Saturday 16 May 2020

Gradually getting back to 'normal'

Here in Queensland we have an easing of restrictions from today although each Australian state has different restrictions. Our borders are closed at the moment but I daresay that will change as time goes on. Nothing much has changed for us apart from the fact that now I can meet with some of my friends which is something I have been looking forward to.


Our Farmers' Market has continued to be held throughout the restrictions which is a boost for our farmers who have been doing it tough for some time especially as it has been very dry in our region for a few months. The market sells a variety of vegetables, plants, fruit etc. as well as these lovely gerberas.



Queens Park across the road is always a lovely place to visit and now the leaves are dropping from the trees as winter is just around the corner. Some of the gardens have new seedlings in them and it will be interesting to see what has been planted this year.




The colours of the leaves are just beautiful during autumn.




So many bloggers are being so creative and productive unlike myself as I have enough trouble trying to remember what day it is never mind trying to be too creative....




but I did have an idea to use up some of the leftover strips of fabric from the 'bunting' I recently made.




I joined the strips together as I plaited them using the method for making a toothbrush rag rug  I just joined them when I ran out of fabric so that it wasn't too cumbersome to plait. I thought I would sew it together by hand but I know that some people have sewing machines that can sew through such thickness but mine wouldn't be able to unlike my old Husqvarna which could sew through anything. This will take some time so don't hold your breath if you want to see the finished product. Ha ha!



Apart from that little bit of 'creativity' I have been puddling along with a little gardening to get out of the cold house and into the sun for a time each day. The weather has been very predictable for some time now with cool mornings followed by sunshine which is followed by an overcast sky from midday and for much of the afternoon before it cools down again in the late afternoon. It is so nice after the dreadful heat of last summer. 


If anyone from other states or overseas is interested in what restrictions we have now here in Queensland we are now allowed to have:

5 visitors from separate households in our homes

10 people are allowed to gather outdoors in non-contact activity, for personal training, can use pools indoor or outdoor, can go to public spaces and lagoons, parks, skate parks and outdoor gyms and can use playground equipment.

 Can go to the library (but ours is shut), weddings, hiking and go to national and state parks and 10 people can go to places or worship and religious ceremonies.

Funerals have a maximum of 20 indoors or 30 outdoors and now we can drive for a maximum of 150 within our region for a day trip or 500km if you live in the Outback.

10 (20 in the Outback) people can now dine in at restaurants, cafes, pubs etc. but that isn't viable for many large venues so they will stick to providing take-aways.

 Nail and beauty salons can open with a COVID safe plan.


We are now in Stage 1 of restrictions with Stage 2 starting on the 12th June. You can read about the stages here . All being well in Queensland... on July 10th Stage 3 will begin and 100 people will be able to meet in public places so perhaps we can start up our Simple Living Toowoomba workshops once again if we can organise things so that safe distancing is taken into consideration. Time will tell as that will be during our normal flu season as well.

Meanwhile, I will just potter around and remember to check the calendar to find out what day of the week it is so that I take the wheelie bin out on the correct day :-)




16 comments:

  1. That is why I have a desk calendar which requires me to turn over a page a day! Hope you are all staying safe and that the gradual restrictions are working.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yea a desk calendar would be great. I got the days mixed up last week and told my hubby he was taking the wheelie bin out on the wrong day and thought all the neighbours had put theirs out on the wrong day too. Somehow I missed a day 🤣

      Delete
  2. There's a little creativity sneaking in there, Chel:D The gerberas from the farmers' market are very pretty. Such bright colours! Although restrictions have eased somewhat, we are still staying close to home. We thought some of the popular places might be quite crowded as folk make their way out after having to stay home for a long time and we are still keeping a very close eye on Sir Steve dog who is improving and able to walk now without toppling over. One of us needs to be at home with him for a while longer. MegXx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meg, I am not going anywhere either this weekend. I am sure everyone will calm down in time. I am steering clear of the shopping centres too as they will be crowded.

      Delete
  3. Gerberas are one of my favourite cut flowers.
    I think if five visitors turned up at my place I might want to run and hide - I am now so used to a quieter life - and of course life has a way of filling the gaps with other things. But as restrictions start to be relaxed I will have to discipline myself to go back out into society.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sherri, I too would have a fit if five people turned up 😀 I think it would be easy to become a bit of a hermit although I have missed catching up with my close friends. The gerberas were nearly sold out at the market yesterday so I was pleased to get one of the last bunches.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I too was thinking how hard it is to remember the days. I still make Sunday's my "sabbath rest" day when I go to online church, blog and generally have a rest from my more energetic projects. That at least resets me on a weekly basis.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, Sunday is easy to remember but it is the rest of the week where the days seem to run together. I used to teach English to a refugee on a Tuesday so that helped me keep up with what day of the week it was.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You mentioned Queen's Park which reminded me of the Flower Show, it will be interesting to see what they do about it this year given Queen's Park is an open park and the garden tours. My family and I always went to Toowoomba in September for a day trip taking our morning tea and lunch and toured the gardens. We haven't been over the last 2 years as Mum got sick and none of us felt the need to go. We had been doing it for about 20 years and have fond memories. Kathy A, Brisbane

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy, a decision about the Carnival will be made in July I think. As far as I am concerned it could go ahead if they ditched the Wine and Food Festival on the first weekend as well as the parade. Numbers viewing the private gardens could be limited and people could still wander through the parks and gardens practising self distancing as there is plenty of room.

      Delete
    2. I'm sure they might do something however given at the moment there are only 10 person gatherings outside soon to be 20 maybe by Sept it will be 100. ps...I'm doing Sam Wood 28 minute exercise a day which I pay for however with the iso Sam does a 30 minute free workout every morning at 9.00 am and Fridays family day where he and his wife dress up. It's family friendly because their 2 toddlers are roaming around in the work out. Sam was the Bachelor a few years ago. These free live workouts are then put on his you tube channel Sam Wood TV and anyone can do them for free at any time. Take a look at them they are just lounge room workouts. Kathy

      Delete
  8. Thanks Kathy. I will have a look on the YouTube channel. I need to get motivated again before I turn into a blob of fat 😅😂🤣

    ReplyDelete
  9. I do love that bunting Chel. At present I've got a string of pom-poms hanging on the garden shed, but will soon replace them with your simple rag bunting. A bit of whimsy and fun. I'm eager to see the end result of the plaited fabric rug. XX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sally, I guess bunting like that would do well outside although it would fade in time. It is easy to do and I like 'easy'. 😂

      Delete
  10. ps I saw the note about the change of the blog too however I have no idea what it means or what I have to do either. Kathy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will see what it looks like when on the PC. I did click on the 'Try New Blogger' button but didn't see all that many changes on the page I was on so will have to look at it in more detail before Blogger changes everything in a couple of months. I hate changes to blogs 😳

      Delete

Thanks so much for leaving your comments as I love to hear from my readers. As soon as I check them they will be published. If for some reason you have trouble leaving a comment feel free to email me directly by filling out the 'Contact Me' form on the sidebar at the right.

Printfriendly

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...