#2 - Quarantine Life in Australia

Good morning from sunny Adelaide!

I am currently 4 and a half days through my 14 day hotel quarantine, but the good news is, ‘so far so good’!

It is amazing how quickly you can adapt to a new routine and I’ve actually had a busy few days since I entered this room on Monday morning. Monday was largely about staying awake through the day and finding my way around my new residence and learning what we can and (largely) can’t do in quarantine, but I made it through until about 9pm and had a decent night’s sleep which was a huge help in combating jetlag.

Tuesday was about getting organised for the coming days. Having deliberately backed up various jobs in the week before I flew, labelling them ‘to do in quarantine’ activities, my initial ‘to do’ list was rather comprehensive and slightly overwhelming, but I quickly remembered I had 13 days left in here and the list soon seemed less of a challenge and more of a relief that I had so much to fill the time!

My greatest item to tick off was ‘see about an exercise bike’ – DONE, and the nice man at Adelaide Bike Hire delivered a road bike outside my door that evening with all the bits to set it up and some fancy technology to link it to my phone and now, having been a daily runner for years, I’ve converted to the bike and am so grateful for its addition to my quarantine life!

The food has been very acceptable. Delivered outside my door morning, noon and night in a brown paper bag and a knock at the door to indicate it’s arrival. So far some tasty things: chicken masala, roast lamb, cooked salmon and peas, frittata for breakfast, avocado and fresh focaccia bread (strange, but actually avo mashed with feta on newly baked focaccia has its merits!). In addition to this, and to my excitement, I am able to order anything on Deliveroo or Ubereats from any of the restaurants in Adelaide. So far, I’ve only has some sushi but it was very tasty and I might treat myself this evening to something different.

I was very touched on Tuesday to receive a lovely hamper of goodies from Aus Horse, the marketing arm of Australian Bloodstock. It included a bottle of Archie Rose, an Australian gin that I look forward to trying – contrary to popular belief it hasn’t been opened and drunk just yet! I am able to order some drinks from the hotel including wine, by the bottle, but I’m pleased to report that only last night I finished my first purchase: a nice Sauvignon Blanc, South Australian obviously!

So my daily routine is: bike, shower, breakfast. Work until lunch arrives, more work until about 3-4pm when I start catching up with people at home. Back on the bike at 6pm and then a yoga session (yoga for beginners - this is a new thing!) before shower and supper and a film or something on Netflix. I am rung twice a morning by the police and the nurse to check I am still here and everything is ok – so far so good I usually say!

With 9.5 days left, I feel lucky to have so far been so busy and established a decent routine. Exercise and fresh air is pretty much key, just hoping I don’t get saddle sore!

Best wishes,

Hannah.