I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this last month. March 2020 signified the start of the global response to COVID-19 and what was to become months of not faring far from home. Now in March 2021 for us in Australia, life feels a lot different a year on. While some things are still of the table (international travel mainly), we are living pretty normally again. Domestic travel has resumed with gusto, most people are back working in their offices, and the use of hand sanitiser and using QR codes to ‘check in’ to businesses has become almost second nature.
For me this month has really felt like the start of new beginning. The start of this new life, where COVID exists, where the wheels have to keep turning. This is what’s been making me smile this month…
TRAVEL
After a year of staying in Wagga Wagga, or only venturing a short distance from it, I’ll have had three separate visits to different parts of the country by the time the month’s up. Adam, Paul and I ventured to Canberra at the start of the month, I’ve just come back from a long weekend in Tasmania visiting friends I haven’t seen in nearly two years and later this week the entire family will board a plane and head to Queensland to spend Easter with my parents. We haven’t seen them since Paul was three months old, so I’m sure they’ll notice some big changes! It’s felt quite surreal to be in airports and on planes again, and apart from having to wear a mask and a few less people around it’s all felt normal. I adore exploring new places and spending time with those I love, so being in a position to be able to travel again has really filled my heart with joy.
THE FIRST SIGNS OF AUTUMN
Eastern Australia had a very mild summer compared to last, with cool days really outnumbering hot ones. While Wagga Wagga was still awash with green leaves, a few of the trees around Launceston in Tasmania where I’ve spent the last few days have really started that transition to autumn. It’s been lovely seeing big old European trees like oaks and maples (which thrive in the slightly cooler climate in Tasmania) covered in yellow and red leaves. I find this time of year, with the cool mornings and warm afternoons truly magical and I can’t wait to see more of the autumn colour unveiling itself over the coming weeks.
COFFEE
Perhaps it’s been the run of fairly ordinary overnights with Paul, or the slightly cooler mornings we’ve had… but the last few weeks I’ve been really enjoying my daily cup of coffee. On those days when Adam and I have been up a few times with Paul nothing quite compares to that first sip of warm coffee. Likewise I’ve indulged in a few cups from local cafés and on more than one occasion I’ve finished my cup and exclaimed to those around me, ‘that was a really good cup of coffee’. The ritual of coffee – of grinding the beans, filling your cup, smelling that fresh coffee scent and then sitting and drinking – is part of it too. It’s a moment to just stop, be in the moment and refuel.
What’s been making you smile this month?
I’m taking the next few weeks off to make the most of our time in Queensland, so I’ll catch you in a fortnight.
Have a wonderful week.
M. x
Wattle and Ash 