Tēnā koutou katoa,
Lockdown life is certainly tough, and I hope you and your bubble are doing ok.
A few local bright spots in this difficult time; picnicking in our beautiful local parks, checking out the everchanging chalk artworks at The Hillsborough Wall (148 Hillsborough Rd), supporting local businesses with takeaway options, and promoting the amazing local vaccination drives, such as the upcoming one at our Wesley Community Centre on Saturday 30 October and the one recently held at Mt Roskill Grammar.
I’ve found the Mental Health Foundation’s Five Ways to Wellbeing really helpful for keeping myself going. Here are some examples of what I’ve been doing that I hope are useful to you:
- Connect – Having socially distanced afternoon tea with our neighbour
- Keep learning – Trying new baking recipes
- Be Active – Dancing to Go Noodle videos on YouTube with my kids
- Take Notice – Taking a photo each day featuring a different colour
- Give – Sending postcards every few days to a friend who is finding it tough
I got my second shot in mid-October, at the Unichem Pharmacy in Roskill South who are taking walk-ins as well as appointments. My 13-year-old son came with me, and he didn’t have any side effects other than a sore arm; I was a bit tired for a day or two afterwards.
Big thanks to all our fantastic local health workers who are helping with the vaccine rollout. Please do get vaccinated – all your local board members have done so and the more people who do the sooner we can protect everyone and come out of lockdowns.
If you have questions or are unsure please have a chat with your GP (doctor) or look at the many resources the Ministry of Health have put together. Almost everyone 12 years old and up can safely have the vaccine to protect ourselves and our community.
Stay safe everyone, love your bubble, and I hope we can connect in person over summer sometime.
Ngā mihi nui,
Julie Fairey
Puketāpapa Local Board Chair
October 2021
