Officially winter begins tomorrow, though it feels very wintery already. The nights are dropping close to zero and each morning sees a layer of shining frost on the grass. Lately, the wind has had an Antarctic chill to it, piercing even the thickest coats. Curiously, I have seen people, mostly young ones, wearing t-shirts and shorts, as if to make a statement of their seeming invincibility. People with tattoos also seem to wear a minimum of clothing, appearances stealing a march on comfort, apparently.

Tom is home sick today with a head cold and the nation is beset again with news about Covid-19. There is very little respite from this subject which is covered from every angle, over and over again. I think that a collective tiredness to the mere mention of the topic is becoming apparent and this may account for some of the vaccination complacency that has been reported. Of course, there are some people who genuinely fear potential side-effects, even if these, at their worst, are far less severe than the virus itself. Then there is a small group of libertarians, conspiracy folk and plain knuckleheads who object to any program that might impede their freedom or belief systems. I don't really want to expend the energy needed rebutting ludicrous assertions.

I am happy, though, that my volunteer job at 2RPH is becoming normalised after 12 months of restrictions. We can now sit in the same studio together and my second job as a reader on the Newcastle Herald is restarting soon. Of course, this could all be thrown into chaos should Sydney succumb to the blasted pestilence in a similar way to Melbourne. I am learning, slowly, to accept that stuff happens and that there is nothing I can do about it.