Hi everyone,

Hope you are all keeping well and hanging in there with this never ending lockdown and the ensuing boredom!

I’m sure I’m not the only one that has found this lockdown by far the hardest of them all, as the weather has been against us. Its been bitterly cold recently, and those socially distanced walks have been hard to get excited about. On the positive side, we have been lucky “up north” in that we have had loads of snow which has kept us amused with sledging and snow ball fights in the garden. I know recently those of you that are further south have also had a little taste of that too, and under normal circumstances we would all be wishing it away - but this year its given us all some diversion from the “same old, same old” of most weekends.

Here at Lower House we have also been kept busy with the ongoing renovations. I can’t believe I’m saying this after nearly 5 months of mayhem, but I think I can see the finishing line . The picture above was taken after my husband Paul and I had spend last Saturday buffing 80 sqm of new engineered wood flooring from Havwoods International Flooring (a brilliant family owned and operated British company based in Carnforth, Lancashire that I would highly recommend). I know you wouldn’t immediately think that buffing the floor would be funny - but let me tell you it is! Those buffing machines weigh an absolute ton and when you start them up its like trying to control a runaway shopping trolley with an engine ! Our teenage daughter Georgia found it highly amusing and I think some of the video she took of us struggling to control the buffer is probably now floating about on Youtube, It was totally worth it though, as the floor now looks amazing - really happy with it. The kitchen is still a work in progress, but as is the way with kitchens, once they get on a roll, it all comes together really quickly so I’m hoping that I’ll have some great pictures to show you really soon.

My other real quandry of the last few weeks has been whether or not to book to travel home to see my parents in Australia. With the recent news from the Australian government that they are unlikely to remove mandatory hotel quarantine restrictions for Australian citizens entering Australia for the rest of 2021, and continuing to keep the border closed to Australians wishing to leave Australia either, it really comes down to me running the gauntlet, so to speak; and returning home. Knowing that I will need to do 14 days of complete isolation on my own in order to see them, has meant I have constantly asked myself the question… do I go now, our wait a little longer?. As I now haven’t seen them in nearly 2 years and my father Barry has recently been very unwell and still undergoing tests, I feel that I need to see them sooner rather than later. I can honestly say, that at no other point in the time I have lived here in the UK have I ever felt so far away from family in Oz. To me, it was always - if I need to go home, I can be there in 24 hours - but at the moment, and for the foreseeable future that’s no longer the case.

So to go, or not to go? its like trying to make plans on shifting sands... you are never quite sure what changes both the UK and Australian Governments might put into place at any time. I have put it off twice now during the pandemic - should I put it off a third? I know its just as complicated for people here in the UK, separated by distance, which before the pandemic was just a hop skip and a jump away - no bother really… but now that same distance seems endless, difficult… placing us all in a similar quandry. I’ll keep you posted on what I decide.

So, on that note - I will sign off, take care everyone, stay safe and remember, when all else fails and total boredom sets in there is always cake and Netflix… oh, or a paint brush - I wouldn’t recommend a buffing machine!

xx