Coming home to a different country

Our final morning in Australia.  Andy took us all to Oatley Park where Roger & I went for a short walk and met back up with the family at the river's edge.

Andy was teaching Crusoe to swim.

After lunch Andy took us to the airport and we started our journey home.  The night before Singapore Airport had announced they would not be accepting transit passengers after midnight on the Monday.   Fortunately our flight for London left at 11.45pm on that Monday.  Although it did turn out that if you arrived before midnight and your flight wasn't until the next day then you could continue your journey.

The flight was almost full but Roger & I had a row of three seats for the two of us.   The flight was almost normal, apart from no hot flannels!  Or magazines in the seat pocket.  Hardly essentials!

We arrived in London as originally planned and collected the car.  The roads were quiet but it was 6am so it was hard to tell if things were different or not.  However whilst we were flying home, the Foreign Office had recalled British Citizens home.  Some are still stuck abroad as airlines closed down their services.  Currently 90% of Singapore Airlines flights are grounded.

Also whilst we were flying home, the lockdown announcement had been made.  So we arrived to a very different country.

I know that lots of people are finding it difficult.  Especially those who are worried about their finances as well as their health.  Roger & I are very fortunate to be healthy and to have our pensions.  We are only vulnerable apparently because of our age.  I was a bit miffed about that.  Earlier in the year much had been made about how healthy over-70s could be volunteering with various charities etc.  And now we're vulnerable!  But I understand there's a need to draw a line somewhere.  The government might have chosen 65 like some of the states in the US.

Roger is still shopping once a week.  We don't come into the category that allows us to have supermarket deliveries.  We both have a variety of hobbies and to be honest much of my life is the same as it was.  Obviously the church building is shut down so there's no church meeting or open studio time.  But the church leadership has risen to the occasion with livestreaming on Sundays and a daily 45 minute zoom prayer meeting.  Lifegroup is also via Zoom.  To be honest I've had more contact with church in the last 2 weeks than I normally do.

This is my last post about our holiday.  I am truly thankful that we managed to do everything we had planned and that we spent a week with the family.

I will be continuing to post here.  I will be back to sharing my creative endeavours.

Keep smiling.
Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice