Christmas

When the pandemic 1st hit California ,it was really a response to what was happening in NewYork and Europe .We locked down pretty hard in late March . It was a festive lockdown , with many lane way gatherings and neighbourly get togethers . It was weird , the illness had not really be seen in our area . Most started drinking …nightly . There was a novelty to the whole situation , it felt like the end of year breakup had just been and now you are on holiday having a beer or wine each night . With the beaches closed down , the things to do were little . It was drink at night , workout in the morning . A balancing act of drinking enough without getting too hungover and then guilting one self into hill runs or a searching workout on the deck the next morning . Eventually a torn hammy on the hill runs upended the balancing act . The tough decision to stop drinking Monday to Friday was enacted and still now is a rule that is rarely broken . I feel better for it . It would take Emma another couple of months to follow my lead . Fortunately the beaches opened , but the BLM situation exploded and we were completely locked down in our houses for a few days . Once again we were never in harms way and it passed . It was summer , the kids were out of online school . Things loosened up . By September the kids went back . The disturbing news on the severe Melbourne lockdown was headline news in the US . The angst on Facebook was obvious , even I got sucked into the public debate ..I regret it . The crazy but predictable US election entertained the world . I repeatedly wanted to blog on it but I knew you guys had all the information that I did . It was shake your head and laugh “ Only in America “

It’s Christmas Eve this morning . We’ve had a few good weeks on the surf front . The days have been still . We’ve just passed the winter equinox , the shortest night in the rear view mirror and the colder days to come . Rain is forecast next week with temperatures of 15 -16 . The kids are nearly half way through their 2 week Christmas break . Our local park has been buzzing with kids , dog walkers and people exercising . Restaurants, gyms and restrictions on gatherings continue . It’s sort of business as usual , like it’s been for most of the year ….sort of .

The balancing act continues , but now the spectre of the pandemic has closed in on us . So Cal ( us ) is now the epicentre of the virus outbreak . There were 95 new cases in Hermosa Beach from December 1 to December 14 according to the local paper . Shit ,that’s a few more than I ever thought I’d see in our part of the world . Remember we live in a town that measures 1 square mile . We have been told the hospitals that cater for our area are virtually at capacity . They’re not small hospitals , I’m talking Frankston Hospital size . California is down to 1% ICU availability. There’s no beds . That’s why you shut down like Melbourne did or risk the perilous situation we find ourselves in . It’s not the time to get hurt or find yourself in an accident . A trip to the hospital is not advised .

“I’ll get 1 more , just 1 more.” The wave closes out , I throw the board up clumsily in the hope of landing a floater and then WACK !,….. A searing pain jolts through my jaw . “Fuck no ! “:The pain aside I’m immediately thinking ahead . “Please no , this can’t happen now . “ I feel my chin , it’s bleeding , my front tooth is split in half and my jaw near my ear has a deep pain . I trudge home in shock . Nows not the time to head to the ER with a broken jaw . Eventually an emergency trip to the dentist ( extremely lucky to be even accepted ) allayed my fears . The jaw had momentarily been displayed and the tooth could be fixed later . I was lucky . A hospital visit wasn’t to be ..there’s no way I was going to go anyway . Yesterday I watched the kids skate , they were having a ball , I videoed then , took photos . It was only later that I thought about one of the kids breaking a wrist or ankle as they jumped a ramp or stairs ….it’s not the time to get hurt . Fears about ‘what ifs ‘ are not the way to live your life . With vaccines now being shipped out and the changing of the guard at the top it feels like Christmas is still gonna be good . Merry Christmas people . Merry Christmas Australia …. you’re still …The Lucky Country .