At the beginning of this year, a trip to Brisbane to see family and life seemed normal. Little did I know that Covid19 was looming. Online I had seen that there was an unusual flu virus in China, with no idea of the impact it would have on me, my family, friends and country.
By 70 mumble, I was well into the concept of learning something new each year. From riding a motorcycle (my brother's), to getting a driving licence and that had to be tested on one of my few days off from Nursing training in Wellington. I learned to knit and sew and later on it was getting used to marriage and children. Then came one of my biggest learnings, Macramé which I went on to teach for 4 years; 3 classes a year at night school, and that was more money than received as a nurse! I was well on my way to learn something each year, occasionally useful. At forty, I trained as a midwife, something I would have shuddered at twenty years earlier.
Various other forms of learning or teaching became more of my life, especially the "Reading in Schools" project in Lower Hutt. It became, ‘what I did on Tuesdays’. Now this is on hold, there has been other things I had been involved with. Then another door slammed shut earlier this year when we went into lockdown to find other doors opened.
Up to this year, I had never been into YouTube, now it has become a passport on occasions to find different sewing patterns and how to make them, however I still need to write down the designs and sizes. Nothing is quite what is shown. When lockdown loomed, I only had contact with the daughter and her family in Singapore by Skype or WhatsApp. Now I know how my paternal grandmother felt when we left England to live in New Zealand in 1956 - something she would not have even conceived, or had a thought to use. I can talk to my grandsons daily if needed. How different we live our lives today! The grandkids are now starting their school year Online. Without a visit from me, and no idea when that may be, it's fun using WhatsApp.
My sewing skills, machines, and brain went into action and I was capable and able to make many cloth face masks for all my friends in Rotary, Inner Wheel, and Mah Jong groups. Thanks to my previous experience as a quilter, I had plenty of fabric sitting at home. Then I had to learn how to order elastic Online when I ran out. I ordered 40 metres and it arrived on a Friday, just as I ran out on Sunday! I've even had calls asking for me to make masks from some shops. Yikes...I have learnt to plan 'time and motion' to sort out patterns, costings, prices, suitable fabrics and elastic.
What a wonderful interesting time we are living in. Wonder what I will learn next year!