Life in Australia during Covid has been marred by border closures, restrictions on lifestyle and travel bans – but for me, a hardy Pom, it’s a thousand times better than what my family and friends are enduring back home.
As I sat down for my weekly FaceTime with my folks on Sunday, it dawned on me how lucky we are to be so far away from Europe.
Since March 2020, my mum has worked from home from the spare bedroom of their three-bed bungalow in the north-east of England. My dad has been furloughed from his retirement job.
Katie and her son Harry are pictured this Christmas in Gordan’s Bay, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs
Katie’s Mum and Dad pictured in front of their home in the north-east of England, live in a village of 4,000 people where three people died in just one week
Since the pandemic began in March Katie has commuted to a job she loves. Pictured: Katie (second from the left) with her girl pals, who have became her family since her move to Australia
They only leave their home for an essential shop once a week and half an hour’s exercise a day, usually a walk to a local reserve.
However, their situation is a lot better than most. Just this week as we sat down on the decking of our home in Coogee as the sun rose, they told me that three people in their village had died from Covid.
They were younger than Mum and Dad, had no underlying health issues, no warning, just three families torn apart.
The village is relatively small with a population of about 4,500. Compare that to the one active case in Sydney, where 5.23million people live, and the difference is incredibly stark.
Next week my best friend, aged 35, will give birth to her second son. Her mum, dad and husband all have Covid.
I spoke to her at the weekend and as well as the usual stresses of bringing home a newborn she has the added anxiety of wondering whether or not her partner will be there for the birth. She’s taking it in her stride, just like millions of British people.
My other mates are juggling home schooling and work. As a mum to a very lively two-year-old boy and having only home schooled once myself, I have nothing but admiration for them.
Katie’s parents are pictured on their last trip to Sydney in 2019 when they visited the city for their grandson’s first birthday
Harry, aged two, enjoying a picnic at Redleaf Beach, in Double Bay, while his grandparents enjoy the snow in colder climes in the north-east of England
Katie and Harry on a recent trip to the farm in Yass, in New South Wales, in October 2020
While Katie wishes she could jump on a plane to see her family, she counts her lucky stars to have been able to spend the summer in Australia while the pandemic ravaged the UK
One, a primary school teacher, was teaching a class of five-year-olds over Zoom when her three-year-old girl bit her seven-year-old boy on the arm.
She was forced to brush the whole thing under the carpet as she practices strong discipline in all her classes.
Every family in the UK has a unique Covid story to tell, each juggling their own dramas.
But nothing makes me prouder than hearing they are all carrying on regardless, all getting on with life the best way they can. And most importantly – they’re smiling!
Katie pictured five years ago with her 92-year-old grandmother who recently received her Covid-19 vaccination while in a nursing home
In Australia it’s easy to get caught up in border politics and the day-to-day restrictions but since March last year I’ve commuted to an office to do a job I love, knowing my son is being cared for in a great childcare centre, which remained open throughout the pandemic.
I’ve enjoyed some amazing trips in New South Wales and had some great days at the beach.
Yes, I’d love nothing more than to get on that plane to visit my parents and my lifelong friends but I count my lucky stars every day that I live here during a pandemic.
Not a day goes by when I don’t think about my Mum and Dad, both in their 60s, my 92-year-old grandmother who recently had her vaccine, and my mates who all get up on a morning, get dressed for the cold February weather and battle on.
So the next time we have a bad day, or worry about when we’ll get an overseas trip in, let’s spare a thought for our friends in Europe. They’ve got it a lot tougher than you or I.
For Christmas this year Katie was fortunate enough to be surrounded by our closest friends at her home in Coogee
County Durham in the North East of England was recently covered in heavy snow, a far cry from the scorcher heatwave in Australia