One day at a time

 Its been a while since my last post to this blog and whilst some things have changed, there is a lot that remains the same. I’m still working from home for the majority of the week, although we are encouraged to go back to the office, this time there is no minimum number of days that you are expected to be in the office. At the moment, our work space is being shared by another team, so we are only supposed to be in the office two days a week and that suits me, although I am yet to make it in on both days. As well as my usual problem, my elderly relative has moved in to permanent residential care and for the last couple of weeks I have been going up during the week as well as one the weekends. Work is being very good and flexible about the arrangements at the moment. Work is busy at the moment, as we prepare for the next state budget, the information I look after has been in the system for some time, but we are waiting for the other areas to complete their adjustments. I am sure th...

I have noticed that the days are getting shorter, or more precisely the daylight hours. Other than that little changes. I'm seeing how my body reacts to wheat again after so many years gluten free. I can't say that it's had a big impact but there are some subtle changes. I don't know if it's related but I'm having difficulty getting off to sleep. 

 Working from home is getting me down and I told my manager during my mid-year performance discussion. He was not surprised given how long this has been going on and that I am living on my own. I visited my relative’s home to check up on it while she is away and it was nice to go for a drive. Unfortunately, Sunday has not gone to plan, as I am ill again. I have decided to have a weekend away in Sydney in April but avoiding Easter weekend as most places are dead one that long weekend.

 I continue to go through the routine of sitting at the computer every day for work and trying to find something to fill my evenings and weekend. The planned break this week, to visit my elderly relative in her care home was knocked for 6 by another COVID case at the care home (and the cancellation of all visits). This week I have left the apartment only a handful times, either to go food shopping or to pick up deliveries. I have been quite proud that I have been able to assemble the new scratching tree and monitor riser myself. I was nice to go shopping with a friend last weekend, but that's not happening this weekend. My friend as recommended that I see a professional to see if they can help my mood.

Whilst the year number changes, life continues to be stuck in a perpetual ground hog day. Working from home continues and new record numbers of infections, hospitalisations and unfortunately deaths occur on a daily basis. I’ve created quite a comfortable cave to hide away from it all and seldom venture out, really only for necessaries (assuming the local supermarket hasn’t run out of them). I miss my chats with my father, even though we didn’t say much it was someone I spoke to on a regular basis, that wasn’t related to work. Although I did enjoy (usually) chatting to work colleagues, it reminds me that I am not the only one stuck at home. I have an elderly relative in residential care and the care home has been hit by a COVID outbreak, thankfully not in the section my relative is in but it does mean that we can not visit her and have to rely on interacting via video calls. On the whole, Victoria has few restrictions, apart from wearing masks indoors. So I guess for a lot of people lif...