Gday dogs , I’m guessing you’re still stuck in the kennel like we are in California .Well , to be honest we have a bit more freedom to move around compared to Victorians and Australians . Over here there isn’t any restrictions on travel from state to state or town to town . It’s probably nearly too late to reign in travel in the States , even though the covid count is charging unabated . I’ve gotta admit that I’m embarrassed to say this to my Melbournian friends who have much tighter travel restrictions imposed on them . One thing that I can take away from this pandemic and the response taken from government over here is they don’t have the will to really step up and tackle this by the balls . It’s gonna be a bloody battle . To think a state like Florida that is currently the worse per capita for Covid cases has decided that it will push ahead and open schools is hilarious in its lunacy . To add to that the teachers union is taking legal action to try and halt this decision ,as they should . How can anyone with an average IQ ( me ) not see that this is crazy, but hey we are talking about the United States . To be fair ,Florida acts like some backwater and is often the but of jokes over here .California has generally been proactive , informative and responded with a lot more urgency than most of America . As I’ve said in previous blogs ,it sometimes feels like California is a progressive country that is almost seperate to the rest of the US .
It’s summer and that really has been a release on the pressure valve . What you couldn’t criticise LA is on is it’s weather . It’s constantly settled , rarely windy , never wet and if you’re privileged to live on the coast it hardly gets sweaty . I always look back home with envy but I must admit that living in a pandemic with a host of restrictions has gotta be easier when you can go out side in perfect sunny conditions . Add the beach and I can count my blessings . Yes we wear face masks , but we can get out and exercise in shorts and a t-shirt , everyday . Also restaurants and cafes are open on the proviso that they serve outdoors . Fortunately ,Hermosa Beach and a lot of cities ( suburbs ) nearby have closed streets and parking bays to create outdoor spaces where food can be served . You turn up with your mask on , get a seat and then take it off . It’s perfect for people watching , soaking in the sun and escaping the house ………I know what you’re thinking .. “ Howie , there’s a pandemic going on , how can you be so immersed in getting outta the house just so you can get out and do what you always could do ? So true , but here’s the paradox . People are dying , the disease is spreading , morale is fragile , so what do we do ? We find another way to carry on like we used to . Time will tell …… let’s hope ( that’s if you live here ) that a couple of vaccine trials that are about to go into mass testing will provide the ‘magic bullet .’
Take a deep breath . There it is . Qantas and Virgin have ended international flights to the US from Australia . Gee ,that really feels definitive.I read that the Australian Government has imposed a 14 day quarantine that will now be paid by residents returning . It’s pretty simple , to get back to Aus for a family like ours wouldn’t be easy . It’d probably be a 15+ grand exercise before we even smell fresh air . I’m conflicted when I talk about this . It makes me angry on one count . It’s like we’ve been abandoned but really it is probably a necessary approach . It’s just that you would’ve never have envisaged been put in this predicament. Any designs , thoughts or plans at coming home permanently in the next 12-18 months can no longer be guaranteed. No need to jump to conclusions …. we haven’t put any design framework into doing this , just yet . Just saying if we had I doubt that we could follow through on it . We did look at flying back for Christmas . We even found flights at $4800 via Fiji and a 40 hour transit , but add the uncertainty of Covid and a possible 14 day quarantine it ain’t gonna happen . 16 months ago we were last in Melbourne and you’d have to guess there might be at least another 16 months before we get the chance to travel home .It’ll be a while before we come back in any circumstance . That’s something I try not to think about . In reality we aren’t marooned ,but gee the tides in and the waves look impenetrable. Don’t worry , we’ll see this storm out and celebrate soon enough .
aussiehowieinla 