Day 6 of lockdown due to COVID-19

Nearly one week on to a four-week lockdown here in New Zealand. I think I'm getting the hang of our routine. Actually mine hasn't really changed much because I'm still working full time. I just changed location.

I started work again at 8.30 so I can log off earlier than I would usually do (I normally arrive home at 6.30pm on account of commute time). I am essentially regarded as an essential worker so I've been given access to work remotely.

Things are pretty much the same today, except for a few things:

My daughter has picked up a new hobby - knitting. My wife was looking for stuff that my daughter can do, and she found this knitting kit that I bought more than a year ago. She took to it immediately, and spent most of the afternoon working on her hat, which took just an afternoon to make!

She's already started making a scarf, which I'm assisting her with. It reminds me of my grade school project when we also knitted a scarf.

It may sound strange that we were knitting clothing for cold climates when I come from a tropical country. But I lived in Baguio City, which is a lot cooler than most cities in the Philippines since it's a city in the mountains. The temperature drops in December, and it can go as low as 8 degrees Centigrade in February.

It was a warm, sunny day so we were able to take our lunchtime stroll, and saw some more houses with stuffed toys on display.

In the afternoon, I was able to do some gardening too.

So yeah, things are falling into a routine somewhat, so there's some semblance of normalcy. Which is good, especially for the kids.

We are due for a visit to the supermarket though, so that will be another experience.

Here's a couple more photos from the day before the lockdown:

The regular rice we purchase have sold out, so we had to but Jasmine rice instead.

There was an extraordinary amount of people driving through McDonald's, which was set to close.

I'm a bit stressed out to go to the supermarket, actually, because there have been reported cases of customers abusing supermarket staff. These sort of situations can bring out the best in people, but it can also bring out the worst.

There's been 58 new cases today, bringing the total to 647.

Day 5 of lockdown due to COVID-19

It's the start of a new workday, so I got up at 6.30am, prepared for the morning, then went to work at 8.30. It wasn't as hectic as last week so I managed to catch up with some of our backlog.

This week, I decided to move to our dining area. I was actually using my daughter's study table last week but I found the leg room too restrictive and was giving me back pains. I do wonder if the office table I ordered will ever arrive, since office supplies stores are categorised as non-essential. My online order did come through, so I was hoping it would be on its way. At any rate, the dining area has been transformed into an office for now. The added perk is that I'm only a few steps away from the pantry!

Today's also the start of free exercise sessions at 9am. I'm already at work by then so my daughter took charge of exercise duties.

The rain has finally given way to the sun and so we were able to go out for some exercise. We saw more houses with stuffed toys displayed by their windows.

It was back to work shortly afterwards, then I logged off at 5pm, which gave me time to do some gardening and re-potting of my growing collection of succulents. Here's one in a re-used ice cream tub:

After dinner, it's another episode of  a series we're watching on Netflix, then a bit of reading, then it's off to bed soon.

I'm liking this routine because I'm able to work early and finish early, and so I'm able to do other stuff afterwards. With the end of daylight savings time just around the corner, this is indeed something that I welcome.

I have also started searching for a way to get A Storm at the Sea of Galilee, be it by poster or by colour by number. I think I will prefer going by the latter; it will be an activity I can have with the family and display the result by the doorway. Obviously delivery will be a problem, so I'm bookmarking sites where I can order it from.

Today in New Zealand, we had 76 new cases of COVID-19, with a current total of 589.

Day 4 of lockdown due to COVID-19

We normally go to mass at 10.30am but since all sorts of gatherings are now prohibited, we opted for the online version as well. We managed to catch an early morning mass from the Philippines.

It was looking to be another gloomy day so I was planning on taking it real slow today. The morning was uneventful. We played more XBox games and just spent quality with the family.

Lunch was special. We had a picnic. But since going to the park on extended periods of time is now allowed, we had it in the living room instead.

I had my siesta shortly afterwards. When I woke up an hour later, the sun was streaming through the window! We then decided to go for a stroll and stretch our legs. Other people had the same idea and we saw some families and other people walking their dogs, or going for an exercise. We'd wave hello to each other and keep our distance.

The other thing we tried to spot were teddy bears and stuffed toys that adorned the windows of our neighbourhood. My daughter had fun identifying the characters.

This one's different:

The family:

The sun was still out when we got back home so I decided to do some long-delayed gardening. I have a cherry blossom tree which my CFC household gifted me when we had our re-org last year. I potted it up, but I think it's time to be planted on the ground but haven't had time do so. I think the timing was just right because it had developed a healthy root system when I removed it from its pot.

I also have a Japanese maple tree, which has been living in a pot and needs to be planted on proper soil. I was thinking of making a bonsai out of it but I don't anticipate having much time for it, so onto the ground it finally stayed!

I've also planted some bulbs, in time for spring.

I thought it was a productive late afternoon overall. So it's back to work tomorrow.

There's been 60 Coronavirus cases today, making the total 476. There's been 1 death.

There are currently 8 strains of Coronavirus.