Hi everyone. I hope all of you and your loved ones and friends are managing to get through this world-wide crisis. My immediate family and extended family have been spared so far but there have been a few scares. Hopefully the virus will slow down and only become a bad memory.

We are doing okay. More restrictions in Australia as of an hour ago, closing most things down even more. I'm not surprised, they're trying to keep it at bay. These things are never to far from us, my kids Occupational therapist is in quarantine, he was exposed to Covid19 from a work mate, he did OT through ZOOM last week. Hopefully he's okay. My nursing friends have said they don't want to see any of us at the hospital, they have enough pressures, stay home!! Its cabin fever already for kids, and I didn't plan to be a homeschooling parent. Looks like I might have to put study on hold next term, if the kids are going to be home. In my house its now its 5 caged birds and Chief Anderson....

Doing fine here - Been WFH for two weeks, at least two more to go. Thankfully the weather permits outdoor breathing and time in the sunshine.

Originally posted by Ebonyswanne In my house its now its 5 caged birds and Chief Anderson....

Hopefully you won't be recreating any of our fics about that time period.

Originally posted by Reboekah Doing fine here - Been WFH for two weeks, at least two more to go. Thankfully the weather permits outdoor breathing and time in the sunshine.

My husband and I have been taking walks. There are lots of paths around here. Every day we see fewer people doing it. We have seen a good number of people doing yard work. We're scheduled to go back to work on April 13, but we'll have to see.

I got a panicked videocall from my daughter yesterday. I had to call an ambulance from home to go to her, except they wouldn't send one out until they could speak to her themselves. And in these days of saved numbers onto devices, I couldn't tell them her number. Plus, she was using her mobile to talk to me! I had to end the chat, recover her number from my phone and write it down, so when the ambulance service called me back I could tell them. Anyway, when her BF went home from work, (factory operative in food production) she wasn't home so they obviously took her to hospital.... and I couldn't get through to her for love nor money. After hours of pacing the floor, I left the house for the first time since the lockdown began last Monday, and went for a walk to a local corner shop and bought a load of stuff we didn't need. After a few frantic hours, I finally managed to get to talk to her, shes back home, only displaying mild symptoms and has to be quarantined for 2 weeks, which is't as bad as I was fearing. She's young, and reasonably healthy so should make a full recovery. As for me, and my household (the son and the boy), we're all fine and doing as we're told.

[unrecoverable text]

KT thoughts and prayers are with your daughter, you and the whole family. The good thing, at least according to the stats I've seen, more people are recovering than passing so we all keep our fingers crossed.

T- I hope she recovers well, it would be scary. One of my close friends is in pathology, she is the person people are sent to with suspected covid19 symptoms. She takes the swabs, sends them in for trsting, and a lot of people are getting tested, high pressure. She said its hardwork wearing a full protection suit all day. (I had a midnight face-time so she could offload to go back to work the next day, do it all again with no else helping her, they are short staffed and stressed to max now.) If you need to go for a test... please don't ask the pathology person "Are you scared." That question 50 times over a day, becomes depressing, and isn't helpful to people constantly exposed daily... She said to me, she was more protected than a person going to the supermarket buying groceries.

KT, how is your daughter doing? I've seen reports that some health car providers are being attacked because people fear they are carrying the virus home with them. Apparently more education needs to be put out there. We can't risk loosing the health care providers to injuries received by people who just don't understand the situation. My husband and I have been told to stay home through April and report to work 4 May. But there's a rumor that will be extended through May as well. We just go on day by day.

Best wishes to everyone who is having to deal with all this stuff. Thus far there have been no confirmed cases in the Shire, and people are finally starting to see that they need to be taking things seriously since there are cases in three of the four adjoining Local Goverment Areas. I'm still working in the local pharmacy and in disability support, so I'm seeing people every day, doing home deliveries of prescription meds for the vulnerable and looking after my mother who is with me for the duration. Our Chief Medical Officer has advised people to get their flu jabs early this year, so we've been vaccinating like crazy, doing extra clinics after closing time and trying to ensure that community members are educated with the latest factual stuff rather than the internet stuff. I've had to haul all my horrible jokes out of the dusty crates in the back of my brain to keep people amused and use a 3-foot grabby stick as a prop for social distancing jokes. We maintain the distances but we try to have a laugh while we do it. I can't control the pandemic, but if I can get people to smile, I feel like I'm giving SARS-CoV-2 the finger in my own small way. The local grocery store has remained open, as have three of the town's four cafes, the chippy and both the servos. The bakery is on reduced hours. The grog shop is considered an essential service. (It's medicinal, I swear!) The new doctor is only open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. He's probably wondering what the hell he's let himself in for, opening a new practice just as a global pandemic sweeps across the globe! The pub has closed its doors until such time as restrictions are lifted (oh, no!) and sadly the town's fourth cafe shut for good when they couldn't negotiate a new lease and then COVID-19 stuck its oar in on top of that. The galleries and the souvenir shop have both closed, as have the hairdresser and the barber. The pharmacy is now doing a roaring trade in hair clippers, barber's scissors and hair colour. Heaven only knows how the locals are going to look after a few weeks of this! The markets have been cancelled but the vegetable seller does deliveries once a fortnight, the fishmonger delivers once a month, and the grocer is doing all she can to keep supplies going. We don't know yet whether or not the kiddies will go back to school after the Easter hols, but since term ended early and the last couple of weeks were delivered via distance education, a lot of parents are learning to appreciate teachers! The amputee I look after in my disability support job is having all her appointments via teleconference and videoconference, so I get to be IT support, and in the time I'm not spending driving her around the region to her appointments, we're doing fun stuff like walking the dog (she holds the leash while I push the wheelchair) which is allowed as long as we stay away from other people, wrangling the chickens and creating an edible garden at wheelchair height so that she can enjoy a bit of gardening and get some lovely fresh food at the same time. I'm learning to hate online grocery shopping, but if that's the worst thing I have to deal with, things can't be all that bad. I've always known I was fortunate to be living out here in the middle of the forest. I've never been quite so thankful for it as I am now. I can't imagine what it must be like for people who live in apartments. My thoughts are with those of you who have to deal with the awful reality of a once-in-a-century pandemic up close and personal. Hold fast to your courage and your compassion. Be careful and stay safe.

Pubs closed in country towns...Nooooo!! I know one town the Grog shops had to put the same harsh restrictions on buying alcohol as they did on toilet paper. It was becoming a real issue, near panic. You'd think they were never going to be let out of the house again. I'm sure if they did end up in quarantine, someone would drop off a case of beer at the front door. Apparently, for some people, its a cure, interesting theory, I'm looking forward to reading the research by the 'Pubologists' of their conclusions. We keep all the social distancing, staying home when possible. We can help flatten that curve and hope more people live as a result.

Originally posted by Becky Rock KT, how is your daughter doing?

Much better now, Thanks, Becky! Had a video chat with her this afternoon and she was looking much brighter and more like her usual self. Still got a bit of a cough lingering, but that isn't as bad as it was. It's such a relief, I can tell you.

Originally posted by Becky Rock I've seen reports that some health car providers are being attacked because people fear they are carrying the virus home with them. Apparently more education needs to be put out there. We can't risk loosing the health care providers to injuries received by people who just don't understand the situation.

similar is happening here too, except the workers are being robbed of their passes. Apparently getting in to supermarkets first is the all important thing! I only hope the perpetrators don't require the services of their victims one day, or they just might find the help is no longer available.

There is an RSV virus going around that presents fever, coughing, and wheezing. My toddler had it last Tuesday, we spent 8hrs in the isolation ward in the children's hospital because he had a bad case of it. They still do the Covid19 test, more to rule it out. It came back negative. But we had to wait a few days for the results and stayed at home to make sure.

I hope your son is feeling better, Ebony.

Originally posted by Becky Rock I hope your son is feeling better, Ebony.

He's fine now, thank you Becky

Grateful for the check-in from friends! Good to hear your son is fine, Ebony... We are well and busy in La Florida.

Where I live, things are settling down. The kids are going back to school week 3 of term 2. Not sure how they plan to make it work. I suppose I'll find out soon enough. All the best teachers! I hope they have some sanity after term 2. The world around us, for now, has adjusted to a new kind of normal. My dog loves the extra walks. He's a Jack Russell and has energy to burn. I'm working online for now. Like most people, and studies don't stop for a pandemic.

Guys, has anyone heard from EW? I emailed her but haven't heard back...

She hasn't been around for a couple of months now, I pm'd her a while back and still haven't had a reply. Hoping she's ok.

Wow, I hope EW is okay. My region has been 10 days without a reported case of COVID-19, which is kind of awesome. Regional borders remain closed, but the Premier announced yesterday that as of today we could have gatherings of up to 10 people instead of just 2 (apart from immediate family, of course). It was ANZAC Day yesterday (I guess it's a bit like Memorial Day, only more so). With social distancing and all, instead of going to the Dawn Service and the March and all that, we tuned our radios in to the ceremony being held at the National War Memorial, stood at the tops of our driveways with candles and lanterns, and participated that way as the sun slowly inched its way toward the eastern horizon. It was actually quite moving, especially since the driveways out here are a fair way apart. During the minute's silence between the Last Post and Reveille we could hear our own dawn chorus and the one being picked up by the mic in Canberra (time delayed broadcast -- they're two hours ahead of us). It was kind of awesome. Imagine it: all over Australia and New Zealand, in the pre-dawn dark just ahead of the sunrise, millions of little candles flickering in to life as people stood outside their homes to remember; the Ode being recited, then the Last Post sounding out clear and true, followed by the silence, then Reveille, and finally a lament played by a lone piper as the sun came up. Lest we Forget.

That's wonderful, GG! Now if the rest of us could have some days of no new infections. That's a wonderful way to celebrate your ANZAC Day. This year will be the first year in 16 that we will be home on Memorial Day. I hope my neighborhood comes up with something special to do.

Today in NSW, we have been told we can have two adults, and children over for a visit. I've seen mixed reactions to it, and a lot of people are cautious. It could be that where I am is still a hot spot, and a few cases they're still trying to find the source. No one wants a spike in cases. I'm hoping people affected be sensible, stay home, and it settles. The new app is a great idea. There are a few things I have to approach with caution to it because of my work. Confidentiality is the main one. ANZAC Day, my street was quiet. My kids made a red poppy wreath out of egg cartons for the front letterbox. I was the only one out there! (DH was there too, kids are young, so we let them sleep.) I played the last post on my flute. My relations have had a long military history, so I did it to honour them, and their bravery. My great-great Uncle was the first soldier to receive the Victoria cross. I had three uncles go to the WW1, one in WWII and uncles in airforce, now my cousins. A few close friends with spouses in the army, and airforce. It was peaceful as the sun rose, the only sound breaking the silence was my flute, it is a softer tone than a trumpet, but the meaning was there. The next suburb over there was a trumpeter and more people outside in driveways.

That was a very great thing you did, Ebony. I'm not sure how our Memorial Day at the end on May will be handled on the national level here in the US.

Becky, maybe you can start the campaign for your own "Light Up The Dawn" or "Driveway Dawn Service" for Memorial Day and see if the idea takes off. Living on a very busy main road, with more businesses than residences nearby, I was sure I'd be the only one out there at dawn last Saturday. I wasn't. One of the neighbours that shares my driveway, and a couple across the street and a few houses up shared a strange sense of kinship as we listened to the radio broadcast of the dawn service from The War Memorial in Canberra, each holding our candles. Ebony, well done for playing the Last Post on the flute. I chickened out of dusting off my old trombone (or trumpet) to play - It's been a while and I would have had to practice first. With the neighbours sharing adjoining walls I was too self conscious! I hope everyone is still safe and not going too stir crazy! My thoughts are especially with EW - I hope she is okay and just having internet trouble or something.

Originally posted by Katblu42 Ebony, well done for playing the Last Post on the flute. I chickened out of dusting off my old trombone (or trumpet) to play - It's been a while and I would have had to practice first. With the neighbours sharing adjoining walls I was too self conscious! I hope everyone is still safe and not going too stir crazy! My thoughts are especially with EW - I hope she is okay and just having internet trouble or something.

I practiced for a week. One of my friends who's husband is in the army encouraged me to play it on my flute. Along with another friend who's ex- husband served in Afghanistan and was discharged with injuries and has had severe PTSD, that's why he is no longer with the family. I was nervous, I normally play my flute indoors for my family. I played the parts I could do well. It is more a trumpet piece... So cool you have a trombone and play!

Originally posted by Ebonyswanne My relations have had a long military history, so I did it to honour them, and their bravery. My great-great Uncle was the first soldier to receive the Victoria cross. I had three uncles go to the WW1, one in WWII and uncles in airforce, now my cousins.

My family as well. I always put out flags etc on US holidays (Memorial Day,Veterans Day, etc), aside from myself there is only ONE other person on my street who does this. Makes me sad....

Since 1992 we've spent Memorial Day weekend in Indianapolis for the Indy 500 (all except the year our son was born as he was due the day after the race and the 3 years we spent in Frankfurt Germany), so we joined in with 300,000 others at the track honoring our military. It's incredible, when they play Taps, that such a gigantic crowd can be so silent you can hear the silence but for the trumpet playing. This is our first year that we'll be home for Memorial Day as the Indy 500 has been moved to August 23 due to the virus. We're 30 miles west of our Capital and we doubt they will allow people to go to the memorials in WDC to honor our veterans. I'm thinking of finding a YouTube of some military band music and playing it from the driveway while having the flag on our front porch.

The Driveway Dawn Service and Light Up The Dawn movements here started as a simple suggestion that people could commemorate at home simply by lighting a candle and observing a minute silence at the end of their driveway at 6am. A second suggestion that all musicians play the last post at the end of their driveway at 6am quickly followed. Radio stations and apps answered the call by providing a way for driveway participants to hear the recitation of the Ode, the Last Post and the Reveille. Since we could not attend a march or a service on the day I think these simple tributes were a brilliant way for us all to remember. Lest We Forget.

Originally posted by Becky Rock Since 1992 we've spent Memorial Day weekend in Indianapolis for the Indy 500 (all except the year our son was born as he was due the day after the race and the 3 years we spent in Frankfurt Germany), so we joined in with 300,000 others at the track honoring our military. It's incredible, when they play Taps, that such a gigantic crowd can be so silent you can hear the silence but for the trumpet playing. This is our first year that we'll be home for Memorial Day as the Indy 500 has been moved to August 23 due to the virus. We're 30 miles west of our Capital and we doubt they will allow people to go to the memorials in WDC to honor our veterans. I'm thinking of finding a YouTube of some military band music and playing it from the driveway while having the flag on our front porch.

My DH loves supercars, and racing in general. He would love the Indy500, its solo famous. For his birthday this year he's got his chance to race around Eastern Creek raceway in a V8 supercar behind the wheel. He's a confident driver, should be fun for him. The good new for us in Sydney, we have been good kiddies and the grown ups are letting us out to play a bit at a time! Some of the restrictions are lifting as of later this week in stage 1 of normal life again.

Our states are starting to determine when to open things up but its very haphazard. The virus is here to stay and we can't hide for ever.

Arizona started opening up, but most thought it was in a way and too fast. Going out, at least half the people don't even bother wearing a mask. I've only seen one family who had masks on their children while shopping. It's as if the virus is no longer an issue. Turned out that those who were trying to call for caution were right.. Cases are spiking. Deaths are rising. The health department warned hospitals yesterday to get emergency measures in place again. Such fun. I'm currently hunkering down in place with my Aunt (for why, you can see the news in the General area). Then the restrictions started lifting, we looked at each other and said, "Nope." both at the same time. We continued to stay home as much as possible, and wear masks whenever out for essential shopping. Turned out to be a good thing. Closest case to the family so far has been a mild case of a second nephew who worked in a grocery store. Fortunately he only had mild symptoms, quarantined quickly, recovered quickly, and it was not spread to any of the family.

Restrictions are starting to lift here in stages. Schools have been open for a few weeks now, sports and gyms are about to re-start (for everyone, not just the big footy codes), and restaurants, pubs/clubs and even food courts are starting to open up for diners to sit and eat/drink, but with distancing measures in place. We are still all being urged to keep social distancing and prevent a "second wave" of virus cases. It is still all a little confusing. I guess we can't really say the end is in sight until a cure and/or vaccine is found. Stay cautious! Hugs!

Lockdown measures are slowly being lifted here too, although social distancing is still being maintained. Businesses are starting to reopen, some McDonalds have opened again, but only those with drive-through, and many take-aways are delivery only for the time being. Our local shopping center is due to reopen on Monday, but with a strict one-way system in place. It'll be interesting to see how that works. Non essential travel on public transport is still inadvisable, but if you need to take a bus or train you must wear a mask and pay by card, or have exact fare only, as they will not be giving out change. As for me, I'm staying put. My holiday this year has been cancelled, and I requested a refund. The woman on the phone was very helpful and didn't quibble about the request. There was no hard sell, even though there was a voucher incentive in place to move my booking and I was just put on hold for maybe 30 seconds while she requested authorisation. So far, I think we (as a family) have got off pretty lightly. My daughter has had a mild case of the virus, and she's fully recovered now, but yeah, I think 'normal' is going to be very different from now on.

For Memorial Day we put the flag out and I fought my laptop (which has better speakers than my cell) out on the porch to play some appropriate military songs. It was loud enough that many of the nearby neighbors could hear it but to my utter dismay, none of them joined in. I'm blaming the virus and will try again next year. Northern Virginia just opened up into what we call the Phase Two opening. For the past month restaurants could do take-out and those able did. Starting today, they could open their dining rooms for up to 50 diners while maintaining social distancing of at least 6 feet between tables. Most of the malls have partially opened up (each individual store decides when they can open) with everyone having to wear masks unless they are eating. I believe in the next week or so we'll know the full result of the states that opened up sooner than they probably should have with upticks of virus infections. And don't even get me started with the riots. I fear many of those who attended will end up with the virus, too.

The restaurants in my neck of the woods have allowed to operate if they have a drive-thru and/or delivery service and follow CDC recommendations pretty much the whole time. But now the dining rooms are allowed to operate at a limited capacity as are bars, regular retail stores, and casinos. It looks like the schools could on a district-by-district basis, since the concentration of COVID infections varies widely between the state's two major hotspots* and the rest of the state. It's a little more confusing where I'm at because I'm on the border with Kentucky, which is doing its own thing at its own rate. One thing Ky is doing is opening the preschools and daycare centers. No matter how clean the teachers clean, little kids are cute germ bags -- the plan is sure to blow up in their masked faces! It was just announced that many of the Kentucky Derby Festival events are canceled. It's weird enough that the first Saturday in May has been moved to September, but now the two week long party leading up to the Derby won't be much of a party. (Though I do understand why -- the events canceled would always draw huge crowds.) At least the race will happen. (Now, whether or not fans will be allowed into Churchill Downs...) * The Indianapolis and the Clark & Floyd County region, where I am.

Good to hear from you, EW. Things are almost back to normal here. The State Govt has taken an "island within an island" approach, so within the State boundaries, restrictions are being lifted. There's still the odd case of COVID-19, but these are all people returning from outside the State and being diagnosed in quarantine. There has been no community transmission for at least 3 weeks, possibly 4, but my brain is full and can process no more information. On the other side of the continent, Victoria has had a second wave with daily diagnosis figures in double digits. The Prime Minister says it's an outbreak, not a second wave, but if it looks like a duck... Of course, as soon as cases started spiking in Victoria, Australians immediately responded by doing what we do best in this great country: panic-buying toilet paper. What the hell, Australia? Did we learn nothing the first time around? (Apparently not.) Still, it's good for the economy. It appears Kimberley Clark (the makers of Kleenex) will be leading a bog-roll driven economic recovery. Yeah, you can read that sentence over again. It makes no more sense the second time around. At least this time there won't be a rush on hand sanitiser. We are pretty much awash in hand sanitiser at the moment, and most of it is the nasty runny kind, not the gel kind. I have even retired the 1.5m grabby stick. I took it home from the shop this afternoon when I finished my shift.

There are rumours in NSW of building a wall between state borders with Victoria. Wouldn't be the first time it's done the rounds. Keep them south of the border, close it up. Unfortunately, they can fly over it, and shut down supermarkets by covid in Sydney. The loo paper issues?? Mmmm.... priorities! We'll starve to death before using gum leaves to wipe bottoms. I doubt it would come to that, but who knows...