In Like A Lion

As March rolls around in Canada and the brutal winter weather rages on, you hear lots of people quote the classic proverb “In like a lion, out like a lamb” which really just serves as hope for better days. That proverb would usually be meaningless here in Australia, but I think it actually describes 2020 perfectly so far. January was heartbreaking here…watching the fires ravage so much of our beautiful landscape and precious wildlife. Then February hit and we finally started getting rain … it was glorious but brought flooding in many areas.

And then of course March hit and with it came COVID-19. That’s about a decade’s worth of catastrophe in only a few short months!!

But before things all went sideways, and back when travel was still part of everyone’s vocabulary, March did bring some positive excitement our way. At the start of March, my university sponsored my research collaborator from Halifax to come here for two weeks so we could progress our joint research. It was a busy and productive two weeks and both Michelle and I were thrilled to get our geek on and chat theories and data for hours on end (Rob loved it ). But we made sure to also fit in a bit of Australian fun too. The one thing Michelle most wanted to do while here was see the Great Barrier Reef so we were forced to take another trip to Lady Elliot Island for some snorkelling…life sure is tough sometimes!!

As always, Lady Elliot did not disappoint. We were surrounded by beautiful fish

Reef sharks

And so many turtles.

I don’t think I will ever get tired of swimming with turtles!

We even enjoyed a lovely bottle of champagne and snacks (courtesy of the resort) while watching a beautiful sunset.

March also brought visitors all the way from Trinidad and Tobago. We were so excited to have Tommy and Sandra come and stay with us! They welcomed us into their home and family for so many years and we’ve truly missed spending time with them and their family over Christmas since coming here. We truly enjoyed the time we spent with them including a wonderful evening out at our local theatre

And a must-do visit to our amazing wildlife sanctuary – Cooberrie Park. 

The wombat even came out to say hi

COVID-19 started to escalate quickly once Tommy and Sandra arrived, with toilet paper hoarding taking off in full swing only a few days after they got here. So sadly, we had to say goodbye them earlier then expected. Fortunately, they made it home safely and virus free and on the last plane allowed entry into T&T so they got out just in time!! 

As we said goodbye to Tommy and Sandra, life here still felt pretty normal (other than the toilet paper hoarding).  Schools, workplaces, restaurants and shops all remained open here. At the same time, we watched many other countries, including Canada, start going into lockdown, so I will admit, I found the slow response here a bit distressing. But within a week, the government halted non urgent travel, closed restaurants and shops, and started urging people to work from home, followed by closing of most of our state borders. Schools here are still technically open, but only for children of essential workers and children who need additional services. All other families are being urged to engage in home schooling and online learning for at least the next 5 weeks. Our rules are similar to Canada with some states enforcing stricter rules than others. Here’s one of the directives posted outlining the rules:

My university moved to online teaching about three weeks ago. It was a bit of a struggle at first, but I think everyone is adjusting, me included. There are actually some parts of online teaching I prefer to be honest. But there are many parts of our course that just can’t be done online which means there are activities and assessments sitting on hold until we can back to normal…whenever that might be and whatever that might actually look like. For now, I am just thankful to still be working and am seeing this as an opportunity to be innovative and expand my skill set in new ways. But I am missing my friends on campus.

When COVID-19 first hit Australia, it felt like the response here was slow, but in the end, the country has/is going quite well, relatively speaking of course. As of today, we’ve had 6575 cases and 69 deaths. One of the major dilemmas here has been how to handle the many, many cruise ships trying to dock in Sydney and Perth – over 1200 of our COVID-19 cases are directly linked to cruise ships. There is currently a major investigation underway about who gave the okay for thousands of passengers to disembark the Ruby Princess, a cruise ship that docked in Sydney, without putting them directly into quarantine. As a result, there were many possible people with COVID-19 who walked through busy city streets and took public transport and planes to get to where they needed to go. Since that situation, at least 19 of the 67 deaths here in Australia are people associated with that one cruise ship. 

Even though Australia is tracking well and we are flattening the curve, the current message is still ‘Stay home’. Social distancing hasn’t changed life all that much for Rob and I. Rob actually joked that we’ve been preparing for life in lockdown for nearly three years now. I think the biggest change is that Rob has to put up with me in his space all day, everyday. 

The government was nervous about Easter I think, and really pushed this message, discouraging people from engaging in the traditional family get togethers to avoid a spike in cases. Rob and I fully complied and did nothing but eat…

Drink…

Relax

And say hello to family

The number of new cases per day here have slowed tremendously (living on an island definitely has its perks!), but for now, the social distancing rules remain in place. States are giving out hefty fines to people found breaking these rules including visiting people you shouldn’t and traveling outside of your local community unnecessarily. This includes exercise. People who live in Rockhampton can’t travel here to Yeppoon to walk along the beach for instance without risking a $1600 fine. Thank goodness we only live a 15 minute walk to the beach! We’ve been taking full advantage and walking there regularly.

Lately our walks have meant dodging butterflies. Now that the rains have returned, so have the butterflies. There is apparently a full migration on right now. It’s impossible to describe how incredible this actually is. The skies are truly full of them and I find myself literally laughing out loud as they stream by us. It’s hard to capture on camera but here’s a little video I took at the beach yesterday.

It’s a crazy new world we find ourselves in and I will admit, the uncertainty of what is to come is disconcerting. It’s strange to not know when or if we can travel again to see family and friends. But we are both doing well and thankful that isolation for us means long days of blue skies and sunshine…and let’s face it, maybe a little gin.

Stay safe everyone!!