I feel disconnected upon entering back into the world. I feel like I've been out of it for so long. More police checks and early morning pickup from my wonderful neighbour. Sunshiny warmth and a breeze on my face. She has disinfected the car and is wearing a mask for us because I said the daughter and I are slightly paranoid after what we've been through. (I love her, she's the best).
Unpacking I knew would be hard, as it would be taking out our dreams from our suitcases and packing them away into a drawer for a while. We would need fortification for this process - I made an Italian moka coffee for the daughter and myself in proper Italian small coffee cups instead of the big clunky teacups from the hotel Heaven. Then we got to work.
Changes were afoot. I mentioned to a friend that I'm going to miss being in a hotel room, I've been in so many over the last year and a bit. She said why don't you pretend your bedroom is one. Excellent advice! I can think I'm in a Air BnB for an interim period of adjustment. The daughter, within minutes, had unpacked and was changing her room around. The house was in disarray as I also decided to make my art room into a more liveable space. Furniture was on the move, bags of items that we realised we no longer had need of (after living in small spaces with hardly any possessions) were making their way downstairs. I realised I would have to shop, so off I went and upon entering the supermarket, I went into shock. No social distancing was taking place! None. In France if you went down an aisle and saw someone, they or myself would quickly turn down another one; the same in the street. No such rules were in place here, it was a free for all. I found myself holding my breath. I realise I had come from Europe which was an epicentre of the virus and that in Australia we've almost got it under control but it was amazing how you become reliant on a certain routine to feel safe. It was so bizarre seeing dress shops open, cafes. It was all a bit too much after four weeks quarantine in Europe and then being in a hotel room for 2 weeks. I got what I needed and hurried home. My hotel routine has been well and truly replaced and strangely I miss it. The quietness, the knowledge of how the day would go, the safety of the room, not having to shop with people who have no sense of danger. Having come from France where over 20,000 people have died, it seems so blase and devil may care here. It will take me a while to settle back into the Aussie way of : She'll be right mate.
Last selfie in captivity. Even blowdried the hair for the occasion.
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