat and human contact at a distance is safe??? I guess time will tell we are all in a bit of panic mode as to how this disease will progress in our country!

On that note, yesterday while USA skyrocketed over 20k cases, we only saw the same progression as the day before with 83 positive tests, a plateau, a total of 451, since the virus first hit our shores about a month ago…we will continue to go up, we are all aware of this, but the slower the better and we will all rejoice in sliding down the other side until we hit zero!

March 28th 2020 – as we wake to day three, 7.30am (beginning to sleep in) there is an eerie silence in our world…..yesterday morning started with a walk with Dan and Floyd ….. this video says it all, we keep trying to dig the water out from the hole and the more we dig the more water fills up the hole! So we dig more, and there’s more water…..and so it goes on!

We need to stop the flow, and as we are in our bubble we are all diligent and must be aware of any new waves infiltrating our bubble and we shut them down…

So the day began, with a beach walk and the dog showing us the world we live in is not such a bad place…

And social distancing is easy when you ignore all humans around you…

A hesitant trip to the supermarket was needed – yes we are allowed to get food. The roads and the town of orewa were eerily quiet, like being in a communist country, and we were waiting for the road blocks…. no one at the supermarket (well only us and a handful of other folk) no one spoke, we entered (george and I) donned with gloves and face masks , list in hand for us and Dad….he and Sandy are not leaving home, rushing through, keeping our two meter distance from the other few shoppers and out as quickly as we can, gloves off and sanitising before driving off! Sort of felt like a robber but paid for our food…

Then a chemist pickup for Sandy, prescriptions only, and a path taped with thar orange emergency tape to follow, threw the $10 in the basket and off, like a robbers dog!

Drop off at dads, table outside front door with our mail and supplies for them deposited….. a chat from inside to outside four meters apart (no hugs) and hightailed it back over the hill to our safe pod at Waiwera!

This is like a war zone and George and I have enough food for the next week….don’t want to be doing this on a daily basis….the first day was littered with walkers, police, smiles and hellos (from a distance) today was weirdly devoid of life…

Moving forward, we need to smile, smile at everyone you see, laugh at anything, a dog is oblivious…he will never beat the sea when digging the water away…and we must look out for each other, enjoy the quiet, listen to the birds, and SMILE at any human you see…..from a distance. Your smile may be the only human contact that person has.

So in summary, no Police events, public toilets on the beach shut down, our safe little Riverhaven pod looking out for each other, chasing away strangers, and keeping in contact….possibly 5 o’clock has become 4 o’clock beer time, not sure this is a good idea!

So….day three begins….