Checking-in From Down Under

April has, understandably, not been the most exciting month Down Under. In Melbourne we are only allowed/supposed to leave our houses for 1) work (if you can't work from home), 2) exercise (e.g. biking, running, walking), 3) food and supplies, and 4) medical care or caregiving. Also, gatherings of more than 2 people are banned, except for members of your household or for work/education purposes. Most stores are closed, and restaurants are only doing take-away. Australia has even gone as far as closing down the beaches and in Melbourne you can get a $1,600 fine for breaking any of the social distancing/quarantine rules.

That being said, it seems like overall Australia is handling the coronavirus well. As of April 26th, Australia had 6,710 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 83 deaths. The majority of the cases are along the east coast in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. But given that the majority of the population is in that area, it makes sense. At this point it sounds like some restrictions are going to start lifting, such as elective surgeries starting up again and some schools opening, but Scott Morrison (the Prime Minister) has said that until there is a vaccine, social distancing will need to stay in place. From what I have observed when out running or going to the grocery store, it seems like most people are adhering to the social distancing for the most part. We certainly haven't been plagued by the protests that are occurring in the U.S. and for that, I am thankful.

Ross and I are both doing well and staying healthy. Ross has been working from home since we got back from Tassie in late March. I worked from home for two weeks when we got back and then have been doing half the week at home and half the week in the office since. I've actually really been enjoying going into the office. It's been great seeing co-workers and it’s nice to have dual screens. Who am I kidding? Dual screens are the main reason that I like working from the office (jk...mostly). Plus, my office chair is significantly more comfortable than the chair that I have at home.

Cooper helping me with work.

All of the grocery stores in Australia instituted limits on items like pasta, pasta sauce, flour, rice, canned goods and paper goods in late March. At this point they are talking about lifting the limits because basically everything is back in stock and people no longer seem to be panic buying everything in sight (though no yeast yet). Ross and I went shopping today and it was actually kind of weird to see an aisle full of toilet paper and paper towels. There were even cans of diced tomatoes today. We haven't seen those in the store since before we went to Tasmania.

Since we're not allowed to go anywhere (you can't travel except for the four reasons listed above), Ross and I have been cultivating our hobbies this past month and playing with our kitty, Cooper. Ross has been reading like crazy and playing Magic with friends back in the States a couple times a week. I've been knitting and baking up a storm. We've made multiple batches of cookies (Ginger Snaps, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Anzacs), banana bread, muffins, etc. Plus, after discussing how easy it is to make a sourdough starter with one of my colleagues, I also now have a sourdough starter fermenting away. I've been following the King Arthur Flour starter recipe and have been very happy with the results. Plus, the recipe for sourdough crackers is amazing! We've made a couple batches of rosemary sourdough crackers and I'm not sure I can ever go back to store-bought crackers. I also made my first loaf of sourdough bread today (see below).

Meet Matilda, my sourdough starter. She has a really bubbly personality. 

A little dark on top but so tasty.

I have been going super stir-crazy at home, so I think that I'm one of the few people who is actually working out more than I was prior to the coronavirus. I've been running four days a week and am averaging 20-25 miles a week (30-40 kms). It's been really nice and a great way to de-stress. I had signed up to do the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon in the middle of May this year (I did the 14 km last year) but it has been postponed until late August (fingers crossed it still happens this year). This past week the race organisers set up a virtual event and so, since I have nothing better to do on the weekends (besides bake and knit), I'll be doing a virtual half marathon in the middle of May. While doing long runs in the lead-up to the half marathon, I noticed that all of the drinking fountains along my running routes have been turned off due to the coronavirus. Because of this I've started doing my long runs with a small backpack + water bladder. It's actually not as bad as I would have thought, and it has the added bonus of making me feel really hardcore. So basically, it's a win all around.

One positive side to the craziness that is the new normal, is that I've talked to so many friends via the various video-chatting platforms in the last month or so. I will whole-heartedly admit that I have been pretty terrible at corresponding since Ross and I moved to this part of the world, so having Zoom meetups with a bunch of friends has been so unbelievably fabulous. It is amazing how much seeing a friendly face can pick up my entire week. Plus, actually seeing people has been really helpful to prove to myself (and my sometimes crazy brain) that everyone is still okay. I've also been talking to my parents and brother+sister-in-law+adorable nephew more often which has been really nice.

Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy and for the love of God, do not inject bleach into your body. Much love from Down Under.