Lockdown in the most beautiful place in the world! Living through a piece of history.

What a time we are living in. I feel so happy to be in New Zealand with such an extraordinary leader, Jacinda Ardern, who  has remained calm, clear and compassionate throughout these difficult times. She appears on Facebook quite regularly to have informal chats with us, answering people's questions as she speaks to her 'team of 5 million'. It is that feeling of being part of a team which makes most people act responsibly, I feel.

It is a time, which, if we are lucky to have homes, jobs, family and friends, is a chance to take stock of all these things and to appreciate them all the more. It is a time to be kind to others, to neighbours, strangers who pass, at a distance of course, and to ourselves! For me, it was a chance to discover new things, like sign language  and Polish, and to get involved in exercise programmes, such as walking exercise courses on You Tube and stretching classes. I have really enjoyed Netflix movies and also access to many foreign films we can watch free from the library.

Many people have used this time to give the house a thorough clean, to bake and to generally sort out. I had good intentions, but with such amazing weather, I wanted to be outside. With winter ahead, I can do all the jobs in the home!

At the last moment David decided to come home from Queenstown, to teach Online from here. I cannot imagine how it would have been to be home alone during this time. I am so grateful he made the trip up on the eve of Lockdown, arriving 5 minutes before midnight! We were alone in our 'bubble'. 

The house and garden were perfect for us, and teaching from home seemed to go well for him. We so appreciated sitting outside for meals, often breakfast and lunch, and in the evenings playing Bananagrams, which he got far too good at, and watching movies. It was a very special time to be spending so much time together after years of being very independent. Of course, it would have been perfect if Mark and Emma had been able to join us, but that was not possible. 

I discovered copious tomato recipes in an attempt to eat up my unbelievable supply of tomatoes, which are still going strong. Of course my freezer is full of them too, and I am sure David will be happy never to see another tomato!

Actually,  I should have left for Europe a few weeks ago, and yet strangely enough I have felt very happy to still be here, to experience an absolutely gorgeous autumn and to spend more time with family and my friends here. It does of course mean that I will not be seeing all my family and friends in Europe, but technology has made the distance between us seem almost non existent at times, and hugging at this point in time would be out of the question anyway!

So, it was time to make the most of every day. The first four weeks were virtually carless apart from trips to the supermarket once a week. I realised how lovely the area I live in is and soon had a selection of different walks I could do, some just an hour or so around some local ponds, and others around the university and along a pretty little stream. Whatever I did, I had time to stop and stare, to appreciate the incredible silence, interrupted only by the birdsong and the rustle of leaves underfoot. No cars, no planes to interfere with this tranquillity. It was so very special.

The weather was incredible, so at times we ventured a bit further from home, keen to see the city and Hagley Park with pedestrians only, and very few of those too. 

This car park outside the Botanical Gardens is normally overflowing, today it was totally empty, quiet and beautiful.

Victoria Lake, in the heart of the Park, usually visited by so many families, was silent too.

The autumn colours were stunning, but it was the solitude which was just so extraordinary.

The woodlands were lovely places to walk through and every now and again there was a sudden splash of colour amongst the autumn leaves and acorns. So pretty.

The River Avon is rarely so still. The perfect reflections and vivid colours were spectacular.

The city was like a ghost town, shops closed, no traffic and only the occasional inquisitive local walking through the empty streets and into our Cathedral Square. The poor old cathedral will have to wait once again for work to continue to restore it to its former glory.

What a sight! Just as the city had really started to come alive, with massive construction projects in full swing, everything ground to a halt once more. We feel so sad for our businesses who have suffered so much, but Cantabrians are resilient and will manage this further setback. It's what they do well!

Cashel Street, our central shopping area is quiet once more, reminiscent of 9 years ago when the earthquakes created havoc, but now with its newly built arcades, lanes and markets. Hopefully, life will come back to it in a few weeks, all being well.

Another place, a bit further from home, I visited less frequently during level 4 lockdown was Mona Vale gardens. I love this place, especially this fabulous spot with its beautiful wooden bench next to the river and amongst some of the more magnificent trees.

Footpaths were carpets of leaves. Oh so gorgeous.

The lily pond, beside which I should have conducted my first wedding ceremony! What a shame it was called off at the last moment. It would have been the perfect venue.

What a joy it was to experience these phenomenal autumn days. I just do not want it to end!

5 weeks in Lockdown at level 4 flew past and then in level 3 we were given just a little freedom to venture a bit further afield for leisure purposes. Although nothing else changed for me, just being able to drive to the beach twenty minutes away made it feel as if we had been set free.

What a fantastic place Christchurch is and how many fantastic places there are to visit!

South Shore and the Estuary are rarely seen by visitors which is a tragedy on the one hand and a good thing on the other. It is a place to get away from it all, to feel you are out of town, yet still only fifteen minutes from the city centre!

The Estuary not only has spectacular scenery, but it is a very important area ecologically, as the water is a mix of fresh and sea water, thus attracting huge diversity of bird and fish species.

The morning we were there the views across the Estuary to the mountains were utterly breathtaking. The lighting and clouds, caused by the Norwest wind, were unbelievably beautiful. The temperature was also exceptional for late autumn, in the twenties. Amazing!

What a walk we had. First the Estuary, then miles of empty beach and then the dunes. It was marvellous. Amazingly, the next beach was packed and police were busy moving people on so that they did not get too close! 

All good things have to come to an end and so this was the last walk David and I enjoyed under Lockdown. Things were progressing well with containing the Covid 19 virus and so it was time for him to head back south to Queenstown. 

I really missed having constant company around the home, but with Mark and Emma now part of my bubble, I was able to enjoy their company once again.
Having been to the beach once with David, I just had to go back again. It was equally captivating, and this time there were dozens of pools with the most glorious patterns in the sand.

Wow. It was just heavenly! It reminded me so much of my recent trip to the Catlins, only 2 months ago, and yet it seems an eternity!

Covid 19 is still with us and sadly with almost everyone in the world. So much grief, pain and sadness has been caused by it. We have, in general, been so lucky so far here in New Zealand thanks to the entire team of 5 million, and particularly to our essential workers and our leaders. 

This is a different kind of journey, one I will certainly never forget.