Out and About

It felt strange to be out and about on Friday, our first social outing since March.  We were driving down to Plimmerton, about an hour away from home.  The roads were quite busy, cars everywhere as people took the opportunity to get away from home for a while.  It was even stranger walking in to a crowded café where we were meeting for lunch – just look at all those people!  We had to sign in and register upon arrival, but I had decided not to use the pen supplied and had my own tucked away in my bag.  After all – how many strangers had touched it ahead of us?  Lunch was nice, and it was great to catch up with our friends after so long.  We hadn’t seen these friends since December.  There was obviously too much chatting going on as I forgot to take any photos.

After lunch we said our farewells and I told Robin I was happy to go straight home, no stopping off anywhere else.  I felt a bit of a party pooper, but after all, it was our first outing and I was looking forward to returning to the safety of our home.  We drove past the Plimmerton NZMCA site where we have stayed previously once or twice, but the gates are still locked.  What we expected really, as so far only gatherings of up to 10 people are allowed.  Along the way we drove past Kapiti Island, looking rather brooding surrounded by grey skies.

Kapiti Island

Road works have started up again, after being put on hold for the last few months.  New flyovers and bridges are popping up here and there.

Heading close to home we passed by this line of cabbage trees along the road.  Yes, the sky is still grey and cloudy, and the wind was quite a chilly wind, we noticed.

As part of the Covid 19 regulations now that restrictions have eased we have been asked by the government to keep a record of our outings - when, where and who with, in case this information is needed for contact tracing in case of exposure to the virus.  Robin uses an app on his phone while I note down the info on the calendar.  Easy enough to do for peace of mind, after all, it would be hard to remember every little detail further down the track.