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Reality Bites

It only feels like last week that I collected the work laptop and rather reluctantly started my Perth working career. I say reluctantly as it is not what I expected to be doing. As you all know, and it has been well documented, we left Sydney intending to embark on an open ended trip around the world. 

With the next milestone birthday only a couple of years away it was time to step off the hamster wheel and take stock of what the next chapter would hold for us. As we changed seasons in life, what life did we want. Without the distractions of needing to work, and in the creative haven of changing world settings, we hoped to achieve a little bit of clarity. Only, we didn’t get to go.

My journal reminded me of the day last year when this dream took on a more permanent hiatus.

“Back to reality. It had to happen. Hopefully this 6 months of work will fly by.”

Time Flies

And they did. So much so that the following 6 months went just as quick and here I am into year two of my current role. In fairness, a lot has happened in that year. And my role has evolved into something that I am really enjoying. Working with the organization in making work a better place to be. Changing to a more modern, emergent way of working, where people have more autonomy and purpose. 

Coupled with this, having trained as a professional coach in the last 12 months, I am also able to blend this work in, allowing me to help even more people, on a one to one basis. Very satisfying. Being a vocation that I can do from anywhere in the world, coaching is an area that I see playing a big part of the future.

Will we ever see the back of COVID?

What the rest of the future holds, we really don’t know. Just this week we had another snap lockdown in Perth. 3 cases of COVID resulted in the state premier, Mark McGowan, slamming the whole of the Perth region into a 4 day lockdown. A circuit breaker, to “crush” the virus, as he never tires of telling us. I do wonder where the right balance is when I see the sharp increase in cases across the UK and yet there are thousands allowed at the football, jumping all over each other in drunken delirium as England progress.

And one of the poster childs of early COVID success, Israel, also living life as normal whilst their own numbers are on a sharp incline. I guess what both these examples are showing us is that getting everyone vaccinated is key. The only way to move from a suppression strategy to one of management, which is the pivot the Australian government made this week.

All well and good if we get people vaccinated. Currently we have only around 6% of the whole population vaccinated. Which is just not good enough. We were looked on with envy from around the world as we lived our lives in relative freedom over the last 12 months. And this bred complacency. Why rush the vaccine? Why should anyone in the lucky country get vaccinated? So, the government did not make this a priority.

A glimmer of hope

Now, with most of Australia suffering lockdowns, with each state struggling with containing the new Delta variant, we now look wistfully at those countries that have really cracked on with getting people vaccinated. In Australia we have got a bad case of catching up to do. And catching up is what the government says we will do. With a new target (about the tenth we have had) of having the majority of people vaccinated by Christmas, there remains a glimmer of hope that the borders will open for international travel next year. 

Magnificent Margaret River

In the meantime, we will continue to do what we do best. Exploring all the best that Western Australia has to offer. Which last weekend meant another trip to Margaret River. Somewhere I have written about previously. Quite possibly, close your ears in Europe, the best wine region in the world. The quality of wines are hard to beat and the region has everything. Some great beaches hugging a wild coastline and inland there are forests that need to be seen to be believed. Magical. The Boranup Forest will forever hold a place in our hearts.

This trip we had the opportunity to stay at Barn Hives. We were in one of only 6 self-sustainable luxury-eco pods, based in Yallingup, at the top end of the Margaret River region. Very convenient for a great dinner at the nearby historic Caves House Hotel. Even more convenient was the Cape Lavender cafe next door, serving up quite possibly some of the best scones I have ever had. And I have had a lot. That said, I have yet to try the legendary Mrs B’s high tea, the talk of Yorkshire. Maybe if we ever get to leave Australia.

Lunched is served

Whilst in Margaret River we took the opportunity to have a long lunch at Wills Domain. Not quite as long as the 4 hour chef’s table the people behind us were enjoying. I am sure with every course they ate, the ladies’ stool just got lower and lower. A very heavy handbag. Apparently.

Our lunch started off with a glass of obligatory bubbles. The Wills Domain Cuvée d’ Élevage Chardonnay Pinot Noir. Made in the champagne style, and much to the chagrin of winemakers outside of France, unable to call it so. The food that followed was delicious, as was the 2019 “Eightfold chardonnay” that we chose to have with lunch.

Margaret River cellar doors

There are over 100 cellar doors to choose from across the entire Margaret River region and we are on a mission to try every one of them. We visited 7 new ones on this trip bringing our total visits up to 45. A few more trips required to tick off the whole 100. Not that you will find either of us complaining.

So, whilst we navigate the end of our current lockdown, I will get out the map and start planning which vineyards to visit next. Until we can next raise a glass to the good life in Margaret River.

Salut!

As the heat increased, sweat pooling around my eyes,  I wondered how much longer this would go on for. How long I could go on for. It was getting hard to breathe. It felt as though we had been in here for hours. Close your eyes, I told myself. Breathe slowly. 

“Smell the cedar?”, asked Victoria? “How good is this? This is what we paid for.”

Paid for? Yes, indeed, we had paid for this experience. Having our own sauna, small and, rather aptly, wine barrel shaped, outside the room we were staying in was definitely a benefit.

Swan Valley Retreat

The Swan Valley Retreat is nestled in the Henley Brook area of the valley, some 25 minutes drive from the city of Perth. Having just two rooms makes Swan Valley Retreat an exclusive staycation. One that we had to wait 5 months for, due to the demand of the people of Western Australia holidaying at home. In truth, we don’t have that many options. Holiday here this year remains as relevant as it was over a year ago, when the pandemic hit. And so it was, we found ourselves checking in for a couple of nights in May.

The retreat’s only two rooms are quaintly named Cabernet and Merlot. Separated by a day spa, each room has a large outdoor seating area, perfect for that first, and second coffee of the morning. There is a private spa bath (jacuzzi) for lazy afternoons. On arrival we were presented with a fabulous looking platter of meats, cheeses, and fruit, together with an icy bottle of bubbles. A perfect way to start our relaxing weekend.

Swan Valley Wine Region

Thankfully for those of us based in WA, we have world class venues and destinations literally on our doorstep. And the Swan Valley region is one such location. The home of WA’s oldest vines, and the second oldest wine region in Australia, Swan Valley has been growing grapes since 1829. The warm Mediterranean climate is perfect for white wines such as verdelho and chenin blanc, whilst the reds of shiraz, grenache, and petit verdot are as good as you will taste.

There are some great food options to go with your wine. Sittella winery is one such option. It has a restaurant overlooking their vines and we indulged in a very good lunch which included dishes of lamb rack and grilled barramundi. We complemented the meal with Sittella’s wine, starting with a glass of the excellent bubbles, the sparkling chenin blanc, followed by an rather tasty cabernet sauvignon.

High tea in Swan Valley

Sunday speaks more to high tea, and where better than Cottage Tea Rooms, advertising “the best scones in the valley”. And who am I to argue? Granted, I do spend a lot of time searching for the best high teas in Australia. And the little warm delights served up were delicious. What I would give for places in Australia to provide authentic clotted cream, yet this is a minor criticism.

Something nobody can criticise about the Swan Valley is the sheer number of quality eating and drinking options. Mandoon Estate offers not only a cellar door for tasting, a fine dining restaurant, a brewery, and an outdoor “Garden Bar”, but also, its very own hotel, “The Colony”. You could happily spend a weekend at Mandoon Estate without ever leaving the vast grounds.

Breweries seem to have proliferated in recent years in WA, and Swan Valley is no exception. In addition to the one at Mandoon Estate, there is also Mash Brewery, Elmar’s, Henley Brook, Duckstein, and the newest member, Bailey’s Brewery which sports the tagline, “It is simple really”. And it is. With them all offering quality brews and food, all you need to do is decide which to visit. And my advice would be to book ahead. Despite many options, and them all being quite large, they book out very quickly.

Reflecting on a great staycation

Suitably fed, we retired back to our accommodation at Swan Valley retreat. With a bottle of that excellent Sittella sparkling chenin blanc we watched the last of the day’s light turn to a carpet of stars from the private outdoor spa that comes with the room. All we had to do was sit back and work out the plan for tomorrow. Where would we have lunch after starting the morning in the sauna. Would we opt for hop or vine? In the Swan Valley you truly are spoilt for choice. No sweat.

Falling like dominoes

My fingers hovered nervously above the keyboard. As international borders started closing like the falling of dominoes, putting a hold on our long planned for dream trip around the world, Australia’s internal borders were closing in around us. Our options were getting shorter by the hour.

Fuelled by the champagne we had drowned our sorrows in, we rapidly made a plan b. Or was that plan c, or even plan d? I had lost count by this point. Scanning the Qantas app we found 2 seats available, flying out of Sydney the day after. What did we have to lose? All our possessions were in storage. We had nowhere to live, having vacated our apartment. And we had no jobs.

So it was that just 24 hours later we found ourselves settling into an Air BnB some 3,900kms away. Perth was to be where we would spend the next chapter of our lives, a chapter we didn’t know the length of. To be honest, a chapter we still don’t know the length of. What follows is the highlights of our 365 days in Perth.

We were to be sandgropers for the foreseeable future. We had a new mantra to learn, “west is best”, something the proud residents of Western Australia would not let us forget.

March 2020

Arriving in late March, we had booked ourselves into an Air BnB for the week, just to find our feet. We were to end up staying at three different places over the first 3 weeks. With the COVID restrictions we had to self cater and only treat ourselves to a takeaway once a week. It did feel very strange not being able to sit in for breakfast, lunch or dinner but many cafes and restaurants did a great job in switching their business models at very short notice. The word of the moment was “pivot”. There was a very noticeable increase of Uber delivery cyclists up and down the streets of Perth. 

To be honest, I thought the Perth chapter was going to be very temporary. So we were keeping a close eye on our travel funds. I resisted even looking at what jobs were available. Why would I want a job when I would shortly be off travelling the world?

Thankfully, one of us is pragmatic and before long I was convinced that I needed to pivot. I started putting my toe in the water to see what was out there. And it wasn’t pretty. COVID had emptied city centre office blocks and with the uncertainty, many organisations had put a hold on recruitment. Through this time I got some tremendous support from various people. People who I didn’t previously know that well. That said, there was a point where I was looking in the windows of bike shops wondering which trusty steed would carry me and a large Uber food delivery bag. That would have been the pivot of all pivots.

April 2020

Still without a job, we managed to secure our first rental property. A 2 bedroom furnished apartment in East Perth. A great location by the Swan River which allowed us to keep up our regular exercise, running around Optus Stadium, whilst we couldn’t afford a gym membership.

As I continued to try and find work, I was using the down time to catch up on some books that had so far eluded me. I managed to read Mandela’s “Long Walk to Freedom” with a deeper connection, as last year we had visited Robben Island where he was incarcerated for 18 years of his 27 year sentence. George Eliot’s “Middlemarch” was another massive tome that I finally finished with a sense of achievement and enjoyment at the stories she (Mary Ann Evans) weaved.

May 2020

It was with great relief that one of us finally got a job. Victoria started bringing home the bacon with her first job in Perth. No, she didn’t become a butcher! It’s a metaphor. Never mind.

With some money coming in, and the easing of COVID restrictions, we finally managed to start eating out again. Our first “proper” night out was at Balthazar restaurant in the city. And what a fabulous meal. With a great bottle of red it was a real reminder of what it means to have these experiences in our lives.

I kept myself busy by studying and passing the exam for the Level 1 wine exam with WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust). I found this very enjoyable and appreciated the deeper connection I have with wine through knowing more about its history and the different wine regions of the world. 

June 2020

Hurrah! I got a job. And a good one. I started working at Synergy as a team coach, on a 6 month contract. My early days were all worked remotely, as was the interview and onboarding process, but it wasn’t long before we were allowed back into the office. It was good to once again have some semblance of normality to hold on to.

And talking of normality, with two incomes now coming into the house we upped the occasions we treat ourselves to meals out at restaurants. The food scene is very good in Perth and it wasn’t long before we started creating a list of places we wanted to visit. The list continues to grow.

July 2020

July heralded a massive milestone with Victoria becoming an Australian citizen. Unfortunately no guests were allowed into the ceremony so whilst I couldn’t witness the actual moment, I was waiting patiently outside to whisk her off for champagne and a celebratory curry.

On the self development front I trained and became a Mental Health First Aider. This is a topic that I feel is so important that the more people we can train, the better the world will be. Thankfully, the stigma of talking about mental health does seem to be lifting a little and I will continue to do my piece, however small.

Regular readers of the blog will know that this time of year always brings “Xmas in July”. This is an event often celebrated by expats in Australia. As July is the “coldest” month of winter, we dig out our xmas jumpers and celebrate the festive season. A good excuse for a big xmas lunch. This year we celebrated at Durty Nelly’s Irish bar in the city.

Having not visited for a while, it was time to have a weekend away to Margaret River. Three days in a region that will forever be my happy place was topped off with an excellent lunch at the ever reliable Rustico restaurant at Hay Shed Hill winery.

August 2020

Imagine the joy I felt when I realised I lived on the doorstep of a whiskey distillery. Whipper Snapper, Perth’s urban whiskey distillery in fact. I wrote about it here. We had a tour and with only one of us enjoying whiskey it turned out to be a great day for me.

One thing we both enjoy is high tea. You may have seen my search for Sydney’s best high tea. This time we were trying out the delights at the Lobby Lounge bar at Crown Towers. I am pleased to report that Perth has a strong high tea game.

Hiring a car for the weekend we headed up to the Edge Retreat for a staycation in Lower Chittering, a short drive from the city. This truly was off grid, with the eco property built right on the edge of a bluff so that it appeared to be at “the end of the world”. 

September 2020

September saw us once again making the short journey to the Margaret River region, this time staying at the “Tack Room” in Cowaramup. Another great find on Air BnB. As well as the beautiful farm we were staying on our host also had a house in Cornwall. Find me two better locations in the world. I’ll wait…

You may know of my love for burgers. You may also know of the “best burger” spreadsheet I have. I may have to retire the spreadsheet as we found quite possibly the best cheeseburger ever, at the Old Faithful in the city. Just look at this beauty.

On the subject of food (I am never far away from it), we had a visit to the historic Rose and Crown in Guildford. Reported to be the oldest operating pub in WA, they do some of the best Sunday lunches on the planet.

On the professional front I completed Level 1 of my Organisational Coaching course. This was an intense 3 day Zoom workshop. And still. it was highly engaging, and more energising than I expected.

October 2020

The staycations continued in October with our first stay at the Ritz-Carlton, located in the revitalised Elizabeth Quay. The views over the Swan River were almost as exquisite as the food we had for dinner at the in house restaurant, “Hearth”.

In very exciting news we moved into the new house, in the vibrant suburb of Mt Hawthorn, a short distance from the city. Moving from apartment living, to a house for the first time in over 10 years. We now have a front and back garden to chill in on long, lazy Sunday afternoons. 

After a busy day of moving in we found a local curry house and had a great evening talking about the plans we wanted to make for this exciting chapter.

Moving onwards and upwards, Victoria started a new role at HBF, the largest health fund provider in the west. The bacon was upgraded to gammon.

November 2020

Year round, Perth often has festivals and events happening across the city. The start of November saw us heading over to South Perth in the rain for our first “Beer and beef” festival, a combination we could not miss. Despite the rain there was a good turn out and we got to sample some great beers to go with the mouth watering Tony Roma ribs.

Needing a staycation we jumped on the train to the port city of Fremantle. We spent a night at the very European looking Port Mill bed and breakfast. Dinner saw us moving across the world to Asia and we had a delightful tasting menu at Tonic & Ginger. Somewhere we are certain to return to.

Margaret River was again on the agenda to celebrate Victoria’s birthday. A private wine tour with Grape Escape had us checking off some more of the over 200 wineries in the region. 

December 2020

December brings summer and a close down of most workplaces as people take an extended Xmas break. We took the opportunity for an epic 2 week road trip from Perth all the way up to Exmouth and back. Something I wrote about here.

It is these kinds of trips that really bring home how big this vast country is. We were often driving for hours on seemingly empty roads. With nothing but red sand and scrub all around us. The occasional road train thunders past, snapping you out of your reverie.

Rottnest Island, just off the coast of Perth used to be the Butlins of Western Australia. No more, with the arrival of the new luxury beach retreat, Samphire. We decided to check it out, spending two nights by the sea. In between lazing around the pool we also took out e-bikes to explore the island, saying hello to the many quokkas that call Rottnest home.

On the work front I must have been doing something right as I was asked to extend my contract for a further 6 months.

January 2021

We had our first real lockdown. A COVID case in the community sent shockwaves through a Perth community that had become very complacent over the last 12 months. The Premier, big dog McGowan, with an election on the horizon, took a very tough stance and enforced a 6 day full lockdown, with the introduction of mandatory masks if you ventured outside the home for one of the official four reasons.

Thankfully, we still managed to have a trip to Margaret River before the lockdown hit. We stayed in a new part of the region for us, a little further south in the charming village of Witchcliffe. The highlight of this trip was the world class lunch at Leeuwin Estate.

February 2021

Thankfully, Perth pulled together, and the COVID case proved to be an isolated incident. With no further community transmission our restrictions were lifted, and less than 2 weeks later we were living the life we had before the snap restrictions.

And with that it was time for another high tea. This one a little different. A cheese and champagne high tea at the Crown Towers resort. Baked Brie was amongst the cheeses that accompanied our flight of champagnes. Decadent? Yes. Enjoyable? Absolutely.

For the first time in a year we once again stepped foot in an airport, and flew to Broome for a holiday at the Cable Beach Club. The whole experience was different to any travel we had previously done. Have a read of our experience here.

March 2021

Closer to home, and without the need for a flight, we had a 2 night staycation at the QT Hotel in the Perth CBD. This was to be the first of two staycations in March, with us also spending a night, finally, at Crown Towers, home of three hotels and Perth’s casino. 

We also managed to catch a movie under the stars, just before they ended for the season. It is a great experience, laid under the night sky, on a bean bag, sipping chilled white wine and watching a film.

Professionally, I decided to take my learning to the next level. Having logged well over the mandatory 20 hours of professional coaching, I embarked on level 2 of the organisational coaching course with the Institute of Executive Coaches and Leaders. If you are ever interested to hear more about coaching, and how you can benefit from it, give me a shout.

What is the next chapter?

One year ago we could never have predicted what life had in store for us. Reflecting on our achievements I am proud of us as a couple on what we have achieved. Through adversity, and in a new city, we have adapted to our new surroundings and thrived. 

We have explored so much of the vast state of Western Australia, and really got a look at Perth as a city to live in. A very liveable city. A city that continues to expand, with new bars seemingly opening up every second week. The village where we live is so vibrant, with a large Italian population. The weekend just gone we visited an Italian Street Market, which could have been a square in Naples.

As we enter our second year here on the west coast, again we can only speculate what the next 365 days will hold for us. Much as we felt a year ago, we very much hope that global travel becomes top of the agenda. Either way, we will keep you posted.

Up in the air

I heard the once familiar chime reminding us that seat belts could now be removed. We could walk about the cabin. Currently in the air, somewhere high above the vast expanse of Western Australia, we are in something called an airplane. If you are not familiar with such a contraption, they are jet propelled machines that convey people across the skies, across large distances.

Today we are being conveyed from Perth to the tourist destination of Broome, some 2,224 kilometres away. 22 hours had we chosen to drive. A more palatable 2 hours 50 minutes by the magic of airplane. Originally a pearling town, Broome has made itself into a tourist mecca, and pearls are never far away, judging by the number of tourists I saw wearing them.

Destination Broome

Broome is not the only thing to have changed a lot. Air travel is almost unrecognisable since we last experienced it over 12 months ago. Airports bereft of excited travellers, and children charging ahead of tired parents. People mindlessly spending money on sunglasses they probably don’t need. Another bottle of perfume to add to the dozen or so that hide below the bathroom sink in cupboards that haven’t been opened since your last holiday. 

Terminal 1 at Perth Domestic Airport offered no such temptation today. Most stores were closed. No last minute electronics, or bottles of single malt whisky for me. Even visiting the business class lounge made me feel that I was at the tail end of some apocalypse. Shelves stripped bare of magazines. A scarce selection of pre-prepared food served behind barriers only accessible to the lounge staff, who must be glad of having something to do. The lounge was no longer a place that encouraged lounging.

And so we found ourselves masking up and boarding an aeroplane for the first time in 12 months. The first time where masks in both the airport, and on the planes, are mandatory. We were going to spend the short flight in business class. Not nearly as impressive as it sounds. Things have changed. Oh haven’t they just.

Business Class without the class

No sparkling wine. What is business class without that first glass of bubbles? Somehow harking back to a more glamorous era, it is almost worth the cost of the upgrade. Sitting and relaxing with a glass of bubbles, smugly watching everyone else file past on the way to their economy class seats. But not today. Our choice was a simple one. Red or white wine. Served in a plastic cup. Horror of horrors. Quite different to our last business class adventure.

Talking of horrors, then there was the food. Or, there wasn’t. The in flight meal has been replaced with a snack box. Literally, a snack. In a box. A tiny, dinky, little cardboard box. I do wonder how airlines can keep enticing customers to pay the often exorbitant cost of flying business class when the points of differentiation from economy are so reduced.

The “luxury” of boarding first, and a slightly bigger seat may no longer cut the mustard. Slabs of processed cheese in little, hard to open, plastic wrappers certainly won’t. I will watch with interest, as vaccines start to roll out across the world, and confidence regarding travel increases, as to how the business class offering evolves. Or doesn’t. 

Economising

On the return flight we opted to fly economy, fully expecting to get the same cardboard box and a plastic cup of wine. We were to be surprised. And not in a good way. Somehow, COVID has resulted in alcohol no longer being offered in economy. Something that truly baffles me. Where is the increased risk just because you are sitting beyond the first four rows in the airplane? Can COVID not breach business class?

And Virgin has always offered a meal option on domestic flights. Today this meal comprised either a sweet or savoury snack. That was it. That was the “meal”. I opted for savoury, my mouth watering in anticipation of the meat pie I expected to receive. Would they have tomato ketchup, I wondered.

As the wheels of the trolley arrived at our seat, and I was handed my savoury snack, I was immensely disappointed to note that it was a bag of chickpeas. Chickpeas! Served with a plastic cup of apple juice. I kid you not. People in prisons get larger meals. Not that I am comparing flying Virgin with being in prison but the whole experience was very underwhelming.

The Popularity of Travel

And despite the inconveniences of mandatory mask wearing. Having to drink out of plastic cups. And no extra pair of sunglasses to gather dust in your drawers. People still want to travel. Our flight was almost full, both heading up to Broome, and coming home. 

Despite a lot of what I read, confidence in air travel remains high. I remain convinced that the air industry is going to bounce back stronger than ever. As more people across the globe get vaccinated, as more countries start opening up their borders for overseas tourists, I believe that the “holiday at home” mantra will become a relic of the past, hopefully along with those pesky little snack boxes.

Thursday, 4th February, 2021

The Premier’s press conference brought good news. Day 4 of the lockdown and day 4 of zero cases. Yet another “doughnut day”, as was yesterday. The number of people getting tested has dropped to just over 7,000 with a call for as many people who are feeling symptoms to go and get tested.

Scraping the barrel for news

By now, I am scraping the barrel of what to update you on. Pottering from room to room soon loses its lustre. The most exciting thing that happened was the ramen noodle bowl I had for lunch. Priced at $1.50 each, I bought two in Woolworths, but am not sure I will be able to eat the second. My mouth still feels on fire hours after I had it for lunch. When it says “hot” on the side I didn’t think this meant, “blow your head off”, hot.

The evening got a little more interesting, with another press conference from the Premier. The good news is that “subject to no new cases overnight” we are on track to come out of lockdown. Businesses are now on alert and ready to throw open their doors to a very eager public.

Friday, 5th February, 2021

Day 5 of the lockdown. And to be honest, it has been ok. Working from home again, which was easy enough to adapt to, after the experience of the last year. When I reflect on the week, one thing I have been mindfully aware of is, I have felt an increase in cognitive fatigue. The impact of constant video calls does take its toll mentally and I have been sharing some hints and tips with work on how we might better manage this.

The good news

Today’s press conference from the Premier was almost on time, unlike earlier in the week when we had quite lengthy delays. To me that suggests that the issues are getting clearer and this was borne out by the update from Mark McGowan today.

Once again, we have zero local transmission cases of COVID from 8307 tests. We have achieved our goal, and the big dog confirmed that this means that we will transition out of lockdown from 6pm this evening. Great news for the whole of Perth, Peel, and the South West region. I had to smile when the Premier was asked where he would be at 6pm. “At my desk, probably”, was his quick response.

Transition Measures

Yesterday I hinted at the transition measures that might remain and we now know what these will be. Once the lockdown lifts at 6pm, and until Sunday 14th February, mask wearing outside remains mandatory. Even when we are in gyms, pubs, cafes, and bars. When asked how people could be expected to wear a mask whilst enjoying a meal, the official advice is “use common sense”.

We will also see a brief introduction of the 4sq metre rule for numbers of people allowed on business premises. This will have a large impact on small businesses that just don’t have the room to make that viable. Thankfully it is only for a week.

Lunch update

Being Friday, we decided to treat ourselves to lunch from an excellent local Indonesian cafe, Chinta. I am very pleased to report that the “express lunch” takeaway offering of Nasi Goreng was much better than yesterday’s budget noodles.

Today, we heard that the bushfires claimed 5 more houses overnight but in better news the fires do seem to be coming under control through the tireless work of the firies. Let’s hope this good news continues through the weekend. With heavy rain forecast for Saturday and Sunday things should only get better.

As the clock ticks around to 6pm I can already see increased foot traffic outside. I can sense the anticipation. People must be heading to the village and the re-opened restaurants. We will just have a chilled evening at home but will raise a glass to all West Australians who have come together this week and collectively got us through this.

Cheers, fellow sandgropers!

Wednesday, 3rd February, 2021

Hello again my friends, and welcome to the Perth lockdown diaries for Wednesday. You can catch up on days 1 and 2 here. Read along as we navigate the snap lockdown in Perth.

Groundhog Day

For those of you that have been in lockdown for a long time, what does it feel like? Seriously, what are you doing to stay sane? Please share your tips and advice. We are in day 3 and already it is starting to feel like groundhog day. I can only imagine what you must be feeling after an extended period.

In today’s press conference, we got more good news from the Premier. Big Dog McGowan told us that there had been in excess of 12,000 COVID tests, which resulted in another day of zero local transmission. Another doughnut day. The sceptical amongst you may be wondering how this is even possible. 

Patient 903

Patient 903, which is what the government is now affectionately calling the hotel security guard that triggered the lockdown, was in close contact with quite a lot of people. From the contact tracing we can see that he had also visited many locations. He seems to be partial to KFC. And he has the UK variant which we are told is much more highly transmissible than other variants. Yet, all the close and casual contacts are currently returning negative COVID test results. It is a mystery. But a happy one for the people of Perth.

The new normal, again

Whilst we keep getting “doughnut days”, the Premier says that we will come out of lockdown as planned at 6pm on Friday. Interestingly, the narrative is subtly changing with talk now of not returning to the normality we had, prior to last Sunday, but to a normal that includes new COVID restrictions. We wait with anticipation to hear what these restrictions are.

The bushfires continue to rage across parts of Perth and thankfully there has been no loss of life. This is in large part thanks to the extraordinary job the emergency services are doing. The firies continue to work relentlessly, with assistance from the east coast who have flown over additional aerial tankers for dousing the flames. Sadly, the number of properties lost to the fires has jumped up to 81. We pray for good weather conditions overnight and that the situation starts to improve.

In more positive news, the wine remains in the bottle and my willpower continues to hold out. Two more days of lockdown. We can, and will, do this.