I have to admit this is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. While the pandemic seems to be over, COVID is still out there.
It seems that I am being ridiculous to continue my voluntary lockdown at home and should be going out. I mean I know there will come a point and I have to, but that doesn’t mean the idea of it doesn’t scare the hell out of me.
Last year I did go out in between lockdowns, but it wasn’t as scary because the variants that were around weren’t as contagious. Omicron has been a game-changer. I’ve been so reluctant to leave the house because of how contagious it is.
I am vaccinated and I’ve had the booster, but you can still get very sick with all that. I always think you might not know you have an underlying health issue until you get COVID. Maybe I am being overly dramatic, but I can’t help it. I have been told a lot that I will get it eventually, but I’m not so sure. However, while I might end up with it, that doesn’t mean I should go out of my way to catch it. I would do the same thing with colds and flu.
I have decided that I will go out and am spending the day with a friend soon, and then going for high tea with some other friends. May as well jump right in.
So having said that I think it will be important to be sensible about it all as well. So the trip out for photos will be somewhere more remote and not the city. Out of the city, I think. We are just going to drive and see where the road takes us.
The high tea, hopefully, will be fine. We are driving in and will be parking close by.
I think the only thing that really really scares me is Public Transport. You are meant to wear masks on them, but I know people won’t. That is what happened previously. I have made the decision to stay away from it for now.
So, I am going to leave the house and hope that I am safe and don’t catch anything. Fingers crossed.
Have you been going about your life normally?
I’ve chosen some photos taken last year. I bit of most places that I went to. I hope you enjoy them.
This is a test comment.
Oh okay
I absolutely understand your trepidation! We did end up with omicron. We are immunized and boosted! You have to go with your gut!!!
Your photography is beautiful!!
I’m the same, fully vaccinated with all 3. I am trying to be careful and will see how I go. Thank you.
I like the pictures Leanne and good blog post. As for safety I am not sure if it is there but you are not alone, COVID is still active even here in Swaziland/Eswatini.
All you can do is to save yourself and wear your mask when going out😷
Thank you Mthobisi, glad you enjoyed it. I have to agree, it is still out there. I’m trying to be cautious, but staying home as much as I can.
We don’t have to wear masks much anymore, but I know I will in crowded situations. Better to be safe I think.
This is the first WordPress I ever read in such a long time (years). I find it cool and weird that this post is about me and how I feel at the moment. I am glad I am not the only scaredy cat out in the universe. But this crazy situation has really taken a toll on my school age children, so we are slowly going back to a new normal. I am looking forward to your photos and adventures. New follower here!
Seems we have a lot in common then. I know it has taken a toll and I’m sure many want the world to go back to the way it was, sadly I don’t think we will ever be the same. Still, the world and its people have been through many things and some far worse, I have no doubt we will get back to life, but for me, I want to be cautious and just take baby steps. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you.
Nice
Thank you.
Really nice pics! As far as COVID I agree with you from start to finish!!
Thank you and thank you.
Its finally pandemic seems over, and here we are trying to adopt the new temperament nor environment outside, struggling for a wellness of our health, but up most we see to it the meantime precautionary measures should always be carried in, may good health be all kf us,)
I hope it is, though I don’t want to get too excited about it yet. I don’t think it hurts to be cautious for a while, at least that is what I’m going to do. I will see how I go.
Thank you.
The pictures are mind blowingly amazing.👏 I really loved them.
And the problem you face is what I faced or face for the longest time. It’s still hard even more so because like you said I know people won’t be wearing masks. I hope things get better for you.
Thank you so much.
Yeah, if people followed the rules and did what they were meant to, you have to wonder if this pandemic would have been as bad as it was.
Amazing photography!❤️ I hope this virus disappears just like bubbles! Stay safe. 😊
Thank you. I really hope for the same, that would be so good. You stay safe too.
You’re welcome 😊 😊
😀 😀
One of you please view talis treats I’ve been posting and no one except for me is liking and following so please
This is not the way to get people to follow you. We all started the same way, just give it time.
Covid has done more psychological harm to people than physical. People have healed cancer with their will power and positivity. Do not worry and start stepping out only that will help you get back to normal life.
I wish that were true, but I don’t think a virus really cares about how positive you are. I’m happy to be cautious for the time being.
Hi
Hello
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Please follow my blog. I have great and wonderful contents. God bless you as you do so. I promise to follow back.
Thank you. I don’t do that sort of thing, I get asked all the time to follow other people’s blog and I can’t do it, it would mean following too many.
No problem, Sir.
I think so…
LOts of different opinions, I guess for me, it depends on where.
Yeah…
It is safe now, we need not be in our old mindset, though it is difficult to get in, but we are safe and we now can move out meet and greet our friends and celebrate life.😊
I wish that were true, but COVID is still out there, and I think it would be dangerous to act too quickly. I am happy to take it carefully for the next few months.
Yes you need to be careful, masked, vaccinated.
Absolutely.
Beautiful photos, I’ve taken all my shots and have kept my face mask on except when i eat, it honestly doesn’t bother me since i was working for fedex and wearing something around my face that was way tighter for the cold lol i still don’t go out to places that have too many people but i honestly never really would before covid. My family and i all stayed safe so we didn’t get covid but we did have friends parents and grand parents who didn’t make it :,(
We weren’t allowed out much over the last two years, which made it hard. I have tried to make sure when I went out that it was into more secluded places and outdoors. I think that has helped a lot. We haven’t got COVID either, thankfully. Sorry to hear you lost people. I didn’t lose anyone, and only knew a couple of people who did it. I think our lockdowns were good and really happy we did that. Take care.
Fantastic photos. Many people have been scared. I think a personal risk assessment is helpful. It is important that we dont get depressed
Thank you Diana. I think I thought that might be the case. I have made up my mind what I will and won’t do, and I’m happy about that.
Beautiful photos! Hoping you stay safe during these crazy times 🙏🏼
Thank you Josh, going to do my best.
Beautiful pics. Great composing.
Thank you.
Wow! I love your pictures of the different landscapes & where you have been. I do love traveling as well but not been out to travel much when there is no way to travel as a greyhound bus is no longer available where I am living. I have been really good at keeping from getting anything so far; I will tell you that I use garlic, cumin or turmeric, ginger & lot of other spices that help me in inflammation & keeping my allergies down also. Very good for me so far! Thanls for sharing!
Thank you. I have to say I don’t really like travelling, but it is nice to get out to take photos. I mean I do travel away, but not often. I have heard all those things are good for allergies.
They do a lot while out and exercising which helps the body overall.
It’s good that they help you.
Leanne, your photos are gorgeous! I am so glad to see them again. I think that we all have to just be comfortable with our decisions and the pace to go “back to normal”. The right answer is what you content. Let’s just hope that the COVID is truly on the way out. 🤞
Thank you Tim, I couldn’t agree more. It does get frustrating when people try to rush you. I really hope it is. It would be nice if it just disappeared.
As we sail away from Melbourne today, I can’t help but be disappointed we did not catch up in person. A phone conversation can never be as good as a face to face one and thankfully we were able to reconnect with most of our friends while in town. I do understand your fear but I also think it is time you put an end to the hermit life! You can ‘open up’ without taking huge risks. Enjoy escaping and have fun.
Bon voyage, happy sailing. It was a little disappointing, but I’m sure there will be other times. You know everyone talks about the hermit life like it is a bad thing, but I’ve never been happier. I love what I’ve done with my house and garden. I suspect if the pandemic hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have achieved as much. Plus being home would have been so lonely, but having Dave working from home has been fantastic. I don’t want him to go back to the offic. I have missed friends in some way, and I will go out, but I think I will always be a bit of a “hermit” from now on. I love my home too much. I can’t wait for the garden I have in my imagination. Thank you Chris, sail safe.
As a teacher, I had to return to in-person work in September of 2020 so that part of my life forced me back out into the world – albeit with masks and numerous other mitigation procedures. While my husband and kids did work and school from home, I was therefore the member of the family who ventured out into the world to run essential errands. For me, therefore, it has been more of a gradual rather than an abrupt process. I was eligible to be vaccinated relatively early on because my employment deemed me essential but we held off on certain activities as a family until everyone was vaccinated. Until then, we had gone for walks in more remote locations and quieter times of the day whereas, once vaccinated, we felt we could go to slightly busier outdoor locations. We have dined indoors twice but still feel more comfortable ordering food in as an alternative. Now that mask mandates and vaccine card checks are being scrapped, I actually think we might be forced to retreat a bit again until we see how things pan out.
I think returning to work has been the thing that has driven a lot of people out too. I think you can go out now, though I’m looking for more remote areas to go I think. Not a lot of people. The mask mandates here are being lifted a lot and I suspect the check ins and whether or not you are vaccinated will as well. We have been sitting at home for months, years really if you think about it. I went out last year, but I did it tentatively and only outdoors. Thank you Laura and stay safe.
Most likely it is. I’ve been using public transport, gone to restaurants, been shopping and in general pottered around with little regard to the pandemic for the last 2 years. Yes, I did catch Covid (before vaccines were available) but not badly. In spite of age (70), gender (male) and risk factors (heart problems). Beats being locked up in my view.
I couldn’t do it. I mean we were in lockdown for a lot of time and I obeyed the rules and did what I was told. I loved it, I had so much time to spend on the house and garden and it was fantastic. I think that is part of the reluctance for not wanting to go out. I am, I fear, in the minority, in that lockdown was good for me. I have never caught covid and never want to. I know if I get my husband probably will too, and if anything happened to him I would be so devastated. I think my driving force has been him and not wanting the responsibility of spreading it and potentially giving it to someone else who then died from it. That is me.
Such a difference in feel between the city and the coast.
I am probably just as reluctant as you to catch Covid so I am still being very careful. The ONS latest figures suggested that 1 in 30 people have Covid at the moment in this country and some people don’t even know they have it so………….. However I don’t feel I can stay away from people forever so I have two regular outside walks with friends. I also go shopping once a week. However I am avoiding indoor situations without a mask altogether at present. I do have some extra protective masks that I would use on public transport (that I also avoid) and I wore one in church on Sunday. I have only recently returned to going to church again. If there were less people with Covid I would feel happier about doing things. I did go in a car with friends (no masks) recently when we had all taken lateral flow tests and am going out with them again this Friday.
Good Luck with your outside trips. I think a gentle caution is the best balance between isolation and recklessness.
Your figures are probably much like ours as well. I am the same with the excursions. I’m going to avoid indoors where I can, and especially public transport. I think it sounds like you are being cautious too RJ. I would always have a mask on me and I think if I found myself surrounded by a lot of people I would wear it. I don’t think you can care what others think. I suspect in a way the introduction of masks could be really good. Thank you.
Once we felt safe enough, probably the summer of 2020, I have been going out with my photo pod for outdoor shoots. That weekly outing helped keep me sane. And, I always felt safe in my senior community and continued walking my dog daily, talking with other dog walkers. I’ve not gotten Covid. My feeling is that you have to take precautions to stay safe and still enjoy life as much as you can.
I agree Anne, and I will do what I feel is okay. It isn’t like I’ve been home for the last two years and not gone anywhere. I have, but I have also really enjoyed the time at home. I loved it actually. I love what is happening in my garden and can’t wait until I have a lot of flowers to photograph. I will take precautions when I have to, absolutely, but there are some things I’m not so sure about. Thank you Anne.
I, too, have been hesitant. But I did go with my dear friend to a Cajun and Creole cooking class last night where 8 others would be attending. We arrived masked, others did too, but once we settled into our seats we unmasked. Everyone who attended had to be vaccinated, so I immediately felt a little more comfortable. I live in a state with a 98+% over 12 vaccination rate, 88% 5 and up, so that lends a little more comfort as well.
We had a blast. We removed our masks to eat of course, and the whole evening felt like a dinner party with our new friends. You could tell how we were all so starved for social interaction.
Was there a risk? Of course, and I am over 65. But I weighed the statistics, those risks, and health department recommendations and took the leap.
We signed up for another class!
Just take it slow and at your own comfort level, and you will be fine!
The cooking class sounds like fun. We are pretty much fully vaccinated as well, well not as high as you, but not far off it. We are over 90% vaccinated in my state, but not sure with the booster and how that is going.
I think there is always going to be a risk, but in the end it comes down to how much of a risk. I get the whole thing about it, like it is a risk every time you get in your car, but if the risk was really high you wouldn’t drive. So if the risk is low, then it feels like it would be okay to go out. I think that is where I am, but I’m still nervous to go.
Thank you Dorothy, I will take it slow.
💕
We have been going about our life as normal! Hope you stay well.
I know a lot of people who have done the same, thank you Marland.
👍
During the height of Covid, stores had signs stating masks were required but unmasked people walked right by them. So brazen. I’m being cautious still. Like you, my husband and I are boosted, but I’m still a bit leery of jumping in too soon. It’s so weird that we all want this to be over, and now that we are being told we can drop the masks, we are still not so sure…
We had and have the same problem here with the masks, people just don’t follow rules. It is so maddening. It is a bit scary, and I have got so comfortable with my life at home. I think I will always carry a mask with me. Thank you Lois.
As always Leanne, your photography is so beautiful. I envy your skills! Many states here have now dropped the usage of masks as the rates of new infections has dropped sharply. I think that you are safe to get back out there to do the things you love. I’ve been grocery shopping a few times with no mask, it’s nice to breathe normally again! Be well!
Thank you John. The mask mandates here have dropped a lot too. I have to admit I do like being home, so it was never a challenge for me. I hate shopping and the supermarket, so doing it online has been great. I will have to go out for some things I suppose. So I will go out tentatively.
That’s good that the masks are going away, two years or so of this is way more than enough. I don’t mind grocery shopping since I live by myself. It’s much cheaper too. I am a serious home body, there’s no place like home!
I hated wearing masks, but that was more because my glasses always fogged up. I got why we had to and always thought they were a good idea, but I get what you are saying. Home is such a good place to be I think.
The fogging is so irritating as is the itch. A girl told me that she suddenly had zits from wearing htem!
Oh yes I was kinda of glad I can see without my glasses so I would just take them off and just put them on if I really needed to. My daughter had the same problem, she is a barista and had to wear a mask all day long, and she found the same. I do like the idea that they have been introduced and hope that people will wear them when they are sick, with anything contagious, so it slows down the spread. I think that would be good.
A darn good idea to wear them when sick! I remember a video you uploaded long ago when I first started following you, you and one of your daughters? was in it. Baristas have a very busy job!
Yeah it is a very busy job, got even busier when so many people were out sick and she had to work some very long hours. She got sick, but not with COVID, she was burnt out. Things are returning more to normal now, thank goodness. Coffee is a very important business in Melbourne.