Day One - settling in to a new NZ
I woke this morning to a glorious sunrise - such a thing is not unusual up here at Omaha Beach, but my seeing them is rather rare (I'm a night owl).
I do wonder why I'm up and about so early and put my unusual morning verve down to a sense of anticipation to see how our country handles this new way of being and what positive changes can come from it all. Today will be an indicator of how seriously people are taking this.
For a long time I've lamented the state of chaos that the world has been tumbling deeply and out-of-control into, wishing it could somehow get back on an even keel, get back to basics. How on earth that might happen was utterly beyond me ... but it seems the universe had a plan. Let's hope it works.
As Day One gets under way and the water glistens out on the horizon, it's eerily quiet. Usually a procession of cars, tractors and boats passes our place at any hour, families and dogs walk by on the pathways, kids cycle and people come and go with merriment amidst a cacophony of beachside happiness. This morning, none of the above. Just a blazing sun, silence and emptiness.
Michael went for a lone early morning run on the beach as the start of a fitness regime that is both possible and positive. He then settled into work mode. He has half the dining table, I have the other half. Luckily it's a good old fashioned extendable one - we can use the middle part to eat, without disturbing our work spaces!
Around midday I went for a lone walk along the beach - for a dose of fresh air and to get a few supplies from the local Superette, which remains open on a strict "one person at a time" policy to serve the local community. It's great to have this facility so close by (walkable). And they sell wine!
As to be expected, the beach was pretty deserted with just a handful of wanderers, keeping their distance. in 45 years of coming up to Omaha, I've never seen the beach area in front of the Surf Club completely empty like it was today. Ever.
Back at home in Auckland Brett managed to get himself set up to work remotely - a bit of a mission by all accounts, but the Zoom meeting with colleagues to get the remote office into gear went smoothly.
I also had a couple of Zoom calls - a test run to iron out any teething issues for a board meeting coming up on Sunday (for the NZ Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners Federation). We were supposed to meet in Palmerston North but that was canned and we'll be Zooming instead from our homes around the country. The racing industry, which has already been battling the doldrums for some time, is now sadly heading into a deeper abyss, with racing cancelled, sports on hold and the TAB in dire straits. But that's another post ...
Michael and I sat down to a delicious triple-decker BLECAT toasted sandwich for brunch - bacon (sizzled gently with plum sauce), lettuce (crispy cos), egg with melted cheese and pepper on top (fried, and lightly over), avocado (perfectly ripe and drizzled with balsamic glaze), tomato (firm, tasty and salted). All this sandwiched between fresh bread, lightly toasted and spread with homemade mayonnaise, homemade tomato sauce and onion marmalade. Bloody good, even if I do say so myself. Not what I would normally prepare for lunch on a Thursday!
Dinner is cooked by Michael - the best teriyaki chicken noodle dish I've ever had! He was due to go flatting this weekend but that's off the cards for the time being. During these coming weeks he'll have time to hone his already-reasonable skills in the cooking department, and expand his repertoire - he'll be a highly valuable flatmate, when he can actually go flatting.
Indi has settled in nicely, she loves it up here.
A few people have wandered past during the day to get some fresh air and exercise.
But generally there is nothing and no one. Just us.
SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
So this was day one of proper lockdown, of staying at home, working remotely and hunkering down in a bubble. I've worked from home since 2006 so that side of things is normal for me. But, still, this is different. I'm now working from the beach house!
On the beach today there was a lovely driftwood sculpture (see photo) which presumably amused some kids for a few hours. It was rather exquisitely and intricately put together and made me smile.
Life's okay.
I do wonder why I'm up and about so early and put my unusual morning verve down to a sense of anticipation to see how our country handles this new way of being and what positive changes can come from it all. Today will be an indicator of how seriously people are taking this.
For a long time I've lamented the state of chaos that the world has been tumbling deeply and out-of-control into, wishing it could somehow get back on an even keel, get back to basics. How on earth that might happen was utterly beyond me ... but it seems the universe had a plan. Let's hope it works.
As Day One gets under way and the water glistens out on the horizon, it's eerily quiet. Usually a procession of cars, tractors and boats passes our place at any hour, families and dogs walk by on the pathways, kids cycle and people come and go with merriment amidst a cacophony of beachside happiness. This morning, none of the above. Just a blazing sun, silence and emptiness.
Michael went for a lone early morning run on the beach as the start of a fitness regime that is both possible and positive. He then settled into work mode. He has half the dining table, I have the other half. Luckily it's a good old fashioned extendable one - we can use the middle part to eat, without disturbing our work spaces!
Around midday I went for a lone walk along the beach - for a dose of fresh air and to get a few supplies from the local Superette, which remains open on a strict "one person at a time" policy to serve the local community. It's great to have this facility so close by (walkable). And they sell wine!
As to be expected, the beach was pretty deserted with just a handful of wanderers, keeping their distance. in 45 years of coming up to Omaha, I've never seen the beach area in front of the Surf Club completely empty like it was today. Ever.
Back at home in Auckland Brett managed to get himself set up to work remotely - a bit of a mission by all accounts, but the Zoom meeting with colleagues to get the remote office into gear went smoothly.
I also had a couple of Zoom calls - a test run to iron out any teething issues for a board meeting coming up on Sunday (for the NZ Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners Federation). We were supposed to meet in Palmerston North but that was canned and we'll be Zooming instead from our homes around the country. The racing industry, which has already been battling the doldrums for some time, is now sadly heading into a deeper abyss, with racing cancelled, sports on hold and the TAB in dire straits. But that's another post ...
Michael and I sat down to a delicious triple-decker BLECAT toasted sandwich for brunch - bacon (sizzled gently with plum sauce), lettuce (crispy cos), egg with melted cheese and pepper on top (fried, and lightly over), avocado (perfectly ripe and drizzled with balsamic glaze), tomato (firm, tasty and salted). All this sandwiched between fresh bread, lightly toasted and spread with homemade mayonnaise, homemade tomato sauce and onion marmalade. Bloody good, even if I do say so myself. Not what I would normally prepare for lunch on a Thursday!
Dinner is cooked by Michael - the best teriyaki chicken noodle dish I've ever had! He was due to go flatting this weekend but that's off the cards for the time being. During these coming weeks he'll have time to hone his already-reasonable skills in the cooking department, and expand his repertoire - he'll be a highly valuable flatmate, when he can actually go flatting.
Indi has settled in nicely, she loves it up here.
A few people have wandered past during the day to get some fresh air and exercise.
But generally there is nothing and no one. Just us.
SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
So this was day one of proper lockdown, of staying at home, working remotely and hunkering down in a bubble. I've worked from home since 2006 so that side of things is normal for me. But, still, this is different. I'm now working from the beach house!
On the beach today there was a lovely driftwood sculpture (see photo) which presumably amused some kids for a few hours. It was rather exquisitely and intricately put together and made me smile.
Life's okay.
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| Sunrise 26 March 2020 |
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| Omaha Beach photo of the day - Driftwood sculpture |
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