As we gallop down the straight, tongue over the bit, all a-lather fighting for the finish line to put 2020 behind us, let us press the pause button and contemplate what this year from hell has taught us.

Who knew this time last year what was in store? I was madly dieting so I would look slimmer than my ex-husband’s third wife at our son’s wedding. We were yet to have an inkling of that terrible c-word, coronavirus.

As something of a Christmas grinch I was glad to see another come and go and then, ‘things started getting very real’. By the end of January, the pandemic had started to spread its devilish fingers into Australia. The global death toll, 40 people.

My son’s wonderful wedding went ahead on March 14, the weekend before the first lockdown. My daughter was unable to return to London where she lived and worked. She went to stay with the ex and wife number three in Queensland and ended up stuck there as the second wave hit Victoria.

So here we are 12 months on. Nearly 75-million cases worldwide, 1655 million deaths and counting. If ever we were living in the lucky country, it is now. We’ve had 28,000 cases and 908 tragic deaths, but it could have been so much worse.  

My daughter returned to London after the first lockdown and now we do not know how long it will be before we can see each other again. 

Boris ‘BoJo’ Johnson seems inconsistent with his COVID-19 policies and life in London is a pandemic-riddled rollercoaster ride. I have to keep telling myself, she’s young, strong and very sensible. Touch wood.

So, no more about me. How about our planet? She has told us in no uncertain terms, ‘don’t mess with me!’. 

I would like to think more of us are understanding her message: Life is precious, our planet is precious and when things go wrong, it’s deadly. As international travel has ground to a halt, carbon emissions have stalled and it is as if we can feel her take a deep, life-prolonging breath in the hope it is the start of a new era.

I believe it is. That the sentiment to act to minimise climate change has been invigorated as we reflect on what is truly important.

I am not trying to convert the climate sceptics. You will not believe the 99 percent of scientists who believe in the climate-change emergency, so why would I bother? You are not going to change your mind as you probably rarely, if ever, do. You like to stick to your guns, and, this is where I add, ‘I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it’.

So breathe, Mother Nature, breathe. Our great farmers are determined to leave their beloved land in a better state than they found it. 

And yes, I was slimmer than wife number three. But we sat next to each other at the wedding and are now great friends. Who knew?

The entire December 23, 2020 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire December 23, 2020 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!