For the past 3 months we have woken each day to a new world where we have been forced to stay home and be aware of the people around us when we do venture out to get groceries or go for a walk. It felt strange at first and we were wary of everything and everyone, frantically washing our hands and sanitising the car as soon as we got back in it from the shops. We have been lucky to have a house of 5 adults and a baby and have thus avoided any feelings of boredom or loneliness that others may have experienced. Instead a feeling of contentment settled on us, devoid of having to plan outings, catch ups, dinners and travel we literally woke up every day and just lived! If the weather was nice we walked, in the country lanes or on the beach or coastal paths in neighbouring towns. If it was bad we snuggled at home, reading, playing board games, watching the odd movie or playing with Myla and Bailey. Our biggest activity was deciding what to cook for dinner and that was a joy in itself. We have all taken it in turns to cook and each person has brought their own taste and style to the table so we have enjoyed experimenting a lot and come up with some great new recipes. As no one has been sick we have been able to enjoy the best of lockdown and now it is all coming to an end is it weird that I’m kind of sad?

As Australia has been able for the most part to keep the dreaded virus at bay we are now enjoying an early easing of restrictions and normal life is resuming. You would think that would make me dance a jig but strangely I am almost sad at the prospect. If we could flick a switch and have things as they were maybe it would be good? Maybe not. We have all come out of this having learnt new things about ourselves and about what is important to us and most people would say that is not eating in high end restaurants and wearing fancy clothes (although some people would definitely have missed this) but seeing our family and friends, the simple pleasure of meeting someone for a coffee, in a china cup, in a café in the sunshine or for me planning a trip overseas to experience the way of life in a different country. The whole family had a lot of international travel planned for this year, a trip to Italy for my birthday to see the wonderful Andrea Bocelli in concert in the piazza of the charming town of Marostica is now off the cards. A longed for visit to Morocco with my intrepid daughter – a dream since she left school and finally planned for this year is now also off. Sam and Liv had booked to go to Vietnam but now even Loz and Berry cannot get back to their house and job there due to the borders being shut. All now cancelled.

The weird thing is that even when I did finally manage to get to the hairdresser and visit a shopping centre it felt vaguely hollow. The anticipation was huge but the reality not so good. That carefree feeling was gone. I’m sure it will come back eventually, gradually. The to do list will once again be long as we begin to plan this and that and I am just praying we hold on to that “live in the moment” feeling a bit longer.

One of the loveliest bits about easing restrictions is that we have been able to see the family again and as it turned out just in time for Mothers Day! As 2 people plus their children were allowed to visit Sam and Liv came down for the weekend and we all had a grand reunion with some yummy meals and wine and lots of cuddles with the two baby cousins. We snuck in a bush walk, the boys played golf and we had a picnic in a park in Berry so it all felt almost normal! The weather was good so pizza night meant music and drinks under the stars while the MOTH fired up the oven – he has it down pat now and the pizzas were restaurant quality!!

After sharing a lovely weekend with all three of my kids and my 2 grandkids I didn’t think I could be any happier but a little note on my pillow saying “meet me in the cabana at 4.45pm” from my daughter was the icing on the cake. She had set up some sunset drinks in the cabana and as we snuggled up under a cosy throw, listening to Edith Piaf on the record player and sipping wine as the sun slipped over the horizon and the candles glowed in the inky blackness it was a perfect end to a lovely weekend.

Autumn has now well and truly arrived with most of our trees nearly bare, gorgeous multi coloured leaves patterning the ground and scrunching underfoot. The birds are having a field day, there must be something delicious in the area as large flocks of Corellas swoop in every afternoon like a rushing river of wings as they manoeuvre like mini spitfires in between our house and the trees, blithely following their leader to the day’s final destination. The fields are a sea of white as they land for lunch and our trees are full of them, like Xmas decorations balanced on the branches. The noise is amazing, you can hear them coming from a few kilometres away and they twist and turn like a shoal of fish in a seamless act of synchronisation.

So life carries on in The Meadow, oblivious to the outside factors in the world, the cows quiet except for the tearing of the grass as they eat their way across the paddocks and the trees shed their leaves as a new season begins in the next cycle of life. With or without us nature continues on….