October opening.

 And so we farewelled lockdown. Here are my last good memories of lockdown - takeaway dinners with my bubble buddy.

We also had a crafternoon and made cards, with Georgina JK and Aleisha joining us on zoom to chat and craft.

I tried to maximise my newly discovered new local vietnamese with takeaway work lunches as I had to finish up working from home.

I felt a bit anxious about fitting good habits and a normal diary of activities into my life again. I'm having a crack at 5.30am alarms to have more time and less pressure before work and I've been able to be more regular with my cello practice and bible reading. I am going well with my energy most days, and I've bought heaver weights to use my app as a strength work out now they have added a weight feature.

I still have paint to use up so I did 2 windowsills and the front door. Just a subtle change.

On to garden news! The garden is still an eden, with the first blooming of my climbing roses, abundant jasmine flowering, and still lots of sweet peas and poppies to pick. The roses smell amazing. The shade from the roses makes the garden cooler, it's pleasant to sit under them.

The view out my windows is transformed and softened as I hoped. The trees next door are still missed but no longer do I see the stark fence and sky!

Pink blooms and you can see the white jasmine covering the fence behind.

I've wrestled a few spiky bouquets of roses out for me and loved ones.

I've had some candle bottles for a few years and now I have a fit place to hang them and light them I enjoyed that for a few evenings.

Now to the leaving lockdown experience! I bought this souvenir tee shirt that says "I come from a lockdown under" to celebrate it as well as to honour James Valentine leaving ABC radio afternoons.

My first joy was going for a walk without a mask on.

My second adventure was on thursday after work, going to a lounge shop and spotlight. I bought zippers to fix my 2 old hoodies and a new sewing box.

On Sunday lunch JK came to my LGA and we had honey chicken and beef noodles at a nearly empty restaurant at Greenhills. Not enough double vaccinated people I guess. GH is certainly a lot busier 2 weeks later. 

I went back to home group, and went to a Pinot and Picasso event for a friends birthday.

I also took a day off work to go to Singleton LGA and see the nieces, we went to the Dr and then we tried to nap while J went to the car repairer. 1 napped the other cried so we ate a mulberry instead.

I moved my work set up back to the office on Monday this week and that went well. It was a big and long week but I only had one fatigued morning.  The other designer went on long service leave after 35 years, probably to retire who knows. I'm helping organise his farewell and gift. His leaving will make work different for me. I started book layout work which I'll now be taking on, I've decided to do it in the afternoons and my usual workload in the mornings so that will contain things fairly.

We also restarted park walks on Friday. The roads are so busy now but the park is quiet again yay! W can talk a lot now.

In family news, someone in a whatsapp group was offering a spare dog so I offered it to mum and dad and they bravely accepted him. Banjo was extremely stressed to be moved house twice in one week and taken away from his dog wife, so he was difficult to manage. The first 24-48 hours was all about escape, hence the baricade below.

When I visited after 2 days he was not desperately trying to escape, he was coming to us for pats, but he was panting non stop, so must still have been stressed. Eating a little bit.

2 more days after that he has stopped the constant panting and comes and lies near us. I walked over today for lunch. This is me in my old giant hat. 

I've had an empty weekend, just life admin, exercise etc, and lunch at parents. Tonight church regathers but not in our usual school, in an old uniting church building, so that will be interesting and different. Excited for no packup!