The Night Out

 Level Four Lockdown: Day Sixty-Nine

Mood: Good

I've just got back from a 'night out'  - well as much of a night out you can have here at the moment. A trip out to Blarney's  - as Blarney is my bubble. A curry and a movie on the telly. A bowl of ice cream. Then home. 

And it was awesome. 

I also sat through the first quarter of the Geelong - Collingwood game and played with Blarney's kittens - who are quickly turning into cats.

It was lovely. Just a little bit of normality. 

Then on the way home, I drove through the empty streets - there is nowhere to go at the moment. Nobody is going anywhere, even though the curfew has been lifted. The Westgate Bridge was all but empty. There's no playing chicken to get into the required lane at the moment. What used to take me anything up to 45 minutes to get home is taking me just on 20 minutes now. 

Driving down Swan Street at the start of the night, it was good to see restaurants open and serving takeaway. On Burnley Street a bar has a streetside barbeque on the weekend. These are small signs of life. It feels strange to see people congregating, though most have masks on - or hanging from an ear as they drink a footpath beer. 

But this is a footy finals weekend in Melbourne - and it's not the same. Swan Street, at 10.30, after a night final, should be overun with football supporters. The street should be chockers with half-drunk youth celebrating and commiserating in equal measure. The Corner Hotel should be heaving with whichever band is playing. Young women should be milling about in their skimpy dresses, crawling from bar to bar. On a normal finals night, it will take you ten minutes to get from Hoddle Street to Church Street. 

Tonight it took me two. 

There's an eerie silence along the Swan Street precinct. Even Coles closes at 10 pm, as does all the stalwarts, like Messina Gelati, Meatballs and Grill'd. All closed for the evening.

It's like Melbourne now has a bedtime. Like good little children, we stay in our rooms. 

In normal times driving these streets would entail playing dodgems with Collingwood supporters - well they have to be good for something. 

It's still surreal. Even seventy days into lockdown. 

The kids go back to school on Monday. And there is much rejoicing from frazzled parents. 

Hopefully hairdressers come back on the 19th - and there are many of us wanting that - just as I want a massage and my legs waxed. May of us are sick of looking like skunks. 

But it's the second semi-final, two Melbourne teams played, and the town is silent.

It's still weird. 

Today's Song