‘What have you been doing to occupy yourself during the lockdown?’ I hear you ask from an acceptable distance.

Well, simple answer, ‘Not much.’

But perhaps the devil is in the detail as they say.

1. So first up you’ll be happy to know that I’ve been keeping my social-distance from people. You’ll be especially happy I’m sure if you were one of those people.

2. I revamped our bird box to discourage Indian Mynahs from bullying their way in and I’ve returned it to the backyard. I expect a flock of pale-headed rosellas to be fighting over it any minute now. Position! Position! Position!

3. I discovered that everything looks much better if you spray it with chrome paint. You should see my face. I’m absolutely glowing!

4. I sent a few messages out to various people. (Although they tell me there’s this thing called email now that everyone reckons will be big.)

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5. Over on my Facebook page (Michael Gerard Bauer Author – feel free to LIKE it!) I’ve been working my way through Ishmael and the Hoops of Steel and posting daily quotes and photos. Is one of the signs of boredom/insanity that you start re-reading your own books?

6. I’ve been walking most days but I’ve been getting the terrible feeling that I’m being watched. It’s almost more than I can bear! (But just look how trim my wife and I are now.)

7. I cut opened an avocado and it was so perfect and aesthetically pleasing that naturally I got very excited and took a photo of it and posted it on every form of social media I could think of. Toast + butter + vegemite + avocado = Food of the Gods. You can thank me later.

8. And of course like most other people I’ve been taking photographs of myself in the bathroom where the sunlight filters through the blinds and falls in bright stripes across my face. I was quite pleased with the result. And I’m hoping my eyesight will eventually return.

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So yeah, nothing to be worried about here. Thanks again for asking. I think I’m coping pretty well. Apparently the lockdown is getting to some people …

Cheers
Michael

PS: And in WRITING NEWS I actually finished writing something (more about this hopefully in future blogs) AND I got my first look at the beautiful cover of the CHINESE language edition of THE RUNNING MAN which will be available there soon courtesy of GUOMAI CULTURE & MEDIA.

I have such fond memories of my trip to China in 2015 visiting three schools which I wrote about in Blog 87 and Blog 88.