Everyday life / How to manage fears by essentially just ignoring them.

The UK and Germany are flirting with opening the borders for double vaccinated travellers bringing into the realms of possibility a chance to visit friends there without expensive quarantine. Bring on freedom day?

My sister in NSW is in lockdown, two weeks and continuing.

MIQ in NZ has become even harder to book; with folk now employing people to stand by for when spaces open up and using algorithms to make the process faster.

My goodness Fortress Aotearoa really has started to look like paradise from here.

UK is planning to masks off and embrace “living with the virus” from July 19th- which actually is more a cunning way to try to “die less with the virus” and get less of a wave in the height of summer rather than double whammy it with the flu in the depths of winter. (NZ virologist Siouxie Wiles disagrees with this approach. She's been right so far). The difference the vaccine has made is incredible; but the numbers we have make the UK look really feral, and actually still a danger to the rest of the world. 

Many NHS workers are deleting the track and trace app, as the volume of people being asked to self isolate is causing the NHS to creak and strain again with suddenly short staffed teams at all levels. I would say ignoring the track and trace team is a stupid thing to do, but they generally get in touch with people 6-9 days post exposure, are "pinging" people who are double vaccinated, and not letting doctors, nurses and midwives return to work for 5 days even after a negative PCR test. This has us running at about 60%. Its a high cost for something that is not likely to be effective.

And meanwhile; I’m pootling along; enjoying work, glad that the days are ever so slightly shorter and the seagulls don’t wake me at three anymore. (Sunrise at 4am was making the pre-dawn circling seagull cry from the ones nesting in the hospital roof particularly disruptive).

The humidity at the moment is making me feel more like home; and I’m loving the general overgrown nature of the outdoors at the moment- long grass and waving white flowers. Berries from the garden (Tayberries = yay berries!) 

I paused last night to look at the stars when I put the rubbish out; and marvelled at their unfamiliarity- more sparse and no Milky Way; determined independent sparklers.

A swan tried to attack us in the Dragon Boat this week too. We and the kayakers were too close to the gawky teenage signets making their way slowly to shore; and the Dad swan rushed at us, raising waves in the water with its big feet- wings out and neck feathers bristling. My paddling buddy was terrified and I guess I might have been too; if I hadn’t been low key fascinated by his terror. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve never heard of someone having to go to hospital from a swan attack” I said

He looked at me, holding his paddle tightly. “Yeah, but I have.”

It’s hard to know sometimes what’s worth being afraid of.