Life at home

26 March 2020



Like so many people around the world, we're adjusting to spending our days and nights at home. For us that's a two bedroom apartment with a balcony that looks out onto mountains :) We're making a special effort to keep it tidy, making the bed most mornings and clearing the dining table of laptops and notepads when the work day is done. I've never swept the kitchen floor so frequently in my life.

Tony and I are both able to work from home, something we're extremely grateful for. These first few days have been a bit of a dance, especially when multiple video meetings are underway. Sometimes the internet can't handle it. It's been the biggest nudge to tidy our spare room, which is now our 'meeting room' and Tony's impromptu studio. He's working on a small painting and it's nice to have him properly home.

I'm working out a simple morning routine - a yoga video, shower, breakfast and coffee before I open up my laptop. There are so many great live streams and yoga videos at the moment, many of them free. This 30 minute mellow flow from Melbourne studio Good Vibes is especially lovely and a favourite Canberra teacher is live streaming soon. I love Sky Ting videos and their live stream, especially when I'm in the mood for something fun and slightly more challenging.


Sometimes it feels like I live at my dining table. But I'm learning to move around a bit more throughout the day, taking phone calls on our balcony, longer meetings on the couch and using the kitchen bench as a standing desk to keep things interesting and my body moving. And I'm thinking about end-of-day activities to help me switch off and wind down. A few days ago it was opening a parcel my brother sent me from NYC!

Giving me hope right now are photos of friends and their brand new babies, professional photos from Zachary's wedding, video chats with most of the family. My brother Zac left me a voice memo the other day about his honeymoon and new home, and it was the nicest thing to listen to in the morning. Simple things like sunlight, a cool breeze and baking are helping too. Sourdough is in high production and I've made some choc chip cookies too.


We have a good amount of supplies for now and no real plans to head out for anything soon. We are very lucky in this way. But when the time comes, I've been bookmarking a bunch of local businesses who are offering pre-ordered produce boxes along with coffee, milk and eggs. If you're in Canberra, High Road, Choku Bai Jo and Rita's Farm are three offering pick up and delivery. We'll probably mix it up to share the love! 

On Sunday night, I also made this very cheery creamy corn pasta, a recipe test for work. It's another Heidi special and it is sunny in both appearance and flavour thanks to some lime zest. The recipe makes a decent amount too, so we've been happily munching on it after a tense half hour of watching the news.


I'm trying to get out for walks at quiet times and it always feels so nice to be outside! I am hoping that everyone will be able to stay safe and well and keep up the social distancing for the good of ourselves and the whole community.

Something I've thought about recently is the fact that this transition, while challenging, has been a little easier for us because of our experience with the smoke haze. We were indoors for weeks over summer but felt more confined with the doors and windows shut and the air-con running 24/7. Being able to see the sunset, hear birds outside is something we're still excited by and grateful for.

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