Some people

 Some people are incredibly narrow minded and selfish.  I read it on the news, on social media etc, all the time.  For instance the border closure warriors who DEMAND we keep QLD borders closed forever.  Protect our State!  Protect our people!  I presume they don’t have family outside of the state!  I have a colleague (now ex colleague) who has just taken a job in the US simply because his kids are in the Netherlands and he hasn’t got to see them for almost 2 years due to border closures.  His only way to resume contact with his direct family is to leave his job, his life, etc here in Australia and move to another country.  

We have just passed the 2 year mark of visiting our loved ones in the UK and Ireland and it hurts.  It hurts the most that I haven’t been able to introduce my little girl to her family.  Her grandparents, aunts, uncles, her myriads of cousins.  Here we are in our little “island”, protected for sure, living an amazing Covid-free life… but so so isolated.  At Christmas we are hoping to see my step daughter for just the second time this year - that’s insane!  There have been so many interstate border closures, or threatened closures, that David hasn’t been able to head down to Tasmania even for a couple of days, without risking not being able to get back to his family for MONTHS.  That is a real danger, and has happened to too many people already, and it’s the SAME country.

It is looking more positive now that things will begin to open up again.  Vaccination rates are rising and premiers are beginning to promise the easing of restrictions.  But in one breath they say international travel will resume in December, and in the next they extend aviation relief payments to March, so I honestly don’t know.  It almost makes me want to move back to Ireland - but I know we can’t do that either, right now.  Just one example of why is that C needs her dad, even a couple of times a year is better than nothing, going into the difficult teenage years etc. 

So here we are… still waiting.  And I know we are SO SO lucky to live in Queensland.  We have only experienced a handful of 3 day lockdowns, with 8 days being our longest.  Melbourne, for instance, has broken the world record for days locked down - I believe over 260?  And here we are, mask wearing our only restriction - and not leaving the state.  Fingers crossed that won’t be forever!!!!