The end of lockdown!

Thursday 21st October marked the end of the hard lockdown in Melbourne. Since arriving here at the beginning of 2021 we have had 108 days in lockdown, during four different periods of time:

• February 12th - 17th (5 days)
• May 27th - June 10th (14 days)
• July 15th - 27th (12 days)
• August 5th - October 21st (77 days)

Melbourne holds the record of the most days of any city in lockdown, with 260 days in total since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. What a record to hold! 

I had really mixed feelings about the end of this recent lockdown. Of course there was a major feeling of relief when our state premier announced that we would reach the vaccination target of 70% of Victorians (aged 16+) being fully vaccinated, therefore triggering the first stage of the reopening plan two weeks ago. Restaurants, cafés and hairdressers opened to the fully vaccinated, we could have up to 10 vaccinated people in our homes, and students began a staged return to school. Covid case numbers in Melbourne still very high by Australian standards, but as the vaccination rates climb (over 90% of the adult population has had at least one dose, and the 12-15 year olds are also getting their jabs very quickly) we are hopeful that the city will not have to go into a harsh lockdown ever again.

Ella returned to school three weeks ago, attending Monday - Wednesday for the first two weeks, and full time from now on. She was so excited to return to school and see her friends and her teacher again. We were really very lucky throughout lockdown, in that Ella was happy to participate in her online lessons and do the work her teacher set. Her teacher was also wonderful online. But online school is no substitute for the real thing, and Ella has come home from school in such a great mood every day since she's been back. (I can't say the same was true at the end of every day of remote learning!)

Andy and I went back to in person learning in secondary school a week after Ella, so we had the luxury of working from home while Ella and Ollie were in school and daycare. And what a difference it made to the amount of work I was able to get done during the day! No more interruptions, or making endless snacks, or having to help with Ella's school work, or feeling guilty about allowing so much screen time. And it was so much nicer to see my students, and teach them, in person. Teaching online is nowhere near as fun or fulfilling as it is in person, as I'm sure all teachers will agree.

On our last morning of lockdown I took Ollie to daycare for the last time. In "normal times" Andy drops Ollie off on his way to work, but I was able to take him a lot during lockdown. About once a week we would have a special treat together: a coffee/babycino and croissant from the (amazing) café across from his daycare. We would have our treats together in the green space outside his daycare, which is surrounded by beautiful church buildings. Before he heads off to daycare we have a big cuddle on a bench. I usually say "ok we can cuddle for 5 minutes and then I have to go to work" and Ollie will reply "can we cuddle for one thousand minutes?" Oh, it melts my heart! It has been one of the highlights of the lockdown to be able to spend this morning one-on-one time with him, and one of the reasons for my "mixed feelings" about the end of lockdown. 

A few pictures from our mornings together

Last weekend we hit the 80% fully vaccinated target, so some further restrictions have been eased, the most notable being that retail is now open, and those from metro Melbourne can now travel to regional Victoria. This happened just in time for Melbourne Cup, the horse race held on the first Tuesday of November and a public holiday in Victoria. Lots of people take the Monday off work for a four day long weekend, and independent schools are closed so Andy and I also had the luxury of the long weekend. 

The past two weekends we have definitely made up for lost time, visiting friend's houses and having people round to ours. It has been fabulous to not have to worry about the weather, and if it will rain, as we don't have to stay outside all the time. The kids have had a ball playing with their friends and Andy and I have had lots of adult company. 

Reunited with their besties, Gemma and Archie

Pool party at Chris and Ness's new pool!

Last weekend was also Hallowe'en, and we met up with a group of Ella's school friends for trick or treating. Hallowe'en is gaining popularity here, but still only a handful of houses on each street are decorated and ready for trick or treaters. And it was quite strange having a warm sunny evening of it, rather than the cold and dark nights of my Canadian childhood! But of course the kids had a great time with their friends and the fact that not everyone hands out candy means we went home with a reasonable amount of treats in their Hallowe'en buckets.

Andy handing out treats (after he made the kids do a trick!)

Ella and her school friend

Hallowe'en treats

Even though it has only been about two weeks out of lockdown, the days of staying within a 5km radius of our house already seems like a distant past. I started this post over a week ago, and as I mentioned at the start I had really mixed feelings about the end of lockdown. There are things I am not looking forward to returning to... the busyness of life that I can already feel coming back with our added commutes to work and extra-curriculars for the kids. But overall there is a sense of relief that finally the people of Australia have gotten vaccinated and we can start to move past the age of strict lockdowns. Not to mention that the borders of Australia are opening up, which means we have a glimpse of hope of seeing our families some time in 2022!