Travelling in the time of Coronavirus 7 – Quarantine in Australia

Back in Australia and in mandatory quarantine

14 days seems easy but not for a wanderer

Caught in a gilded cage

oi000206 — Moonrise over Melbourne

A room with a view

Five star

But maybe its just Welcome to Hotel Coronafornia

‘We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave’

Its all part of the war on Covid 19

The WAR

I have a song by War playing in my head.

‘Four Cornered Room’

The refrain

‘As I sit in my four corned room’

And though this cage is nicely gilded

For me

Luxury is no substitute for liberty

My home on my travels for the last half dozen years

In Australia and Europe

Has been my little tent

And the amazing places we have visited

Which have included:

dsc_0548-collage — Route Napoleon, France

Garvov, Romania

St Leon sur Vezere, France

Picos de Europa, Spain

Hirtshals, Denmark

Snowy Mountains, Australia

The Coorong, Australia

Daintree Rainforest, Australia

So as I sit in my four cornered room

In a gilded cage of 5 star luxury

I know nothing can compensate for the loss of freedom of movement

Though confinement is hard I have passed 7 days of the 14 in quarantine

The light is bright at the end of the confinement tunnel

And life will slowly return to normal

As I write this cannot help but reflect on how cruelly Australia is treating refugees it holds in indefinite detention

In terrible and dangerous conditions.

Their only crime escaping tyranny in search of liberty

Australia has certainly become a world leader in confining people

Travelling in the time of Coronavirus 6- Tides and Time

Low tide and high tide Rye Harbour

As humanity sits in lockdown

Seemingly hibernating

Time standing still the world and tides rise and fall

River entrance low and high tide

And for many life goes on almost unabated

The fisherman returning of the flood tide after another night alone on the Celtic Sea

The flood tide filling the river and spreading out over the salt marsh

For the fisherman every night is social distance

Alone with on the end less waves, the sky and sea birds for companionship

The tides of time go on ebbing and flowing like the water round the old wreck

Ebbing and flowing in time less motion

Last night over the Celtic Sea the Easter Pink Supermoon rose

In a sort of bright isolated orb in the darkness

Casting it’s beam like a stream of rose gold

Like it has for millenea.

Rye Harbour pier low and high tide

And the tides keep turning

Travelling in the Time of Coronavirus-Quarantined in England

Sitting in the warm sun on the deck of my Sister’s caravan in SE England

Listening to the Rolling Stones

It’s England

Exile on Main Street the album

The song Soul Survivor

Seemed right for the end of the first of week of a three week lockdown in the UK.

Its not quite the weather I was prepared for in Morroco

But I was able to buy a micfo fleece jacket before the major shops shut

There was also the warm clothes I’d bought for Londons late winter.

Coming back from Spain I had planned to isolate for a couple of weeks to be prudent.

The UK govt decided I should join the population and make it three.

My sister had stocked the caravan with food for my arrival.

I should emphasise I had no Covid-19 symptoms when I returned from Spain and a week on still dont so all is good

The UK social distancing allow one session of exercise a day.

Im so lucky to have the Rye and the Rye Nature Reserve on my door step.

The walks through the marsh and the Shingle beach are restorative to ones soul

But being early spring in the SE of Britain

It’s not always warm and sunny

Especially when a nor’easter blows down from the Arctic

Like for most of us Social Distancing and Isolation is challenging.

Even for a piecemeal adventurer who has travelled a bit solo.

So to the 3 F’s, Family, Friends and Followers.

Thanks for keeping in touch in these strange times.

Travelling in the time of Coronavirus-the last ferry from Santander

It was the last passenger ferry from Spain to the UK steaming into Santander

A small group of motorbikes

And lines of cars and campervans waiting for the exodus.

Like a mini Dunkirk escaping an invisable enemy

It was a different crossing to the previous I have had

No promenading the decks as all passengers were confined to their cabins

Running on the spot to exercise on the 24 hour crossing

Back in England

A walk along the beach in Rye Harbour

Through the marsh to gather my thoughts.

Tonight the UK has gone into lockdown.

Things change quickly in a pandemic.