Gelan wrote:

… So I am required to do the test. After 3 hours waiting in the queue, I finally had my first test - Ugh disgusting!! Anyhow, this morning I receive the result that say I am NEGATIVE.

Don’t you love the way they take a swab off the inside of your skull mate. I’ve have two COVID tests and hated both of them.

Good thing you came up negative though mate.

YEP! If you were positive they couldn't knock on yer door to get you to take a shot - of that experimental gene therapy.

So far you are still on the list...

still ticking along down under....spring is just around corner,ground temps are up.grass is growing so Im back in truck fert sowing
LIFE IS GOOD.

And so it has gone another year.

Guys RUOK?

Here in Sydney we are still at Covid Lockdown, with a 9pm to 5am curfew to boot . just like we are children.. I have recently had to cancel a planned hunting trip as well
Then again for the number of population, we do have quite a large infection rate and casualties.
Since last year, Covid has claimed 4 friends and 2 relatives of mine in Indonesia, luckily none happened in Australia due to Australia's higher medical standards.

Having said that, the good news (for me) is that somehow my "retirement" business has more than doubled since the start of Covid. Perhaps it is due to more people have more time on their hands and cannot spend their money in the usual places due to the restrictions.

This is also the longest I have stayed in Australia consecutively since I migrated back in 1983. I am starting to feel cabin fever


I hope you and yours are healthy and well.

All good here in QLD, although I really am over all of the lockdowns, restrictions and ludicrous decisions being made by our politicians…seems sports stars and their families have more status and are more important than anybody else in society.
One upside to COVID is whenever I have to go somewhere, the roads are traffic free…not many people out and about.
Like Gelan, I too am suffering “cabin fever”. I’d love to be able to get out into the bush, throw up a tent and do a little hunting, but no such luck as my hunting property is across the State border into New South Wales and I would have no end of problems getting back into Qld.
I am going to try and organise a range day, but even that is taking a step backward because I have to finish rebuilding the engine in my daughter’s car (fitting a “warmer” street cam, hot head, new lifters etc plus fitting a better differential, then put the engine and transmission back into the car.)
Maybe if I can squeeze a little reloading into my down time it will make me feel better.

oh aint that the truth...how come the international rugby tests are still happening???? thats not ESSENTIAL SERVICE....... it can be put off four weeks or more without someone or thing dying....... unlike flower growers.... or bakers,or shop owners...... we still have Auckland in lockdown...fair enough they still getting 20 cases a day...this island however has had nothing at all and we just today gone down levels and its still a pain in bum......mates getting married in few weeks...50 guests only.... and must wear masks...... other than going with it and trying French 18th century ball masks,its just plain dumb...if we sat down to eat or drink...masks can come off now.....

in meant to be on week long hunting trip on Stewart island after whitetails,with my brother and friends,we havent caught up for couple or 4 years....and it got cancelled....and the weather has been beautiful and settled.....never mind.we still all alive n kicking,the daffodils I planted in section are blooming nicely.
life is good.

Bread and circus's Elvis , a well proven Roman tactic, still in use today.
I dont know why vaccination is a thing, apparently just being able to play with a BALL of any distinction makes you "special" and probably immune.......
Sarcasm off.
Sorry about your trip mate.

I keep hearing on the news that Australia is shut down and you guys are locked in your homes and can't go anywhere and you have to prove that you ARE in your homes.

What say you?

Greater Sydney is in that position, travel restriction in most of NSW.
You are allowed out to exercise, shop foe essentials, with a 5km limit in the effected areas. Limits on numbers at weddings, funerals, home visitor numbers restricted depending where you are.
Gelend will no doubt chip in shortly hes in Sydney.
Sounds restrictive and it is, but they are trying NOT to have the issues your southern states are experiencing at the moment.

What issue are the southern states having? Expanding economies with jobs?

The MSM and US Government is purposely scarring folks. They talk about the strain on hospitals but they don't tell you that the bed number isn't total beds, its beds that are staffed. The hospitals have more capacity. Yes, there is a strain on healthcare workers. Countries have to learn to live with this virus or they are going to "sink their own ships". They have handed out so much welfare that people have decided they don't need to work - just stay at home and collect unemployment forever. Job signs are everywhere but people are not stepping forward to work. We have restaurants that are take-out only because they don't have enough workers to open their lobbies. There are chains that have shutdown stores to move what employees to other stores to keep them open. We still have shortages because there are not enough truck drivers. Logistics run the world and COVID shutdowns has turned that upside down and it will take months to recover. The longer countries shut-down, the longer it will take to recover (IMO).

People still need to take precautions. We didn't go to a dear friend's wedding because it was high a high risk event. Our friends that went just called and told us they tested positive and wonder where they could have gotten it. Also, did you see the warning the Red Cross has about blood from those vaccinated, they can't use it for antibodies. The USG and CDC say your natural antibodies if you catch COVID won't last as long as the vaccine but we are seeing provide that the vaccines are not enough and I'm picking up rumblings that Pfizer is working on something different. Stay safe everyone.

Bushmaster wrote:

I keep hearing on the news that Australia is shut down and you guys are locked in your homes and can't go anywhere and you have to prove that you ARE in your homes. What say you?

Well it is quite correct in some suburbs of Sydney.
For most of us, we can only go out for exercise within 5 km from home for one hour a day with our facemask on and carrying proof of address to check the distance.
And we have a CURFEW from 9 pm to 5 am just like when we were children
I am quite lucky that my business is mainly mail orders, so I am actually allowed to go to my workshop (6.5 km away from home) and work there. Otherwise, I would be driven crazy with the inactivity.

In CLOSE CONTACT homes and apartments where COVID positive person resides, police were stationed outside to ensure that NO ONE is going out. Some of these apartments are huge, with over 100 individual units with up to 4000 residents!

It is like being in jail indeed.. Gulag in Sydneykistan

Hopefully, by end of next week, we are getting a bit more freedom when more people got their vaccination.

Are you guys Down-Under getting vaccinated? If few have been catching COVID, how is your population going to reach herd immunity or develop antibodies infusions which has been beneficial to folks who are infected (note these antibodies infusions can not be developed from people that have been vaccinated).

Currently about 70% of us have had our first shot and 40% or so had both.
My family have had our vaccination done back in April, yet we are still locked down.

Unfortunately Geland being vaccinated protects you from serious disease BUT it doesnt stop you spreading it, so lockdown until we can get the majority vaccinated.