I believe the whole world would agree 2021 was a different year. Another year many of us will want to put behind us. Even in our wildest dreams (or nightmares) or science fiction books and movies could many of us have expected a pandemic that appears to have no end. Personally, I’m hoping Covid will be similar to the 1918 Spanish flu. I think that took about three years to lose its terrible hold. If true, then maybe Covid will look at leaving us alone by the end of this year.

I’ve been trying to think of reasons why 2021 was a different year for me personally. The immediate thought that springs to mind was the variety. Early in the year saw my husband and I enjoying an extended trip around the South Island. We took our time, finding some areas he hadn’t been to before, visiting family, and exploring more favourite places. I even dragged him to what once was a RoadHouse in Te Anau Downs where I had worked my first summer out of school. It was great to see some breeding takahe in Te Anau. We even managed to co-ordinate a meeting in Hokitika with old friends who were travelling in the opposite direction.

Of course, our tripping around in our own backyard was forced upon us by Covid and New Zealand’s closed borders. Not that I’m complaining. New Zealand has been very fortunate regarding the pandemic, with tight lockdowns and controls keeping most of us safe. We hate we cannot currently travel overseas, but when seeing the devastation in other countries, we’re more than happy to stay right at home.

Staying at home became a little tedious later in 2021 when Auckland city entered another lockdown. Envious of the freedom of the rest of NZ we stayed in our little bubbles for 107 days. Winter moved into spring into summer without us noticing. Looking back, it wasn’t so terrible, but monotony did raise its head more than once. What a perfect time for catching up on gardening, writing, social media connections, but I did little of any of this. No excuses, I admit to laziness and more than a little disinterest during that period.