Went to Lynnmall (NZ’s oldest mall, and our local) yesterday to pick up medication for Erin.

The supermarket and the pharmacy are open, and they’re at almost opposite ends, surrounded by non-essential businesses that are shuttered. But the mall is still lit, and the holographic ads and display screens are still running, making it somewhat less apocalyptic-feeling.

There was a security guard sitting near the entrance door, but he was looking at his phone and paid me no attention, coming or going.

The pharmacy is set up like a fort. I was served at the makeup counter, which is right at the front; didn’t go into the store. “Look after yourself,” said the young woman in a mask who served me.

I got there right when they opened, and there were no other customers. Not the case at the supermarket; I was thinking of going there too, but there was a long queue (they also are opening at 9am now, rather than being open 24 hours, so that they can restock). Went to the Indian supermarket instead, and bought some maize flour and some chickpea flour, in case the story that’s circulating about the supply of flour coming more back to normal is inaccurate. I’m going to have to be creative under constraints, which often produces good results.

I would just like to say at this point that I was making my own bread before the pandemic (which is why I had as much flour as I did and have been able to last this long).

The sight of people queueing at shops for things that may not be available makes me think of Soviet Russia, though it’s nowhere near that bad. But it did lead me to a joke: “In Soviet Russia, disease isolates you!”

Since it seems we’re all giving up face-to-face interaction for Lent, I thought I’d do something I’ve been considering for a while, and start a personal journal.

As of last night, New Zealand is at level 4 of a 4-level alert system for COVID-19, and practically the whole country is shut down except for essential businesses. This doesn’t include construction or manufacturing building products, which is what the company I work for does, so over the next few days we will be winding things down in preparation for at least a month of no business happening.

We’ve always said that if there weren’t any users, the systes would run perfectly. I suppose we’ll find out.

My wife is in a high-risk category (she has an autoimmune disease and is on immunosuppressors), so I’ve been working from home since last week. That means, with no commute, that I have time to exercise, so I’m feeling fitter than I have for years. I’ll need to figure out a way to keep it going once I go back to commuting, which I still assume will happen sooner or later.

We’re meant to be on special leave from Monday, though we’ll be helping the accountants with month end as usual. Not my turn to do month end, but I’m the senior guy, so I need to be on hand, even if it’s just having the phone nearby.

So I’ll have more time to write. I’m finishing up revision on Underground War, the second in the Realm Agents series, and I have the third book partly drafted.

OK, time to get ready for work, such as it is. More later or tomorrow.