Here is a list I have compiled over the past few days of my thoughts regarding isolation.  It’s only five pages – a bit of light reading that I would love you to respond and add your thoughts.

I feel lucky that I am so far healthy and accustomed to living on my own.  It must be very difficult for those who have contracted the virus, those that go out every day, those who live day to day, those who have lost their jobs and a special mention to those who sit in the pubs and clubs playing the poker machines all day  NOT.

It appears the only sport still playable is GOLF  – Gentlemen only – Ladies forbidden – spelled backward is FLOG  – because you can keep your distance from other players, but no nineteenth hole anymore.

Anyway, it’s all a bit of fun and using the brain for A POSSIBLE, POSITIVE outcome as we find things to do in these trying times.

Everyone is different with own thoughts and ideas – please make your own lists and send back to me – it may inspire me to greater heights

Stay positive – this too will pass     Stay home and stay safe –  Use virtual reality to connect

Lots of love always  Vivienne Twelftree

The Upside  of having to Self Distance, Isolate and Quarantine

Because we no longer breathe on each other, there may be fewer regular colds and flues around this winter, and if we stay home we may beat this virus.

We can’t go anywhere so:- We save money on clothes, petrol, bus fares, plane fares, restaurants, event tickets, popcorn at the movies and so much more

The result of not going anywhere is its better for the planet and the environment.  Will reduce pollution, smaller footprints – Less aviation fuel in the air, etc.

We might hopefully re-invigorate our manufacturing industry rather than relying on overseas countries to produce our goods such as masks and respirators

More likely to make special contact with friends and family and for a change they may always available to chat. People not as busy therefore not rushing.

Will change face of life as we know it – nothing will be the same again – On the other side we might come to be more grateful for what we have.

There is time to pursue things you have not had time for before or may have never thought of doing.

We have time to SLOW DOWN, TAKE IT EASY, CHILL OUT, LIVE IN THE MOMENT – THERE IS ONLY NOW.

Add your thoughts to this list

Things to do when isolating

Enjoy the solitude. Smile and laugh at the funny things in life – especially yourself.  Eat Chocolate.  Drink the champagne.  Use the fine china and crystal.  Life’s too short!  Love yourself.

Write YOUR list of Things to be GRATEFUL for and show your Gratitude every day   – eg We live in Australia with good health care and social security.  We have food to eat, clean water etc.

Write YOUR lists of things you need to do around YOUR home and garden.  One thing will lead to another.

Phone everyone on your database to see how they are going (just a few each day)   Reach out to someone who lives alone or may be feeling anxious.

Write a few letters and cards and POST them – spread the love.   Imagine the face of the person receiving it.    Write some poetry, short stories or plan out your best selling novel – Start a journal or blog

Have a full SPRING CLEAN of your living space – one room at a time both for your satisfaction and to disinfect and guard your home against infection.  Dust, vacuum, wash walls, floors, windows, doorknobs, light fittings, and switches, skirting boards.

Clean and de-clutter your wardrobe and other cupboards.  Reduce your stuff.

Reading – (Most libraries have an e-book service now)

Study a language, history or design.  Enroll in further education or University

Research something that’s always interested you.

There are a plethora of things to read, listen to and watch

TV – Movies, Documentaries, Comedy, Netflix and other Streaming services, TED talks,

RADIO – if you’re sick of the TV with its Bad News – remember podcasts and community radio Coast FM 96.3   Add your favourite station 

GAMESGet the cards out and Play solitaire, or perhaps also dust off the board games if you’re lucky to have a few people with you to play with.  Don’t forget jigsaw puzzles are the greatest time wasters

FOOD  – Cooking and Baking, Preserving food, make cheese – if too much for you to eat drop some off to friends and family – leave on their doorstep – what a surprise for them to open the door and find a muffin or a meal or a jar of pickles

Prep and freeze meals when you’re too busy to cook every day

Make a cookbook of your favourite, famous recipes

Create homemade gifts – Check out Pinterest for ideas.

GARDENING– plant a few vegetables – revamp your garden, weed, and feed, plant and cut back – it’s a never-ending job.

If you live in an apartment – Get some indoor plants or perhaps plant something on the verge in your street. So good for the soul to watch something grow.

Sweep your courtyard, paths, and cobwebs,

Clean out the shed

Sand down and paint an old piece of furniture – make like new

GET ACTIVE– Go for a walk around the block – keep your distance from others.

Pull out that YOGO DVD  or stream  an exercise class and play along with the instructor

Learn something new or rekindle a past interest – Dust of that musical instrument and start playing it  (I have a Ukelele – we could do it together on a conference call)

Learn a few Heritage Skills– sew, knit, crochet, quilting, make soap or candles, home remedies, clay moulding, woodwork, carving,

Meditate and practice mindfulness

Have a luxurious bath with aromatics and candles, give yourself a fabulous manicure and pedicure

Try anARTproject – There are so many mediums, and styles to try, watercolor, oils, pastels, pencil, charcoal, inks, etc but all your need to start is a pencil and paper.  Design, create, create, create  – Every invention and great work of art started with a pencil and paper.

Get the paints out and just splash or smear it on to paper or canvas  – have fun with it

Get familiar with online shopping for groceries and other items

Set up a Pay Pal account.

And for more boring stuff check out your mortgage, phone, insurance, gas electricity bills to see you’re getting the best deal.

COMPUTERS   Upskill your talents – Figure out what you can do on your computer and don’t normally have time to do.

Build a free website like Word Press like this one and others – just google

Host a Skype / Zoom party or support group  –  Set up conference calling with groups of family and friends, catch up for a virtual high tea, book club, lunch, dinner, drinks party. Virtual dance party – dress up and groove to the same music.

Organise your music playlists for different occasions and moods.  Visit I tunes

Sort out and Tag – Organise your photos then make a photo book, collage or poster from all your digital photos.

Add your things to do to this list

PLAN WHAT TO DO WHEN THIS IS OVER  “It too will pass”

Start a dream journal – How would you like your life to be?

Plan your next party – who will you invite, what will you eat and drink, what music will you play

Which events would you like to attend – Music, theatre, sports, etc

Which restaurants to go to when they re-open

Plan your next holiday

Plan how you would spend $1 – $10 million when you win the lottery

Add your plans to this l

• You can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these 3 things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights.  “Every choice you make is the right one so don’t worry about the little things”
• Some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue.  “Oh well – a change is as good as a holiday” 
• You should not go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands, you need to be able to throw some things back.  “In fact try and leave everywhere you go a little better for your having been there.”
• Even when I have pains, I dont have to be one.  “Other people don’t want to know about your problems – they have enough of their own and you would not want to swap yours for theirs”
• Regardless of age, every person still has a lot to learn.  “Learn something new try something different and travel as often as possible – it keeps your mind active and your attitude young”
• Regardless of your relationship with your parents, you will miss them when they are gone from your life.  “It is only from parents and pets that you will receive un-conditional love – parents because they gave you life, fed and clothed you,  pets because you feed and love them”
• If you can’t be kind, at least be vague.  “Only speak good things to all people – an angry word can not be taken back”
• Making a living is not the same as making a life.  “Making the life that you want will open your world to so many new and exciting opportunities”  Making a living means going to work to earn money to buy stuff to impress other people, then get into more debt then have to go to work more to earn more money to pay the bills.”
• People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.  “Spread joy and laughter, enery and empathy towards others wherever you go”

• The greatest lesson of all –  “What other people think is none of your business – so don’t worry about what others think of you!  Do the very best you can – you can’t do more and you wont do less!”

What would I say to you if this were my last day on earth?

Today 8th January 2013, I am faced with a similar situation to Ash Wednesday a day of extreme fires in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia about 30 years ago.  Vanessa was about 2 years old and we were at home – an evil day of high winds and heat and no idea when or where the fire would come from.  Constantly walking from one window to the next looking to see. Very scary!

Last night I received an SMS alert from the fire authority – There has been a catastrophic alert for the area in which I am staying in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. Temperatures of over 40 degrees and winds of 80 kilometres per hour were expected.  Its not so much the heat, but the wind that can blow the embers more than 20 k’s from their source.

 In Adelaide all those years ago, had the wind not changed the fire which was about a kilometre away, would have been upon us in less than a minute, so I know the danger and have therefore prepared as best I can.  The car is packed, the dog and cat are being kept indoors so I can easily get them to the car if required.

 I sit, watch, wait for the SMS alert to my mobile and write. 

The big difference this year is technology and the ability for the authorities to send alerts via mobiles, to warn and advise evacuation automatically to various areas affected by this incidious menace we face, on it seems a regular basis with each state taking its turn.  This recent weather however is quite extra ordinary.  Nature has its way of keeping us modest!

 So what would I say if this were the last time I could speak to you, my friends and family. 

 There is only one thing that comes immediately to mind, and that is “I love you”. 

It did not happen this time and everything will be fine, however so many people live in regret for not having told the people they love the things that are important for them to hear. No one knows what the future brings and we should always try to be prepared.  (Girl Guide training) 

The most important thing is to live your life IN THE NOW!  As if it is your last and enjoy every moment.  Help as many people as you possible can.  Give without thought of receiving. Laugh and smile often  – see the funny side of difficult situations, Don’t take your life so seriously nor take offence at others comments (they probably have worse problems than you) Sometimes just BE  – you are a human being not a human doing, relax and take time for yourself.  Any decision you make is the right one.  Not making a choice is the killer.  Believe in your own abilities, skills and experience.  There will always be someone else better or worse off – which can make you either vain or bitter, so just choose to be the best YOU, You can be and most of all, Choose to accept things don’t always go the way you want – that can often be a blessing in disguise.  

Its never the wrong time to express your feelings of love to all.

I discovered am not afraid of dying – guess we really don’t have much of a choice in that do we?  Right now at peace and happy within myself, have always strived to do the right thing and help others as much as is humanly possible, have been rewarded with having so many wonderful friends and family who have given me so much joy and love over the years.  My greatest achievement thus far is giving birth to three amazing children who have grown into seemingly well adjusted adults – all of whom I am justly proud.  

 So dont waste a minute of time living in the past or future – Live Now!

Love you lots always!

“If your going to take offence –  on your way out,  take the gate as well – love it!!!

I travelled back from Robe to Adelaide where I did the final pack, said farewell to my darling friend Lynn and Charlie!  I’ll be back!

Lynn spoilt me with the most incredible bubble bath with a glass of red of course!

Headed east towards NSW on the 25th November 2012.  First stop in Naracoorte for a couple of days with Ros & Jock Virgo and family for a fantastic catch up and remembering  just some of the mischief we used to get up to as teenagers.

Went to the caves and spent almost a whole day there.  The paleantology work they are doing in association with Flinders University is amazing and needs to be experienced to be believed. The Naracoorte caves are The South Australian World Heritage Fossil Mammal site. The prehistoric mega fauna bones from 500,000 years ago they are digging up are amazing, they have even found the Tassie Tiger and this other animal which I have now forgotten the name.  You can even go adventure caving there if you want to crawl through caves.

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What an amazing experience.

From there it was off through Mount Gambier, on to Point Londsdale via the Great Ocean Road – thought I would do it in a day, but it is a bloody long way.  Ended up exhausted and staying with ocean views at Apollo Bay.  Just as well I had a big sleep as the road ahead clung to the coast line and was a very windy one, thankfully a number of vintage cars were going towards SA so not caught behind them.   So good to see Sue Hill at Point Lonsdale.  Her home is really lovely with memories of Crawf everywhere.  Sue has found hidden artistic talents, producing some really great paintings. One of magpies outside my bedroom window captured my imagination – very clever girl.   We had lots of fun with a bottle of wine or two, walks and barbecue beachside and doing pilates.

Whilst staying with Sue I managed to spend a lovely day with Andy & Andy in Geelong (who I met at the cinema in Robe).  A beautiful lunch in their home followed by a walk along the foreshore with the dogs.  A great day!

Then early on the 30th November set off for NSW via the car ferry to Sorento and a long drive through Gippsland.  Thought I would stay over night at Lakes Entrance and Batemans Bay on the way.  However when I arrived at the Lakes it was about 4.30pm and feeling okay kept driving until I reached Eden about 7.00pm.

After 12 hours driving, was far too tired to look for a meal anywhere so pulled from the boot a crystal glass (never travel without one – you never know when the need arises), some red wine, bikkies and cheese – dinner!!  Quite spectacular looking out to a storm brewing over the water, with bolt lightening and thunder!! Then the heavens opened and cleaned my car – excellent!!   So tired I fell asleep in the car.   Woke feeling very stiff – wont be doing that to my body again.

Another long drive along the Princes Highway – mostly dense forests all the way to Bowral – another 9 hours!   There was so much I didn’t see, however they are just places and scenery unless you know someone there!  Observed this is really a very big country – and you don’t realize it until you drive it and I have only done a tiny bit!.