How are things where YOU are? (in relation to the Corona Virus)

[Aus Traveller]

Just now, MMDown Under said:

Thanks so much for your kindness.  You can probably tell I'm not a risk taker.  

3 things which can go wrong, is that all??

Nuh! It's really only one thing that could go wrong, but three different causes. 😁

[MMDown Under]

1 minute ago, Aus Traveller said:

Nuh! It's really only one thing that could go wrong, but three different causes. 😁

ha ha.  

[possum52]

Son and daughter in law have a machine that pressure cooks and slow cooks. You evidently change the setting to whaht you want to do. If they want to slow cook, they will prepare the meal the night before and put on slow cooker before they go to work or if not prepared put on pressure cooker when they arrive home. Seems to work very well for them. They use it regularly.

 

Leigh

 

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by possum52

[Docker123]

2 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Day 13 - Happy day - music and laughter.  I woke up to "NBC Breakfast News" showing a little girl dancing for her grandfather each on a different side of a wide street.  This was followed by a tour of a tour guide's backyard, which looked a lot like an Aussie backyard, complete with a genuine Hills Hoist.  It was so funny.  Bit like "The Castle" humour.  Next they showed clips of various orchestra musicians playing at home, as part of visual orchestras - moving music to bring one to tears.  As a finale, they showed  the great Andrew Lloyd Webber taking requests, which he played on his piano - food for the soul.  For those clever technical people on this thread, I'd love to know how I could rewatch these videos forever.  Beautiful sunny morning for a walk along the beach and water's edge for the dogs.  They were doing a happy dance darting here there and everywhere - wouldn't want to miss anything!  Now they will sleep for the rest of the day.

This was light relief for what is happening in our real world.

 

The tour guide video is actually from Australia.

 

Have to make the American news somehow.

 

This is one of the stay at home videos — Rotterdam Philharmonic playing Ode to Joy

 

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by Docker123

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, possum52 said:

Son and daughter in law have a machine that pressure cooks and slow cooks. You evidently change the setting to whaht you want to do. If they want to slow cook, they will prepare the meal the night before and put on slow cooker before they go to work or if not prepared put on pressure cooker when they arrive home. Seems to work very well for them. They use it regularly.

 

Leigh

 

 

That sounds really interesting.  Do you know what the brand is?

[MMDown Under]

16 minutes ago, Docker123 said:

The tour guide video is actually from Australia.

 

Have to make the American news somehow.

 

This is one of the stay at home videos — Rotterdam Philharmonic playing Ode to Joy

 

 

Thank you.  The tour guide video was so Australian in presentation and humour.  

Oh I love all the orchestras and Ode to Joy.  Unfortunately my computer has been complaining from overwork, hence it has an annoying rattle when I play music.  But if a member of my family can fix it I'll be in heaven.  No quick trip to Apple I'm afraid. 

[mr walker]

All this talk about slow cooking and pressure cookers etc is making me hungry.

 

I usually do my best work on the barbie but have been known to do a nice curried sausages & pasta dish that gets the tick of approval from DW. Anyway, seems the COVID-19 consumes Pasta, Tissues & TP, at least looking at the supermarket shelves, so no luck on the pasta. So last night the cook (me) had to improvise and substitute boiled jasmine rice for the spiral pasta, so a bit out of my safety zone. The result - thumbs of from DW for the curried sausages risotto!!!!

 

With my confidence high, tonight is barbecued seasoned chicken breasts with salad, followed by jelly & ice cream.

[boeckli]

On 4/1/2020 at 11:21 AM, OzKiwiJJ said:

This is the laptop app https://thejigsawpuzzles.com/

 

The mobile app is Jigsaw Puzzles, by Easybrain.com, with a red square and a yellow jigsaw piece as a logo.

 

Both are good.

 

Installed the mobile one on my tablet and it's great - thanks again for the info.

[MMDown Under]

17 minutes ago, mr walker said:

All this talk about slow cooking and pressure cookers etc is making me hungry.

 

I usually do my best work on the barbie but have been known to do a nice curried sausages & pasta dish that gets the tick of approval from DW. Anyway, seems the COVID-19 consumes Pasta, Tissues & TP, at least looking at the supermarket shelves, so no luck on the pasta. So last night the cook (me) had to improvise and substitute boiled jasmine rice for the spiral pasta, so a bit out of my safety zone. The result - thumbs of from DW for the curried sausages risotto!!!!

 

With my confidence high, tonight is barbecued seasoned chicken breasts with salad, followed by jelly & ice cream.

Signs of a good cook who can improvise and have a success. 

Good luck with your barbecued seasoned chicken breasts.  I've never cooked chicken on the BBQ.  It is years since I've enjoyed home made jelly.  What flavour?

[mr walker]

It took a few trials to get the chicken right, but butterflied & with the seasoning sprinkled on, got it pretty good now. One beer is good timing, two is better 🙂

 

Raspberry jelly this time, although my fav is mango flavor. 

[MMDown Under]

36 minutes ago, mr walker said:

It took a few trials to get the chicken right, but butterflied & with the seasoning sprinkled on, got it pretty good now. One beer is good timing, two is better 🙂

 

Raspberry jelly this time, although my fav is mango flavor. 

Liking your method of timing.  What seasoning?

My favourite is port wine from memory. 

Edited April 2, 2020 by MMDown Under

[dizzy1948]

 

Well.….it's official, or it will be on Sunday night. WA will be an island. 

WAXIT! WA becomes ‘an island’

WA had 8 new COVID positive patient cases overnight as Mark McGowan plans for a hard border closure from 11.59pm on Sunday night.

The Premier indicated West Australians would not be able to get home after the cut-off.

“You need to come home from WA and you need to come home now,” Mr McGowan said.

WA is in a unique position, our isolation is now our best defence, we need to use it to the best of our advantage.

“It makes sense we go further now and close the border.”

There will be exemptions for health services, emergency workers, transport, freight, logistics, national and state security and judicial services.

“In effect we’ll be turning Western Australia into an island within an island, our own country,” Mr McGowan said.

Mr McGowan said he did not expect to be closing the WA border so quickly.

“If you asked me a couple of months ago if we would be closing the WA border I would have laughed,” Mr McGowan said.

“Unfortunately this is no laughing matter.”

Here's the link to the full story

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/coronavirus/coronavirus-crisis-premier-mark-mcgowan-announces-hard-border-closure-for-wa-ng-b881508125z

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by dizzy1948

[MMDown Under]

26 minutes ago, dizzy1948 said:

 

Well.….it's official, or it will be on Sunday night. WA will be an island. 

WAXIT! WA becomes ‘an island’

WA had 8 new COVID positive patient cases overnight as Mark McGowan plans for a hard border closure from 11.59pm on Sunday night.

The Premier indicated West Australians would not be able to get home after the cut-off.

“You need to come home from WA and you need to come home now,” Mr McGowan said.

WA is in a unique position, our isolation is now our best defence, we need to use it to the best of our advantage.

“It makes sense we go further now and close the border.”

There will be exemptions for health services, emergency workers, transport, freight, logistics, national and state security and judicial services.

“In effect we’ll be turning Western Australia into an island within an island, our own country,” Mr McGowan said.

Mr McGowan said he did not expect to be closing the WA border so quickly.

“If you asked me a couple of months ago if we would be closing the WA border I would have laughed,” Mr McGowan said.

“Unfortunately this is no laughing matter.”

Here's the link

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/coronavirus/coronavirus-crisis-premier-mark-mcgowan-announces-hard-border-closure-for-wa-ng-b881508125z

 

What do you think about it?  I thought it was a good idea.  He has had a hard time with the Commonwealth recently, so felt like pulling up the drawbridge.  There will be traffic jams across the Nullarbor of WAs trying to beat the deadline.  I wonder if there are many full time grey nomads who have chosen to spend the lockdown in WA?  Going around the block is an impossible dream now, but would be time well spent planning the big trip.

Edited April 2, 2020 by MMDown Under

[dizzy1948]

9 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

What do you think about it?  I thought it was a good idea.  He has had a hard time with the Commonwealth recently, so felt like pulling up the drawbridge.  There will be traffic jams across the Nullarbor of WAs trying to beat the deadline.  I wonder if there are many full time grey nomads who have chosen to spend the lockdown in WA?  Going around the block is an impossible dream now, but would be time well spent planning the big trip.

I think it's a good idea. Would have been nice if all the Premiers were on the same page, and did this AUS wide from the beginning. Grey nomads here have been told - you can't go North for the winter. Our neighbours took off over East two weeks ago hoping to go to Tasmania.  Never happened. At this time they are holed up in VIC. If they want to come home, they will have to complete 14 days in SA. Too late to get home now. A lot of caravan parks here are closed, some National Parks are closed for camping/caravans as well. I just hope that all those on the big lap that are in WA aren't being pushed from pillar to post. We have put the cover over our caravan 😪 - maybe next year

[MMDown Under]

21 minutes ago, dizzy1948 said:

I think it's a good idea. Would have been nice if all the Premiers were on the same page, and did this AUS wide from the beginning. Grey nomads here have been told - you can't go North for the winter. Our neighbours took off over East two weeks ago hoping to go to Tasmania.  Never happened. At this time they are holed up in VIC. If they want to come home, they will have to complete 14 days in SA. Too late to get home now. A lot of caravan parks here are closed, some National Parks are closed for camping/caravans as well. I just hope that all those on the big lap that are in WA aren't being pushed from pillar to post. We have put the cover over our caravan 😪 - maybe next year

I hope people in big properties will let grey nomads stay in the one spot, until they are free to move around again.  And the grey nomads could help out on the property.  

I wonder why Grey nomads can't go north in winter.  They  have been doing it for years.  I wonder if it is a medical management issue or to protect more vulnerable aboriginals.

I wonder if the new hard border closedown will stop WAs returning home period.

I know all National Parks etc are closed in Qld.  The clear message is Stay Home.  You are not welcome.

This is after Qld and Federal Governments spending a fortune on tourism advertising after the long drought and devastating bushfires.   Kiwis in particular will miss coming to the Gold Coast in winter.  Kiwis used to be the largest foreigner group with property on the Gold Coast in volume.  

Edited April 2, 2020 by MMDown Under

[dizzy1948]

26 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

I hope people in big properties will let grey nomads stay in the one spot, until they are free to move around again.  And the grey nomads could help out on the property.  

I wonder why Grey nomads can't go north in winter.  They  have been doing it for years.  I wonder if it is a medical management issue or to protect more vulnerable aboriginals.

I wonder if the new hard border closedown will stop WAs returning home period.

I know all National Parks etc are closed in Qld.  The clear message is Stay Home.  You are not welcome.

This is after Qld and Federal Governments spending a fortune on tourism advertising after the long drought and devastating bushfires.   

There are a number of properties that have opened up for Grey Nomads, which is good, they are just opening up fields for them. Some are even letting them use the facilities in their homes, bathroom/laundry etc. We have been in lockdown here since Tuesday, as in we cannot travel town to town without a valid reason, towing a caravan isn't one of them. For example, if we wanted to go from Perth to Geraldton (400 kms) we can't. We have to stay metro. If anyone from Geraldton wanted to come to Perth, they can't. My grandson had to get back to Esperance before Tues night, or he would have been locked out. He lives there. (700+kms from us) He couldn't get through Ravensthorpe (they locked down 2 days early) so he had to go the truckie route. We can't move from town to town at all. Nothing is close in WA, so you could say we've been practicing.😉

WA residents who don't get back in WA before 11.59 on Sunday night will be locked out until Mark McGowan lifts the lockdown There are concerns for remote communities due to the distance from them to Perth for medical treatment. A good couple of thousand kms away. 

Edited April 2, 2020 by dizzy1948

[MMDown Under]

52 minutes ago, dizzy1948 said:

There are a number of properties that have opened up for Grey Nomads, which is good, they are just opening up fields for them. Some are even letting them use the facilities in their homes, bathroom/laundry etc. We have been in lockdown here since Tuesday, as in we cannot travel town to town without a valid reason, towing a caravan isn't one of them. For example, if we wanted to go from Perth to Geraldton (400 kms) we can't. We have to stay metro. If anyone from Geraldton wanted to come to Perth, they can't. My grandson had to get back to Esperance before Tues night, or he would have been locked out. He lives there. (700+kms from us) He couldn't get through Ravensthorpe (they locked down 2 days early) so he had to go the truckie route. We can't move from town to town at all. Nothing is close in WA, so you could say we've been practicing.😉

WA residents who don't get back in WA before 11.59 on Sunday night will be locked out until Mark McGowan lifts the lockdown There are concerns for remote communities due to the distance from them to Perth for medical treatment. A good couple of thousand kms away. 

I didn't realise just how restrictive WA lockdown was.  I'm finding the TV Stations provide more detailed coverage of the bigger states of NSW and Vic, so it is not easy to find out details for other smaller States. I follow the State Premiers press announcements, but think they should follow up with printed dot points for visual people.  Qld Premier is tightening the already closed border with NSW.  But it won't be smooth because so many people live and work on both sides of the border.

What is the situation if you own two homes - say one in Perth and one in Mandurah (not holiday homes)?

[dizzy1948]

4 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

I didn't realise just how restrictive WA lockdown was.  I'm finding the TV Stations provide more detailed coverage of the bigger states of NSW and Vic, so it is not easy to find out details for other smaller States. I follow the State Premiers press announcements, but think they should follow up with printed dot points for visual people.  Qld Premier is tightening the already closed border with NSW.  But it won't be smooth because so many people live and work on both sides of the border.

What is the situation if you own two homes - say one in Perth and one in Mandurah (not holiday homes)?

Not sure, my understanding is "your place of permanent residence" so that would be one or the other - but not flitting between the two. Nail your feet to one set of floorboards 😉

We don't have the problem of living in one state, working in another....it's a darned long way to get home in time for tea.

 

[MMDown Under]

5 hours ago, dizzy1948 said:

Not sure, my understanding is "your place of permanent residence" so that would be one or the other - but not flitting between the two. Nail your feet to one set of floorboards 😉

We don't have the problem of living in one state, working in another....it's a darned long way to get home in time for tea.

 

My concern is who would look after the second home maintenance,mowing the lawn, etc.  It is no holiday, often an old family home.

 

[MicCanberra]

2 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

My concern is who would look after the second home maintenance,mowing the lawn, etc.  It is no holiday, often an old family home.

 

I am sure that the holiday house can have no maintenance for a few weeks or few months even. 

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

I am sure that the holiday house can have no maintenance for a few weeks or few months even. 

I'm assuming you live in Canberra. 

Every beach place in Australia had old beach houses/fishing shacks.  These are not holiday houses believe me.  I've had a holiday house - this is where you holiday, you do jigsaw puzzles, read books, go for long relaxing beach walks etc and come back to work relaxed.

Beach houses are usually family fibro shacks.  These were usually built by their owners from stuff left over from their main city house, where they had their real jobs.  Stuff discovered at the tip was repurposed.  Everyone could own a shack, whatever your wealth.  Most men were handy, so were owner builders in the true sense.  Beach houses need to be loved, requiring constant work and maintenance  - mowing the lawn, keeping on top of lush overgrown gardens, fixing leaks, plumbing, etc.  If you left a Gold Coast beach house looking like a deceased estate, someone would soon break in, maybe even shift in.  (Both have happened to me in the past.)  I didn't have hot water until recently and there is no full size stove.  However, words can't express how much I love my tiny shack - Maison Mips - given to me by my great aunt.  It is one of the few original unaltered fishing shacks left on the Gold Coast.  

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by MMDown Under

[possum52]

20 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

That sounds really interesting.  Do you know what the brand is?

I found out it is a Breville Fast Slow Pro.

 

Leigh

[MMDown Under]

25 minutes ago, possum52 said:

I found out it is a Breville Fast Slow Pro.

 

Leigh

Thank you Leigh.  I'll research it.

[Aus Traveller]

11 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

I didn't realise just how restrictive WA lockdown was.  I'm finding the TV Stations provide more detailed coverage of the bigger states of NSW and Vic, so it is not easy to find out details for other smaller States. I follow the State Premiers press announcements, but think they should follow up with printed dot points for visual people.  Qld Premier is tightening the already closed border with NSW.  But it won't be smooth because so many people live and work on both sides of the border.

What is the situation if you own two homes - say one in Perth and one in Mandurah (not holiday homes)?

I find it interesting that for the last few years, it has seemed to be the 'fad' to have someone interpreting the official speech, in sign language. I wonder how many people need the sign language. Wouldn't it be more effective to have a text crawler on the bottom of the screen. That would make it easier for everyone to follow and absorb the main parts of the speech. Although, I do have a smile sometimes at the way the sign language person interprets the speech.

[Aus Traveller]

The original question on this thread "How are things where You are?" After reading DiamondFour's posts I have considered how I feel.

 

The answer is I am devastated at the end of my lifestyle, a lifestyle I probably took for granted. We are self-funded retirees who have been fortunate enough to be able to cruise several times a year, and loving it. We have been to many amazing places and met a lot of lovely people in our cruising adventures.

 

This week we should have been enjoying a beach holiday with our three adult kids, their husband/wives and our young grandchildren. We would have been playing with the children on the beach, playing UNO as a group in the evenings, and reading books to the littlest ones. Ah.... what I miss. (Note to self: don't get teary.)

 

Next week we would have been embarking on the Sea Princess for a cruise to Hawaii and Tahiti. Not a new itinerary for us, but good anyway. We don't know when we will be able to cruise again.

 

I am also concerned that this pandemic will change the world irrevocably. Our country, and many of us, will be much poorer. We have to hope and pray that it doesn't take the life of some-one close to us. Keep well.