8:18am – Mr Pigalina reported this morning that the tin opener has seized up.
8:52am – Today’s coffee is in Mr Pigalina’s lady mug, a gift from me, that was deemed inappropriate for the workplace.
9:52am – Trying to cancel flights to Asia in November.
11:30am – Singapore Airlines says we don’t qualify for a waiver and need to check back later.
11:52am – Yesterday I downloaded an audiobook about Prince Albert. It’s over 15 hours long… Dinner is in the slow cooker, now to write more quizzes for next week’s quizmaster duties. (I had an hour long phone meeting earlier in case you think I’ve done nothing – was productive and hung washing at the same time).
12:29pm – Getting ready to take the dog for a walk and realised this is my first walk since Saturday!
12:52pm – On our walk I saw a poodle with one of those crazy, dog-show, haircuts 🐩. Now heating some soup before the Prime Minister’s press conference at 1pm.
4:09pm – Just when I thought I could start winding down, watch some Coronation Street and play some Xbox I get work rolling in. Wish it would spread itself through the day more.
7:55pm – Finally done with work. Now to finish making dinner.
10:02am – Sitting in front of the fire with the dog for my phone meeting.
11:06am – There has been an avocado in my locker at work for the past three weeks of lockdown. As some kind of experiment I was going to just leave it there and see what state it was in when I went back. I don’t know why! After the phone meeting today it was implied that we might be working from home for longer so I had to give my locker code to a friend who is working from the office to extract the avocado.
11:14am –There were two, and they were furry with mould.
11:37am – Thought I’d pop on some of the new homeschool TV that has started today so I could learn something. It’s Mythbusters.
1:37pm – By choice I am listening in on a Zoom briefing from the Finance Minister.
4:25pm – Just discovered that my local library gives me access to hundreds of movies and audiobooks FOR FREE.
5pm – As its for charity and supporting local business, bought a T-shirt with the man we all see everyday on it – Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Not sure of the opportunities I’ll have to wear it post-COVID but good for historical value.
7:16pm – Picked up online grocery order and they had had to sub out regular onions for teeny pickling ones.
Too wee.
9:20pm – Another evening of miscellaneous viewing; need a good series to watch.
10:07pm – To bed to read while drinking liquorice tea to induce crazy dreams (try it). Last night’s dream involved sharks thanks to What Remains of Edith Finch.
7:33am – So grateful that I don’t have to go outside. It’s windy and raining and I’m still snuggly in bed.
7:58am – Too lazy (and cold) to have a shower this morning so instead I dressed straight away in a lovely grey ensemble, including grey socks and a grey hat.
8:08am – I’ve thought it for a while but this lockdown has further highlighted it – my job is pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things. While not in the office and being caught up in the minutiae of flickering lights, sorting meeting rooms and taking minutes nobody reads it has only highlighted it. Not the right time to be thinking about a career change though.
8:42am – Breakfast is a toasted sandwich using the last two crusts of bread. Somehow the edges were soggy before toasting, hope it’s still edible. Today’s coffee is in the Christmas angel mug. No clue how this one came into our lives but I found an identical one in the stationery cupboard at work once.
Toot.
10:56am – Pretty slow day at work. I actually have two jobs, have a phone meeting for the other one at 7pm. Will be a long day.
11:18am – Hailing.
11:40am – Taking the afternoon off on annual leave. May as well legitimately do nothing than respond to an email every two hours.
12:30pm – Just received flight credit for flights we can’t take next month due to travel restrictions that I booked with a flight credit from when Metallica cancelled their gig last November.
12:48pm – Big brown mushrooms are thriving on the lawn.
Yum?
1:34pm – Four new deaths today.
4:10pm – Finally had a shower after catching a whiff of myself. Time to put on a different grey ensemble. My clothes are usually quite colourful but my lounging clothes are very grey.
6:35pm – Ended up having work to do this afternoon! Typical. Also played and completed What remains of Edith Finch? Was a weird and wonderful adventure. First ever Zoom call in a mo.
8:56pm – Mr Pigalina is still working on something for work so I’m binge-watching Modern Family with the dog.
9:48am – Argh, do not read Facebook on the loo (don’t pretend you don’t), so many, mainly middle aged, COVID-19 deniers. Probably sore they couldn’t spend Easter at their holiday home that are flasher than most people’s houses.
10:16am – This is currently an acceptable door handle in our house.
12:06pm – Did another YouTube workout. For a total body workout there was an awful lot of squatting and jumping for my tired legs.
12:12pm – Mr Pigalina just popped out to start his car so the battery doesn’t go flat. Too late.
4:47pm – Played some Xbox with Mr Pigalina. It’s windy and rainy outside, perfect conditions for another lazy day.
9:48pm – We spent the rest of the evening snacking and watching varied YouTube videos. Lockdown has made us hungry. Time for bed, work tomorrow.
10:57am – Very lazy morning, in bed with a coffee and a small Easter egg. I can hear Mr Pigalina on a zoom call in another room. It’s mainly a lot of “is that you?” “I can’t hear you”.
11:19am – Very stiff after yesterday’s workout. Guess that’s a good thing so I should probably do another today. Maybe.
2:12pm – Haven’t done any exercise, instead I’ve watched documentaries and said “ooh ma legs” every time I have moved.
7:58pm – Anotherlazy day. Watched two documentaries (one about Roma Gypsies and one about Gypsy Rose Blanchard – bit of a loose theme), did some laundry, played Fable. Dinner time and David Attenborough now.
10:40pm – Off to bed. I doubt tomorrow will be anymore eventful, my loose plan is light the fire as the weather is supposed to be bad, resubscribe to Netflix as there is apparently a new episode of Tiger King and I don’t want to fall behind on the memes, and maybe play a board game.
9:51am – Will have to do something more cheerful soon, reading the news while listening to Al Jazeera is getting a bit depressing.
11:58am – Just finished a 30 minute YouTube workout. I was just about done after the warm-up.
1:48pm – Cup of tea (snowman mug) and a couple of ANZAC biscuits in the sun. The weather has been lovely lately, kind of taunting us because we can’t go far. ANZAC biscuits only need to be dunked for one second.
3:13pm – Dog has been walked and the sun has gone so I won’t feel guilty playing Xbox all afternoon.
3:22pm – Put our Easter Eggs in the windows for the #NZegghunt.
Joshua also participating in NZ bear hunt.
3:47pm – Just as my game downloaded, the sun came back out…
11:35pm – Oh short diary today! We are now playing Beat Saber in VR after watching Booksmart and low key cutting a few onions.
8:50am – My hot cross buns are “rising” on the bench (I had the wrong yeast and flour due to shortages so it’s an experiment). Now I’m having breakfast and watching some slow TV – Go Further South, 12 hours across the sea from Bluff to Scott Base. This is what lockdown is all about!
9:47am – Spare room at home is supposed to be my library. Mr Pigalina has firmly stamped his influence over the rest of the house and it’s the one room where all of my books, pictures and knick-knacks can live happily. (To be honest if I had more influence the house might resemble a bazaar crossed with a gallery). It also frequently becomes a dumping ground for all the crap that has nowhere else to go in the house. It makes me weep the amount of times I have spent tidying and organising the room only for it to become a cupboard. So, time to get tidying. Again.
9:57am – One problem of having a tidy out is there are no charity shops open and the rubbish runners aren’t collecting recycling. Just think of the treasure troves at the charity shops post lockdown though! You can buy everyone else’s junk to replace yours.
10:25am – Found last year’s Easter bonnet.
Don’t have much opportunity to wear it.
11:39am – The hot cross buns failed to rise and are more cross than bun.
Safe to say I’m not changing careers
11:46am – Hot cross buns don’t taste great, but not terrible either.
12:42pm – Back from our walk. It was hard not to pat next door’s cat Tigger who was waiting on our wall when we got home. That would be breaking our “bubble”. If Mr Pigalina hadn’t have been there I probably would have patted him. On the walk we saw some children having an Easter egg hunt – two days early. Then later I heard some other kids debating across the fence about how it wasn’t Easter Bunny day until Sunday yet he had already visited one of their houses. It’s Easter egg anarchy out there.
1:26pm – Broke the bird’s nectar feeder by hanging it on an inferior branch. The liquid went everywhere.
We were probably all a bit too optimistic yesterday about our COVID cases coming down. Up to 44 new today and our second death.
1:56pm – Beer, beanbag, book in the sun. One of my favourite activities, and one that I won’t be able to do for much longer as Winter is on the horizon.
2:10pm – Next door have an aviary with parrots and what-not. Most of them make nice noises but one is like a demon when it gets going, skreeeeeing and aarrrrrkkkking.
4:28pm – Finished tidying my library. The main junk now consists of pictures in frames that got moved in there when we were decorating and have never migrated back out and kind of don’t have anywhere to go. Now to colour in some Easter eggs to put in my windows for the Prime Minister instigated NZ egg hunt #NZegghunt.
5:54pm – Hot cross buns, wine and colouring in egg pictures. Good Friday fun times.
6:21pm – I hadn’t saved any eggs for Mr Pigalina to colour so he is printing one for himself.
7:22pm – Mr Pigalina’s egg is still in progress as he has been a lot more thorough and creative with his colouring.
9:39pm – Finally got a chance to use the telescope and have a look at the full moon.
8:04am – A lot of hair came out in the shower this morning. Hoping it’s just because I haven’t been washing or brushing it as often.
9:19am – Compulsory two-week quarantine for anyone entering or re/entering the country was announced today. Escorted by the military to a quarantine facility, not just hanging out at home. I wonder how long that will stay in place – have a holiday booked for November…
12:24pm – If you turn on the dishwasher in our house while the dryer is on in the garage (out of sight – easy to forget) the fuse trips and they both turn off. Some sheets that had been caught in the fuse saga were discovered in the dryer still damp, goodness knows how long they’ve been there but they are mouldy! Grr. I’ve sprayed them in Exit Mould and am re-washing them. Fun times.
12:59pm – Caught the tail end of Emmerdale again, even though I have never watched a full episode I know that Marlon is a nice chap and his wife just did him dirty. Poor Marlon.
1:21pm – New Zealand seems to be smashing this virus. Our numbers are steadily decreasing everyday, down to 29 new cases today and still only one death. Even though some people haven’t been sticking to the lockdown rules most have and it appears to be working. Fingers crossed it continues.
1:35pm – Windy! The mouldy sheets are now clean. Hooray.
2:40pm – The spider that I watched climb the wall yesterday, then observed on the ceiling this morning just ran across me. Not OK!
2:45pm – Saw the spider out the corner of my eye scuttling across the sofa. It is now outside, it had three orange legs.
2:51pm – It was an orange legged swift spider. Aptly named as he was both swift and orange legged.
2:53pm – Huh, it says online that they are biters.
4:54pm – Monitored my emails and talked to my boss on the phone while making fruit crumble for dinner and prepping my first ever batch of hot cross buns for tomorrow.
5:28pm – My good jeans are a bit uncomfortable to sit around in all day and my two other, out of shape, pairs are ripped where the thighs rub so I bought some track pants (winter clothing is considered essential so can be delivered). I wore them for the first time today and already they have gone bitty where my thighs rub. FFS.
6:01pm – Would it be wrong to slash the tyres of a child’s motorbike? The neighbour’s kid is driving his bike around his garden. Because it’s not a very big space is goes “VrOOOOmm VrOOOOm” as it accelerates and brakes. This isn’t just during the lockdown either, otherwise I may be more tolerant.
11:00pm – To bed to watch YouTube documentaries. Long weekend tomorrow!
8:58am – Really am losing track of time. I titled yesterday’s post day 14, but that’s today. Hot cross buns for breakfast and emails galore to read.
9:50am – It’s quite unnerving going to the toilet and being able to hear Mr Pigalina’s workmates on calls through the wall. Does that mean they can hear me?!
11:51am – The sun is out. Might be time for a walk around the block with the dog. Especially as the subsidy processing system just crashed due to overloading.
12:40pm – The dog was pretty unimpressed with the ten minute walk with me, luckily for him Mr Pigalina’s phone-call had ended when we got back so we all went on another.
1:45pm – Folded myself a face mask while watching the Prime Minister’s press conference.
I knew those bandannas would come in handy one day.
The “straps” pull my ears down.
4:07pm – Got a phone-call from one of the offices protesting their zero score on one of my quiz questions. It was emojis depicting Lady and the Tramp 🐶 🍝 🐕. Apparently the dogs were too different to Lady and Tramp and they had put dog eat dog. I don’t actually care all that much so they get a point for caring so much. I am now diligently making my second quiz for next week. “Essential worker” eh?
6:20pm – Am in the queue to get into the supermarket, let’s see how long it takes.
7:20pm – Not bad. One hour and I’m back home and the groceries are away. No help from Mr Pigalina…
10:36pm – Tomorrow is the last day of work before the four day Easter break. Hooray! Usually we would go somewhere for a night or two, instead I have asked Mr Pigalina to join me in watching a movie and colouring in Easter eggs to put in the window as part of NZs Easter egg hunt #NZegghunt.
7:58am – Am on day 14 of also not wearing deodorant, giving the armpits a wee break.
8:48am – Today’s coffee is in the Dolly Parton mug again and today’s T-shirt (the ones that don’t get worn often are all getting a turn as T-shirts are now a seven day a week operation instead of just for weekends) is my counterfeit Queen one from the gig earlier this year. I was going to buy a real one but they sold out of my size, I did buy a poster though so Queen made some more money out of me on top of ticket price. The poster cost more than my fake T-Shirt…
9:03pm – Had to save a large Excel spreadsheet as a one A4 page PDF, Google to the rescue again. Just thinking about the office at work and remembered the time I saw the keeper of the lolly jar stirring the lollies with the handle end of a pair of scissors. That was the end of me eating any of those.
10:35am – No energy drinks in the house. None came with the online grocery order. Noooooo.
1:25pm – Struggling a bit with the motivation today. Watched Coronation Street and a bit of a show about shipwrecks in the Black Sea over lunch. Chugging through some wage subsidies but wondering if the fact it’s going smoothly so far means I’m doing something wrong or I’m about to strike a really curly one.
2:13pm – The dog is also struggling with motivation. He’s been in his bed all day (lucky). Could be the rain.
Zzzz
3:17pm – Watched a Policeman reading Hairy Maclary online.
3:36pm – The dog has finally moved, he is now sleeping on the sofa.
4:55pm – Burning the confidential personal information I’ve been scribbling down while processing subsidies.
5:11pm – It’s pretty safe to say my cucumber vine is dead.
6:00pm – Just spent the last half an hour playing “Where’s Geoff?” with the dog. Geoff has had many incarnations, he is currently a Tigger but has previously been a dinosaur and a dog. Where’s Geoff? involves hiding Geoff around the house for the dog to find and bring back in exchange for a treat. Once hidden you proclaim “Where’s Geoff?!” And the dog runs off to find him using a combination of his nose and eyes (and sometimes it seems he uses neither as he stands bewildered right next to Geoff). He tries to peek too, very sneaky.
The current Geoff.
7:51pm – Great British Bake-off is the feel-good TV we all need right now. Noel’s Tiger jumper is *chef kiss*.
10:09pm – Off to bed after a documentary on Edward VI. Crazy to think how young he was and poor old Lady Jane Grey too. I’d always assumed, with such a name she was in her 20s at least yet she died aged 16 or 17 having been married and technically Queen for 9 days.
Pigalina's Palace 