Stories of life and people
Scott spent lockdown with his girlfriend, who moved in with him when the UK lockdown was announced. It went well, with Scott wishing he’d asked her to move in sooner, and they celebrated their anniversary with a BBQ and local adventures, rather than the sailing trip with friends they’d originally planned. Generally he’s felt fine,... Continue Reading →
When COVID-19 hit the world, New Zealand committed to an elimination strategy, which meant that on 8th June 2020, nearly three and-a-half months after the first case was reported on February 28th, the country went into alert Level 1. In layman's terms, this means we're pretty much 'back to normal', except for strict border control.... Continue Reading →
New Zealand is currently in Level 2; this means the threat level is reduced and lockdown restrictions have been eased from what they were in Level 4 and 3. It's not quite normal; we have to keep tabs on where we've been, practice physical distancing, the number of people who can be in one place... Continue Reading →
It's like the end of an era. A friend said, "it feels a bit sad almost, like it's the end to an exceptional time." He's not wrong. We went into the heavily restricted Level 4 lockdown when there were only a few cases in New Zealand and no deaths. Compared to the rest of the... Continue Reading →
“I’ll probably get emotional, just a forewarning,” Katie preempted before we started our chat. “My lockdown landmark has been the shift into the final quarter of my visa, and...I’m already going to cry,” she laughed, her eyes welling up. Katie is in New Zealand on a two-year Working Holiday visa from Canada which is due... Continue Reading →
Charlie’s South African accent pours out of the speakers while her giant smile fills my laptop screen. I’m instantly relaxed. “My life in lockdown is the same as any other Kiwi family, I guess. Trying to stay positive, having fun with the kids, taking advantage of the time we have together. Keeping it as positive... Continue Reading →
"I'm sorry.....But...." This drives me CRAZY. My ex-husband used to do it all the time. Apologies seemed meaningless and insincere. There was always a reason, an excuse for shitty behaviour; usually it was me. "I'm sorry. But...you know how to wind me up." "I'm sorry. But...I had a bad day at work." "That but wipes... Continue Reading →
"I read your stuff." "You did?" "Yeah. I read pretty much everything you write." "You do?" He laughed. "Yes, of course. Why do you think I wouldn't?" Because none of my other partners did. You see me. It's a wonderful thing to be seen, you see (pun intended), and I've realised it's something that's really... Continue Reading →
Continued from Meeting The Poet... It was 3 months exactly since we first met, this time Friday 13th December. There were only two Fri 13ths in 2019, and we'd met on both, neither of which were planned. We were supposed to have met the Wednesday before, but I'd pushed it back to Friday because I... Continue Reading →
