Today I burst our family bubble! I had to go to town and get some supplies for us, food and fuel. Seeing as I was going in I also got items for several elderly friends. It was a surreal trip for me. We don’t have TV so I haven’t had any visuals of how the world is doing out there. It’s about a 40 minute drive to get into Westport. I really like the first part of the trip with a narrow strip of road and farmland between hills and the sea. There are a few dwellings scattered along the way. The sea was clear; greeny-grey with white crested waves crashing onto the beach. There wasn’t much traffic on the road and it was fairly straight forward trip in.

I found it easy to get a park at the supermarket. Outside the supermarket building a tarpaulin had been erected and people were expected to line up outside the building and under the tarp, maintaining a two meter distance. One of the supermarket employees gave the okay for people to enter one by one. Once in the door the first thing is to sanitize your hands and then the handle of the supermarket trolley. I had done all that only to have a young woman come up to me and say, ” Have you sanitized your hands?” When it was established that I had, I put gloves on and I was good to start my shopping. Interestingly inside the supermarket it was not that easy to keep distances, no matter what the loud speaker informed shoppers to do. If it wasn’t other shoppers it was supermarket workers stocking up the shelves. I was able to get everything on my list, although some things were short in supply, noticeably: flour and paper towels. I purchased my goods with the teller behind her perspex safety screen. No packing of groceries, I was told it’s a bit like pak’n’save these days!

After supermarket shopping I got fuel and then went to the pharmacy to get a hot water bottle for an elderly friend. It was easy to park my car on the main street! I couldn’t just walk into the chemist, I had to wait to be told I could go in and then was asked, “Are you well? Do you have any symptoms of a cold? Cough? Runny nose? Feeling unwell?” ” No I’m fine and well, thank you?” “Okay, you can come in.” Wow! I got the hot water bottle and left. Sitting in my car I couldn’t help but reflect how busy the town had been just a few weeks before. Now it was very quiet.

I dropped groceries off to different ones on my way home. At mail boxes and back doors, then I’d text to say the shopping was there. A smiley face would peep out of the window or door and we’d wave to one and other before I left.

I was pretty pleased to get home. It was only about 11:30 and I felt exhausted! I’d organised my coming home before I left for town. I’d asked Laurie and Kayden to stay away from me and I had a change of clothes in the bathroom. My ‘town’ clothes went straight into the washing machine and I had a shower. It was good to feel de-contaminated. After something to eat and a coffee I went to pull some weeds out in the garden. It was a very grounding task and after an hour of that I could feel my sense of self-balance returning.

Running the dogs this evening, you could sense that rain was coming. The air was moist and it was warm and muggy. Big grey-blue clouds were gathering over the mountains and as I write we have had a few heavy showers. It’s supposed to be heavy rain tomorrow. I’m kinda glad, I’ve got some inside jobs that it will be good to get started on! Oh and all the chocolate I made yesterday has gone, perhaps I’ll make some more!