260…..I think?

Gday chow baggers …..I’m tired enough to squeeze out the news that it’s maybe day 260 of lockdown . Or in our case …sort of a quasi lockdown .Surprise ,surprise who would’ve thought that another more intensive lockdown would be at our door . As you’ve no doubt seen the numbers of covid cases have been skyrocketing in the US . California had been on the outer edge of a map that was growing red with case increases . Now we’ve joined the party ,and of course we would . Just this week Hermosa beach was positive for 10 new cases . To put that in perspective , think about Dromana picking up 10 new cases . Yep it would be major alarm bells in Victoria , but not here . It turns out that schools are considering coming back in a hybrid form before Christmas . Ahhh, not sure about this idea . This town is a square mile in area ,squeezing in almost 20 thousand residents and is run by one of the more militant and notoriously difficult councils to deal with , but still there are plans afoot to get kids into school for 2 hours a day by Christmas.

As of last weekend restaurants are now closed to dining of any kind , it’s just take away for now . Playgrounds have been fenced off but park grounds remains open . Hoarding supermarket items hasn’t been a problem this time ,yet . Fortunately California has 330 days of sunshine per year , outside of Hawaii I doubt that I’d rather live anywhere else in the US in a crisis like this . You can get outside and enjoy the sunshine , take a walk or exercise . It definitely helps mental health when most days hover around 20 degrees Celsius as we head into winter . The days have become pretty short . The sun sets at 445 , by 515 it’s completely dark . The surf on the other hand …..it’s on the up . For the lucky Angelenos who live near the coast and play in the ocean , winter will be a respite from crowds and potential further shutdowns . As the temperatures drop, the numbers rise , but here in Hermosa Beach the coast and the waves keep the lucky sane .

Finally , to my friends back home , I had sympathy for the extreme lockdown that you endured . I can’t lecture you guys on the benefits of it when I didn’t experience it , but I’m proud of the Victorian and Australian response . As I said before ….I know who will have the last laugh . As I look to Christmas and the new year I know where I’d rather be ……….