Schedule, expeditions & Covid-19

Ok so for anyone interested in what to expect from my blog, I plan to publish one to two post on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and although I will try to write the majority of the post on the day they are published I will make use of scheduling as I also have an inconstant work schedule and a tendency to go on adventures. The above photo is from a day trip to the mountain range behind my home town.

For the moment the majority of my posts will be mostly of the art journal variety, with posts on what I am up to, interested in and what I am inspired by. But depending on feed back from viewers, I will hopefully add to this with posts featuring other designers, interviews and what not; if people are interested. There is a high chance that some of my posts will not be bead related but will give you a view into other aspects of my life, because despited how much time I spend beading I do manage to fit other things in.

This Friday I will be on my way to the amazing Undara Lava tubes with my mother and family friends. It is a place that I have visited before and cannot wait to visit again. The lava tubes are fantastic natural pheromone that are stunning to behold. Set in the Gulf Savannah country it is breathtaking when you come upon the ancient lava tubes that hold small rain forests in the tubes. Access to the lava tubes is by guided tour only and they have recently reopened with restricted bookings in compliance with government requirements.

Now for most people around the world it might seem unbelievable that anyone would be travelling given the current pandemic and social isolating constraints. And it dose seem weird that I shall be travelling during a world wide pandemic but Queensland has been very fortunate in this crisis so far, having very few cases to date having a current total of 1105 cases, 1082 of which have recovered. Unfortunately we have had 6 deaths and there are currently 17 active cases according to the Queensland Government department of Health, a link to the website stating the statistics (which are updated daily) is listed below.

Where Queensland has not been fortunate is that our economy relies heavily on coal exported to China who decided to boycott Australian coal and on the tourism industry which has of course taken a hit everywhere around the world. Given border closures and the hardships of our fellow Queenslanders in the tourism industry it seems that the best thing todo is support business as best we can, while practicing responsible social distancing and good hygiene. So thats what we having been doing, going to small markets, avoiding large groups, visiting cafes and restaurants who are following government requirements and also staying home as much as possible.

Eventually we are all going to have to find that balance between supporting business and the economy and what will likely be a new way of life with social distance measures to help slow down future pandemics.

C-ya soon Lou & Milliekins