I am back to work properly tomorrow. I have been back since Level 3, nearly three weeks ago. We started with six learners on the first day (from a possible pool of about 250 U14), then three and then one. It's been one learner and two teachers for the last two weeks. I had time to run before school since we weren't starting until 9am. And we closed up at 1.30pm, so I was home by 2pm. Got all of my jobs done in those four hours every day. I will miss being part-time, being able to do just one job at a time with no interruptions, and the quiet. All staff were back on Friday. I hated the noise! I may have to pretend I am still in google meets and put headphones on or just close my office door more often. I am keen not to return to 10 hour days. During lockdown I have never felt less tired in my life. My Garmin wearable has a body battery measure. During term time, by the time I get home each evening it's in the teens, but over lockdown my average low was around 50%.
In addition to being very grateful for having a flexible job over lockdown, I have been grateful for the people I know maintaining good health and employment. Hot water, the oven, the sewing machine and technology often featured in my grateful list too. I did have a habit of second breakfast for a while at about 10.30am. I made toast and ate it with lashings of butter and bit of peanut butter, a ratio of about 2/3 to 1/3. I ate 1.5kg of butter over lockdown because I was eating more toast than usual. I tried to be mindful of my baking and would only eat a biscuit if I made a cup of tea so I had to slow down and wait and do one thing at a time. I got into the habit of scrambled eggs on oven roasted hashbrowns with sweet chilli sauce for lunch most days.
I think I enjoyed the running too. In total I ran approximately 136.29 km. I enjoyed knowing I had done it. It felt like an achievement each day. I much preferred running in Alert Level 4 than 3 or 2. Those mornings humans out numbered cars and I could run on the road most of the time. Crossing the motorway overbridge, there would be just three vehicles on each side of the road. Got in my first traffic jam Friday afternoon coming home at 3pm. Argh. I also enjoyed my weekend morning walks. I have a 4.3km loop that takes me through the Gardens and past the petrol station for a hot chocolate which I drink on the final stretch home. It the past I never would have walked to get a hot chocolate, I would drive 2 minutes up the road. The direct route is just 3 km, so I want to continue that better habit. I am not sure about continuing the running. I like the idea - but it's hard and I generally don't do hard things. I might do a couple of short ones a week on the days I don't go to the gym. I am heading back to the gym tomorrow afternoon. I am hoping for a burpee, tuck jump, long jump free week. I don't think there's any need for adults to be jumping. It's just too hard and uncomfortable.
I am always grateful to live in a small country at the bottom of the world with good governance. The 1pm daily updates on National Radio from the PM and Dr Bloomfield also became lunchtime routine. So fingers crossed that we've knocked covid on the head as much as we can in NZ and that lives return to new and better normals.
(The pics below are of the new quilts I made from an old one. I unpicked the Moda Sampler quilt top I made in 2015 and made 10 NICU quilts. So from something unwanted came lots of new that will benefit others. Now for the couriers to deliver the basting spray ...)
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