Living in New Zealand: We're FREE (to do What We Want, Any Old Time) - Level 1 is Here
Forty Two IS the answer (Click to see options for using the image)
There are no cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand. On Tuesday we moved to Level 1, which means normal life apart from at the borders (where most people coming in have to quarantine for 14 days. Except airline staff, I guess.). People on the boats coming into port aren’t allowed off unless they have been at sea for at least 14 days since leaving a foreign port. Which is most of them.
Getting back to normal is ever so slightly unnerving, as I am sure the virus will be back (how do we keep out something so so small? Humans are prone to error and it only needs a few missteps for the virus to escape into NZ again).
At the same time I am enjoying going back to all the bars and cafes that we love.
Though I’m out being social and not distancing, I’m still washing my hands a lot. And not shaking hands with new people. Which is a really hard habit to break.
Living in New Zealand: The Measurement of Time Passing in Lyttelton
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The levels of lockdown in New Zealand have made time pass strangely. Sometimes it seems like an age between the old normal and now. Sometimes it seems to have happened so fast. But in the passing of the years, it seems time definitely accelerates.
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I've just finished reading The Dark Island by Benjamin Kingsbury (thanks, Celia Allison), an account of the leprosy colony that was on Quail Island/Ōtamahua in the early 19th century. One of the figures who stood out in that book was Dr Charles Upham, who looked after the leprosy sufferers for years, despite the stigma the disease had at the time. I've always loved the Lyttelton clock and appreciate it even more knowing it was built as a memorial to Dr Upham.
New Zealand Garden Diary: I'm Preparing for Winter But Flowers Have Other Ideas
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The flowers may be all over the shop but the birds are acting like winter’s coming.
Illustrated Epistle Extract: Going Down the Lockdown Levels in Lyttelton, New Zealand
We are going down the levels of Covid-19 lockdown in New Zealand. When I last wrote we were at Level 4 and most of the country was quite happy to be constrained to their homes or thereabouts. We then spent a couple of weeks at Level 3, with a few more degrees of freedom, including the ability to paddle board (yay, trip to Quail Island!) and for work to restart on our renovation. We have now been at Level 2 for just over a week and things are getting a lot more fun as we have more ability to socialise. I have been around to a couple of people’s houses and met up with my Lyttelton cartoonist friend for a walk yesterday. She was sporting a new hair cut, but that hasn't been high on my list of things to do in Level 2.
Another important Level 2 activity was to go and see a dog we had only seen on Facebook.
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Perhaps next time we will find the right dog for us.
The most important Level 2 milestone for Lytteltonians is probably the reopening of the bars. We went last Thursday (the first night you could go and just have a drink) and I found it weird, but I guess, like everything else we will get used to it...
This is an extract of my Illustrated Epistle, which goes out in the middle of the month. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a cartoonist (specifically, mine). I'd love it if you signed up at the bottom of this page, or here:
http://eepurl.com/cCOOeD
Or head to the archive to read more here.