20^th July

Today our room here at the Wellness Hotel smells of Roberto Cavalli fragrance. Yesterday we had ‘Xmas in July’ courtesy of Anthony’s work colleagues. Fragrance, lipstick, Lego kits and board games were sent wrapped in festive paper. I put on coral lipstick and tear around the suite madly cleaning surfaces. I have now been wearing the same tracksuit for days.

Tom and I schedule games of A Little Wordy and FIFA tuition to eat into the time. Jack used to play Cupheadbut it gets him too worked up. We watch the sun cross the sky. 3pm is the WORST time. I punch the air when we make it through to 6pm.

When we get swabs taken, I feel slightly in awe of the bravery of the nurse who comes right into our room to do so. We are biohazards, aren’t we? The nurses here are overworked as the Covid health crisis worsens and lockdown rules tighten.

[…]

11^th July

 Sometimes, when there’s a knock, I put on my mask and open the door then put one toe out over the threshold and peer round at the nurses’ station. At the free people. On our doorstep more juice boxes have been delivered along with pears in syrup and bottled water. Those that deliver knock and run.

Bad weekend of it. Feeling fearful and out of control because control has been taken out of our hands, by the Australian Government. If only they would let us out we would not go near anyone, obviously.

 My morning meditation. I battle Mrs Whatif (murderous cloaked entity who makes me add the number 14 to 14 to 14 to 14). I visualise setting the number 14 on a little boat to be carried away downstream. I watch it float away on a current. 14 is now my least favourite number.

Anthony’s work delivered […]

5^th July

Yesterday. Worst Sunday in memory.

We were collected by ambulance crew and ushered into an ambulance by a nurse wearing Extreme PPE. She asked us to dispose of our face masks and had us take fresh ones. She then sprayed our hands with sanitizer. Clearly, we represented a walking biohazard. Our suitcases were stowed near the resus equipment and we clambered onboard. The ambulance made its slow journey down Pitt Street and through the deserted CBD. Being down on terra firma, albeit in an ambulance, felt grounding (if alarming)… yet owing to the desolation of the inner city due to tightening lockdown measures, I felt our spirits sink to new lows. In my haste to pack I remembered what I’d left behind in the laundry, ( in what we will soon remember as the nice place); Tom’s Arsenal shirt along with my best swirling skirt. When did I think I’d […]