When starting this blog it was always my intention to write
from the heart and with my personality shining through. While I will usually
write mostly about miniatures and what I’m currently working on, I will always
share things from my personal life because that’s what makes me Me! Sometimes it will have little to do with
minis – but I hope you will find my ramblings somewhat interesting
regardless.
And now to Blog post 2 -
Thoughts on 2020…
2020….what a year eh?
I find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that every single country
on Earth was affected by the very same thing – Covid-19. Some responded by pulling together, some by
pulling apart. Mostly though we were put
into a new way of living for some period of time.
In NZ we went into a level 4 lockdown – a complete lockdown,
for 4-5 weeks in March/April. Only
essential businesses stayed open although if you could work from home in any
industry you could. Only essential
workers were okay to be driving around – to and from their places of work. We were encouraged to stay at home or only go
out on foot. We learned social
distancing, wearing masks and everyone decided at the same time that they
needed extra toilet paper and flour.
Hand sanitizers were snapped up, boxes of masks sold for exorbitant
rates and queues of shoppers would wait, 2 metres apart, to enter the
supermarkets.
In our little coastal village it was so quiet. Families played together outside or walked
along the beach in their ‘bubbles’. We
had our very own chalk ‘Banksy’ who’s messages of hope and positivity would
spring up on pavements around the suburb seemingly overnight. Teddy bears were placed in windows, in cars,
on fences or even tied to power poles.
Children walking around the block with their parents would go on a ‘bear
hunt’ and try to spot the most bears.
ANZAC Day 2020 – the 25th of April as always, was
quite possibly the most eerie and meaningful I have experienced. This day each year Australia, New Zealand remember
as the first key military action fought by the Australia and New Zealand forces during WW1. As a Scout leader for 8 years my children and
I always marched in the parade and both my daughter and I had the opportunity
over the years to stand in front of the community and speak a passage to remember
those who have passed in all the wars.
My son had the incredible honour of raising and lowering the
New Zealand Flag during our local dawn service one year. He wore his Gt Grandfather’s medals and I was
so incredibly proud.
But in 2020, when no one could mix ‘bubbles’, we all stood
at the ends of our driveways, in the dark of dawn. A neighbour played the service on
loudspeakers and we could hear it being echoed in other streets around our
suburb. At the right time, the haunting refrains of The Last Post lifted into
the still air, played by a lone horn-blower by our monument in the park and I’m
sure everyone was touched deep in their Souls by that mournful sound. In our little bubbles we sang the national
anthem loudly and proudly, our voices carrying to our neighbours and their
neighbours and so on. Finally, we heard
the loud booms of the cannons, echoing across Auckland during the still
pre-dawn air. We stood there for our
families, for those still fighting, for those who lost their fight many, many
years ago. And we realised that staying
at home, staying in our bubbles and fighting Covid by social distancing and a little
inconvenience was nothing compared to those soldiers who gave their lives and
lie buried so far away from their homes and loved ones.
Thankfully that first major lockdown was the only full
lockdown that NZ had to live through in 2020.
We did move down and up from levels 1 – 3 and we’re currently at a level
3 for a week, but after effectively stamping out any community transmission
during the level 4 of March/April, these other lockdowns were much easier for
most. Of course the businesses who rely
on tourism, the entertainment industry and restaurants have suffered. As did those who would be hands on such as
hairdressers, Physios, Osteos etc. We
know of several family businesses who have closed which is extremely sad.
Fortunately having a small population and located far away
from anyone, surrounded by water has helped in NZ Covid battle hugely. However that same small population will make
getting the economy back up and debt paid off, harder. Here’s hoping the latest round of community
transmission is halted before spreading too far.
I have a fantastic bunch of miniaturist friends from around
the world. We chat as a group on a daily
basis and it’s been interesting to hear how other countries are faring. Mini-ing has been a sanity saver for all of
us this past year.
I often wonder what those adults who don’t have any hobbies,
did during weeks of forced inactivity.
Myself? I was so thankful that I
had the opportunity to leave the arms of my loving family for the sanctity of
my cottage for a few hours each day! I
was lucky to have built up so many resources (it’s called hoarding) although by
the end of the level 4 lockdown I was seriously short of cardboard and polymer
clay and extremely thankful that online stores were allowed to open and ship. I am also grateful that I had received my HBS
Miniatures Creatin Contest kit before level 4.
Being able to focus on the details, the whys and hows was both boredom
buster and sanity saver. But that's the next post!
The rest of 2020 ticked along as everyone adjusted to the
new way of living. It went surprisingly
quickly! NZ along with the rest of the
world celebrated as the clock ticked over into 2021 and while we probably
secretly harbour doubts that much will change, at least in the first half of
the year, we move forward because we have to and hope, no, believe that 2021
will bring peace, positivity and good health around the globe.
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