The lockdown has been extended for another month. When I go for walks I notice that most people are still not wearing masks. I think case numbers will reach one thousand soon though I have heard they could be much higher sooner than expected. A friend got me some tea from ‘Tea Journal’ which has been quite good. I was buying various everyday teas from Asian supermarkets when I was passing through the city but they are not as good as the teas my friend got me. It looks like I won’t be doing any drawing anytime soon or painting. My Dad is still in hospital and I have been calling him every second day. Today he was having a sleep which I think he really needs. I didn’t want to disturb him. I will be calling the hospital tomorrow and having a zoom meeting with my sister and nurses on Tuesday. I have been having video calls with my sister and her husband which have been informative and helpful. It is a big job managing my Dad because he hasn’t really got his affairs in order.

It is important to have a walk and have a break to maintain good mental health. I did a virtual tour of Brett Whiteley’s studio online through the AGNSW (Art Gallery of New South Wales) members area. I got some of my Dad’s letters and started paying his bills. I received some of his rent money and got to it. I have to be careful because I like to pay for things in full but my Dad’s rates are in instalments. It is definitely wiser to pay in instalments until I receive more rent money. I think the teas at ‘Tea Journal’ are better than I had expected. They are expensive yet high standard. The ‘Dian Hong’ tea is pretty good and I like the ‘Gong Fu’ as well. I think in a few weeks I might grab some ‘Yellow tea’ just to have a good mix of flavours.

I started doing some writing in a ‘mental health’ book so I can keep an eye on my general well being. It is definitely a challenging time for everyone and I hope the current situation starts to improve soon.