Are we there yet? That used to be a familiar cry from the back seat of the car when the children were little. I wish we had some sort of road map with this Covid-19 so we could see where we are going. More cases in Victoria so they are going into stage 4 restrictions. Doesn't seem as if the general population are taking the virus precautions seriously and so it is spreading again. I guess with less than 200 deaths in Australua it doesn't seem much of a threat but I do wonder when we are over this if the stories of who died, who sustained permanent disabilities, who will never work again etc will come out or whether we will just "move on with our lives"?

Today I had a Telehealth call from my doctor, I had paperwork to fill in so I dropped it at the medical practice. I want to help out with our charity shop at church but need a medical clearance to do so. Got a phone call late this afternoon to say he can't make the decision as it is up to my specialist. This is the thyroid specialist. I dont see him till mid September so will have to put off the decision till then. I'm guessing it is about my immune system and meeting a lot of people whose medical conditions are unknown could be a problem. And I thought I would be in perfect health by now so why is that suddenly  a problem? 

Everything seems like such a hassle! We are told what to do, how to do it and when to do it. Of course if we are sensible we know this is to protect ourselves and others. I deal with a lot of people in their 80s and 90s with pastoral care and know that their health depends on who they meet, who they talk to, who has time to look after them. The lady I take to church who is legally blind has been told that her daughter, who works in one of the Sydney hot spots, cannot visit her or her Carers, who come in daily to help her dress etc cannot come to her house as they may be exposed to danger. Of course she is upset about that and I can't blame her as her daughter is a great support to her especially emotionally.

I also belong to a site for widows and widowers and a lot of people on that site are in a similar situation to me with family a long way away and no-one close to help out when we need help. So far I have managed to do most things I need to do with the exception of running repairs. Trev does a bit when he comes down but there is always something that breaks down as soon as he leaves. I am reluctant to have strangers in to do jobs so unless I can get a personal recommendation generally find a way around the problem. This is not always doable but so far I have managed to keep my independence. A friend pointed out that "at my age" I need to look to the future. Bah humbug! Easy to say until you're in the same position yourself.

In a way I am in the same position I was in when I looked after Ray but the person with the problem is me! But there is no nice caregiver here to look after me, which is the dilemma of every ex-caregiver. I am at least blessed with friends of a similar age so now and again it is my turn to let off steam and complain about what I am going through. I have several groups of friends I meet up with on a regular basis and I know we are all missing our meet ups. As a lot of Covid-19 cases seem to be connected to cafes and Clubs we are not eating out much and that is part of the loss we are feeling. And the lack of simple human contact the handshakes, the hugs, the air kisses are all taking a toll. We are humans and need contact with other humans.

I do go to church on Sunday's but we socially distance, sit on the "pink stars" the spots elected to be the appropriate spacing from each other, no singing, no talking, no handshakes and moving out of the building and straight into our cars after church. It is nothing like we had formerly. I personally am missing the fellowship we enjoyed, the talking in groups catching up on all the news, the morning teas etc. That feeling of being part of an informal family comes from that form of bonding. And it is the same with Lions,we go in, eat dinner, listen to a couple of voices standing the recommended distance away and home we go. No fellowship.I hope at the end of this we are able to recapture that feeling again.

So where is the roadmap? Where does it say "head this way"? Where is Superman to the rescue? Back to the one-day-at-a-time thinking. We are here but there is no magic X to show where here is. And I think our leaders are as lost as we are so we are truly all in this (mess) together.