Day 3: Feathered Friends and other things

Quarantine Diary

5:30 AM. Sunday. It’s quiet, very few people about. Only the regulars – street cleaners, dog owners, a few delivery drivers. I hear bird song, perch at my window and spy a few feathered friends. A couple of sparrows have made a home in a hole in the wall across the street – easy to miss unless you look for it. Did you spy them in the image above? There are also some larger birds with yellow feet and a lovely song – it takes me a while to identify them online as Common Myna, family Sturnidae (starlings and mynas), native to Asia. I like their songs. Curious and bold birds. Well adapted. And there are pigeons, of course.

It’s lovely to listen and watch my feathered friends flitting here and there. As the day gets busier their songs tend to disappear in the traffic noise, though today I notice them more. Amazing how resilient our feathered and furry relations are, how forgiving of our ignorant ways, how adaptable… I have a deep love for the natural world and connect with it wherever I can – especially in this man-made concrete, metal and glass jungle.

The body needs to stretch so I roll out the yoga mat, get on it and enjoy my eclectic selection of exercises from Yoga, Pilates, Feldenkreis and Physiotherapy practices. It feels good. I admit, I would really like to go for a walk, stretch my legs, explore the neighbourhood, find out what’s around the corner or down the lane. So I do… via google maps 🙂 looking at satellite images, dragging the little person across the map to place in various locations in the neighbourhood. It’s fun. Maybe not as much as the real thing, but as good as it gets right now. Thanks Google!

Breakfast time. There’s a banana on the chair outside my door. Every morning. Some caring soul leaves it there. I prepare oatmeal with yogurt, Cashews, add the banana and some papaya – yummy. Thanks for bringing the yogurt and oats, Kayabear xox.

Then I get my morning check in from Central Epidemic Command Center, today by text.

After breakfast, the cleaning bug bites me and before I know it the room is in order, what I don’t need is packed away, I’ve washed a couple of t-shirts in the sink, and even my laptop is sparkling again;) Time flies, its lunch time and I get to browse Ubereats. This time I’m decisive and quick, choose a healthy Bento box, salad, bubble tea, and some juice for later. I love this. So simple. The app keeps me updated on prep and delivery progress, payment is automatic, tip optional, and I receive a notification when it arrives. It’s a lifestyle I can adapt to easily, especially since the menu choices are endless! Yes, waste is produced in the process, but I’m pleased that much of the materials are either compostable or recyclable.

Which brings me to waste collection – a curious event here… There are no garbage cans on the street. People separate waste into compost, recycling and garbage at home and when the trucks come around announcing themselves with cute little tunes (like ice cream trucks), people grab their bags and hurry down to the street to meet them. Last night’s photos speak for themselves. A whirlwind of activity with divine order – and it’s over in a couple of minutes.

I talk to my cousin Daggi in Germany and find out that the family reunion, which was planned for this weekend, had to be cancelled at short notice. Covid cases are up, so to protect our elders (in their 80’s) the event was postponed indefinitely. Ha! When I planned this trip, I had considered going via Germany to Taiwan to connect with everyone, but given all the covid unknowns, I let this idea go quickly…and am glad I did! We also talk about how my experience with long meditation retreats supports me in staying centred, grounded, sane in this self isolation. In comparison to some austere retreats this is a luxury cruise. 🙂

I have my lunch leftovers for dinner accompanied by a sparkling beverage. I love Taiwanese food – and will talk about it at length another time. I think I’ll retire with Paulo Coelho’s “Hippie” book which I started this afternoon. Promising to be an entertaining ride down memory lane 🙂

Thanks Life for another great day!

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