Lockdown, locked-up and pissed-off!

This "killer" virus has caused havoc across the world — and even in our tiny corner of that world. Let me say straight off I think the media have shamelessly exploited and manipulated the reporting and consequent fear of this virus. Don't get me wrong; I'm not one of these "Oh, it's just the flu" supporters. No, it's NOT good, but the media are pushing the doom, gloom, crisis, pandemic bow wave for just one reason — to sell print or airtime.

And the pandemic they have shamelessly pushed is "fear": fear of the virus, fear of the vaccine, fear of NOT being vaccinated, fear of those who choose to not be vaccinated. And the end result is people I know, who are normal, sane intelligent people, are scared — shit scared! They are happy to be "locked down"; happy to be in isolation; happy to have "strangers" forcibly locked out of the state; happy to see any form of human rights washed down the gutter — as long as they are "safe".

And the hate that churns and bubbles in these people. Protestors? "Lock them away, for good", "Give them the virus and see how they feel", "Make them work in a Covid ward until they catch the virus, then deny them any medical treatment". That's paraphrasing, but all true. It's frightening.

And the police response? Crush any protest. OC spray anyone who protests, even kids. Arrest people, especially pregnant five-foot mums, for posting their objections on Facebook. Arrest people sitting in a park, surrounded by fuck all and no-one, for not wearing a mask and having a rest from "exercising". Use hard rubber/plastic shot from an M-14 facsimile at close range into people who have done nothing other than say, "We protest". In Australia! MY Australia! No, I take that back ... it's no longer my Australia.

So, you say, I'm one of those anti-vaxxer lunatics? Nope. Weighed the pros and cons, given my age and medical history, and had my two AZ needles. That was months back. Would I do the same now? I'm not sure; let's just say the jury is out.

So where do I stand? Let me say this: We will NEVER "crush" or "defeat" CV-19. It is here to stay, like it or lump it. Yes, we will possibly need yearly "booster" shots, like the flu. Yes, it will continue to mutate, but each mutation, while it becomes perhaps more infectious, should make it less virulent. (Terms our media either don't know or deliberately ignore.)

No matter what, I believe we are approaching the situation where the pressure valve has been overtightened. Unless there is (very soon) a perceived way out of this present way of living, there is going to be an explosion of trouble that no-one wants.

This 70% - 80% vaccinated crap is just that — crap. Open up. Yes, people will die. Mostly, people like me — old, with medical problems. So? If it means my kids and grandkids can enjoy the sort of freedom and life I've enjoyed, bring it on!

I'm too pissed off to post any more. Maybe later. Perhaps. If I keep this blog going. Why would I? The fun of living has gone.

Covid-19; give me a break!

Without doubt, 2020 was an annus horribilis, not just for us, but for the entire world. Though I am far from being a conspiracy theorist, some things about this pandemic — and the responses to it — just don't add up for me. For example, the word 'cases', as it used, puzzles me. 'There were 5500 new cases reported in the USA today. OK, fair enough. But how many were actually ill? How many were admitted to hospital, or ICU? How many were put on respirators? How many were totally asymptomatic? Lets just say these numbers help sell newspapers and advertising. Or just call me cynical.

Here in Australia we have been ... fortunate. Fortunate by dint of our geographical isolation, both internally and externally. Compared to say the UK or the USA, life here has been remarkably 'normal', except there is no international travel and some internal border restrictions.

 We were on a cruise (quelle surprise) when the full impact of CV-19 surfaced. Our cruise was with Silversea on Silver Spirit, departing Singapore and finishing 15 days later in Ho Chi Minh City. However, as the pandemic spread, so countries began closing their ports. Time after time, we were turned away, even from ports that were not on our original itinerary. We jokingly referred to it as 'The Voyage of the Damned'. (One friend, however, hearing of our six-star luxury onboard, promptly renamed it 'The Voyage of the Overly Indulged'.) For 10 days we wandered without touching land, with no contact with anyone not on the ship. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Our temperature was taken every day; the crew twice a day. Cleaning and sterilising, already exemplary, were ramped up. There were no recorded cases of illness on board.

Finally, the Australian government agreed we could land in Darwin, which was fine for us but didn't make the British guests — the majority — too happy. We were met by coaches and taken to the airport, onto the plane and a direct flight to Perth. The authorities told us that as we had had no contact with land for the 10 days previous, we were only required to self-isolate at home for an additional four days. We did it longer than that, because we could not have forgiven ourselves had we actually infected anyone. Just as divorce seemed to be the only logical option, we were set free!

As soon as our intrastate travel restrictions were lifted, I planned and booked a celebratory 'road trip' — from Perth to Kununurra in our far north, and back, of course. I think that trip helped save what little hair and sanity I have left. It was raining and grey when we left Perth, but four hours later we were in sunshine and it stayed that way for the next three weeks. In fact, the next rain we saw was as we pulled into our driveway at home at the end of our trip.

Western Australia is indeed a remarkable state, with such a variance in landscape and flora and fauna. It is, after all, about 3.5 times the size of Texas, at about some 2.5 000 000 square kilometres!

Just over 9000 km in three weeks and loved every minute of it. Wildflower season was rapidly approaching when we got back, so there was another excuse to hit the road again.

Go to Hell, CV-19!

More next time.