Silence to enjoy as virus-created veggie patch grows

Temptation to head out quickly disappears even during Easter quiet.

OPINION

FOR a strange moment it's eerily quiet, except for the tapping of my keyboard.

There's no dogs barking, no mowers roaring and even the normally noisy birds outside have joined the unified silence.

I doubt it will last long but it's actually quite comforting - especially for an Easter Sunday.

While I was unable to celebrate my 28th wedding anniversary or take the kids fishing or to the beach, it was actually a pleasant few minutes just soaking up the serenity.

My wife is sleeping from working overnight, my son is reading a Hunger Games book for school and my daughter is attending to online university demands.

If only my household was always this peaceful.

I miss being out seeing all my sporting colleagues and watching our Ipswich club and representative teams do battle.

It's also disconcerting having little sport to view on TV apart from old re-runs and thankfully some racing. Though even that isn't the same without being able to pop into the nearby tavern to put on a bet and chat to friends.

But as the home isolation continues, we have plenty to be thankful for.

Australia's coronavirus situation is clearly improving, albeit tainted by the number of people being fined for ignoring the warnings.

As much as I'd love to drive to the coast, there was no temptation at all this weekend in the interests of playing it safe.

The only real trip was to get fish and chips on Good Friday and that provided a huge wait with so many other people having the same idea.

Thankfully, excellent social distancing was adhered to. It was refreshing to see that mobile phones got a workover as hungry customers wandered out on to nearby grassed areas and spread around the edges of the carpark.

Some people started to get impatient due to the long wait. But overall, it was encouraging to see everyone pop in and out of the seafood shop as quickly as possible and only in small groups.

There was a wonderful measure of courtesy too as people asked where they could join the queue.

The relentless government messages must be getting through.

As I prepare for another week and some time off for working either side of Easter, it's hard to describe the feeling.

I'm grateful my family is doing the right thing and being safe.

I'm also delighted the veggie patch we started a few weeks ago is now flourishing and we could soon have some fresh food to enjoy without leaving home.

However, that's the weird situation.

As every day passes, the anticipation of being able to get out and about grows stronger.

I just want to go fishing or see my family out socialising again whenever they like.

But that's only a brief reflection at the moment.

While many media organisations are plotting the relaxation of restrictions dangerously ahead of government plans, we must remain cautious.

Seeing what's happening overseas should remind everyone why we are in the Lucky Country Australia.

Let's not risk losing that title by undoing all the great self-isolation work.

Even when everything appears quiet outside this Easter.

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