November Newsletter

Welcome to the monthly newsletter from DistanceFamilies.com

Will there come a day when COVID-19 isn't a universal topic of conversation? It sure is here, because Auckland's at Day 79 of the strictest lockdown restrictions the world has seen, while also achieving one of the highest vaccination rates and lowest % of ICU patient numbers. Next week retail shops reopen which we're so excited about... even those of us who aren't shoppers. No hairdressers yet. Many of you have been here, I know.
I do hope that next month I can report that NZ has been transformed into a welcoming, open, fully functioning country.
In the meantime, those of you heading into winter I hope you're escaping the bad flu that seems to be lurking around every corner.
Take care
​Helen Ellis

BOOK SERIES NEWS

Lockdown has left me with no excuse not to box on with the second book of the series, Being a Distance Son or Daughter: a Book for ALL Generations. By the end of the month a rough draft will head to a handful of special Beta Readers. After that there are many weeks of finetuning, polishing and right at the end... the heavy duty proof-reading.
You can secure your copy in 2022 - perhaps April.
In the meantime, I love receiving spontaneous messages from readers of the grandparent book. It is lovely to wake up to...
"I received your book and I have already read the half of it. I am impressed!" Distance daughter in Greece
"I devoured your book. May I pick up a bunch of copies for local friends?" Distance mother in New Zealand

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DISTANCE FAMILIES NEWS

The big news is that on the 1st of November Australia opened its previously incredibly strict borders. All rules and quarantine restrictions are gone and family can come and go. I admit to being more than a tad envious as NZ borders resemble a fortress. This situation reminds me of an article from a few months back... the difference between envy and jealousy. "Envy comes with a wispy veil of negative connotations but doesn’t sit in the same camp as jealousy".

One of my favourite articles this month features New York Times writer, Paula Span. We've met Paula before in other articles plus she has written her own grandparenting audio book. Here she talks about setting boundaries for all generations regarding grandparenting.

In September I reported I had been nominated for the TEMI awards by Australasian, Employee Mobility Institute. Well the good news is that I have been short-listed. Their November awards night has been postponed until February 2022 which is helpful as perhaps our border rules will open so hubby and I can head across the Tasman to Melbourne for the black-tie extravaganza. It seems a long time since I wore a posh frock!

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ON THE HOME FRONT

When you can't socialize and Spring is happening, the garden is where I head. Rules don't permit the luxury of wandering around a garden centre, aimlessly selecting just what I fancy. The best I could manage were 'click & collect' purchases and delivery.  Garden centres emptied of popular stock in no time - hardly any of my preferred white bedding plants were available. This year there'll be a hodge-podge of colour: basically whatever I could manage to buy - but I really don't care. The first blooms are appearing.
Today we took delivery of a new concrete (yes concrete) outdoor table and chairs. The table top section alone is 120 kgs. I've put the word out for two burly chaps to assemble it, so watch this space. When we eventually sell the house the table will be part of the deal.

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​Thanks for reading. I look forward to chatting next month.
Kind regards

​Helen Ellis
​DistanceFamilies.com
​helen.ellis.nz@gmail.com