Having now been in some form of lockdown for the best part of 6 months – under fairly strict conditions of 5km travel limit, overnight curfew, and few reasons to leave the house – it’s no wonder that usual distinctions of life have disintegrated. Work is entirely virtual, which, for a teacher, is a very strange reality. We are nearing the end of three weeks holiday, which does not at all feel like a holiday. Each day runs into the next, without much to distinguish one from the other. Days come and go in equal measures of frustration and ennui. I saw a tweet about how difficult it is for people living in VIC, Australia, to tell others what it’s like living under this sort of lockdown for so long, and I definitely feel it. It’s ironic that there is so much time, and yet it’s a challenge to get things done. It’s amazing how much you can fit into a day when you’re busy! I miss the old hustle and bustle of moving from one space to the next in a day, cramming an hour of reading or writing in, squeezing a podcast in on the journey to or from work. Yet, I’m sure I’ll complain about being busy when we get to a so-called “COVID-normal”.

So, a few things that have helped to make lockdown a little more interesting:

1. The new album is in its final stages and I’m in the process of signing off each song. Exciting that it will be released in the next month.
2. The Women as Church Conference, now to be held online at the end of October.
3. A new review of my book, which was a pleasant surprise and a reminder to keep writing.
4. New music and podcasts. Here’s the playlist of women’s music that is a work in progress with some old friends.
5. Online gatherings. Different friends, groups, and organisations.
6. Running. Lots of running.
7. And tons of reading. For the first time ever, I am ahead of schedule with the reading challenge of goodreads! Feminist and queer theology and theory – breaking boundaries in our (patriarchal) thinking. The Hogarth Shakespeare series. Other classics we had in the house.
8. Oh and sunrises at my desk as I settle in to read.

Hopefully more fun to be had soon!