Up in the Northern Hemisphere it’s all crocuses, snow drops, tulips, daffodils, frolicking lambs, and cute little Easter bunnies. Winter is over and nature bursts forth with new life. Down here in the south, we’re heaving a sigh of relief that summer is finally over. We’re welcoming Autumn and the advent of cooler, less humid weather. We’ve even needed a blanket the last night or two!
Our country town is celebrating the arrival of Easter because it brings in visitors to fill our long-empty hotels, motels, cafes, and restaurants. In a rare bit of common sense, the State Government has also abandoned the need for venues to ensure they only permit entry to those people double vaccinated against covid. After all, we’re close to 99% vaccinated so it’s probably better than you’d get in a pre-covid winter season with ‘flus and colds. So far, the hospitality venues here are loving the action.
However (there’s always one, isn’t there?) the hospitality sector and the airlines are all understaffed. A brief look at the chaos at all the main airports is testament. People are taking the chance to travel interstate for the first time in years during the Easter/school holidays break and queues for check in and security stretch for as much as a kilometre. Bear in mind most airports aren’t back to pre-covid volumes so management everywhere needs to do some work.
Preferably before we go away on our next holiday. Plans are afoot.
While lots of people are enjoying the beach at Hervey Bay, because we’re boring old farts, we’re looking forward to them all going home so we can have our quiet town back again. Mind you, it’s not as quiet as it used to be. Housing developments are springing up like toadstools after rain in summer. That’s because of all the people in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane who grew tired of lockdowns and draconian rules. I do have to wonder, though, where these new arrivals are expecting to work? If you’re retired it isn’t a problem. If you have a trade – plumber, carpenter, painter etc or you work in hospitality or health care, fine. But the unemployment rate is one of the highest in the state here.
We will be having a very quiet Easter. Good Friday is one of the two days in the year when you’ll struggle to find any shop open. As a result, the supermarkets will be jam-packed on Saturday as people recover from their day of abstinence. I think we’ll stay home and survive on left-overs.
For those of you who celebrate, have a wonderful Easter and enjoy your Sunday Easter eggs. For everybody else, have a great weekend and/or holiday.
We’ll be staying home with the wildlife
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