And Then Gladys Entered My Life

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Saturday 21st March, 2020.

A lot happened on that day here in Aotearoa New Zealand. We all huddled around our wireless sets and heard the Prime Minister tell us that we had these things called COVID Levels, and that we were already in Level 2 and a Level 4 would mean the whole country would go into total lockdown.

This happened within 4 days.

Meanwhile Meg and I had been pondering about getting a pet for the past few weeks. I'd love a tortoise but they are prohibitively expensive here in NZ as they aren't really a common thing. An aquarium would be cool as well, but the upkeep, ugh. We weren't allowed to have a dog at the place I was renting so we fell back on the stable of Riversdale pets, a cat.

We drove up to the SPCA on Mt Vic and I had already set the parameters of, "an old cat, not a kitten". And there she was, Gladys (or Ginny as she was originally called) - the best companion we could've ever got.

Not that she was particularly happy about living inside or with us for the first few weeks. 

This one of the first photos I have of Gladys, scared and hiding under the bath.

Scared cat under a bath

21 March 2020

The Government introduces the 4-tiered Alert Level system to help combat COVID-19. The Prime Minister announces that New Zealand is at Alert Level 2. 

23 March 2020

At 1:30pm the Prime Minister announces New Zealand has moved to Alert Level 3, effective immediately. In 48 hours, New Zealand will move to Alert Level 4. 

25 March 2020

At 11:59pm, New Zealand moves to Alert Level 4, and the entire nation goes into self-isolation. A State of National Emergency is declared at 12:21pm. 

[source: History of the COVID-19 Alert System]

Breaker Bay, Wellington 6022, New Zealand

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