Week Three
Dear Melbanians,
See what I did there? Melbanians! I’m so happy. It feels like the perfect way to refer to all of us who come together to make up Melba – from the people receiving services to the people delivering them. Our tribe. Ready for this week’s update, Melbanians?
I’ve been told about some of the things that Melbanians have been up to during the lockdown. There are some awesome ideas out there. One of my favourites is creating a home-cinema experience. You can stack up pillows on a comfy chair with some blankets - watch a movie on free-to-air, or even on a mobile or iPad device, whichever suits.
But what’s the most important part? Popcorn. Put it on your next supermarket home delivery order so it’s in the pantry when you’re ready for it. My friends, I cannot put into words the difference that the scent of popcorn makes to a home-theatre. The sensory memory of that smell triggers all sorts of happiness inside. It's one of those little things that really can make you feel happy at a time like this. If you’re too unwell to get out of bed, and that happens to all of us at some point. So have a go at just setting it up in bed, playing a movie on your favourite device and snuggling down in the dark with some popcorn. As far as treats go, it’s a special one.
Another cracker of an idea is setting up a café. Complete with hand-made money. This works especially well in group homes, or any household with a few people around. My café only sells pancakes because that’s all I know how to cook, but I still have repeat customers, and my daughter is willing to pay $50 for pancakes and a chocolate milkshake. It’s turning out to be quite profitable for me!
Some other fabulous ideas, for those who are good with technology, are the virtual worlds that you can explore online. Try these online activities below:
San Diego Zoo https://sandiegozoo.org
Go to Mars https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/21357/access-mars
Visit an Aquarium https://www.montereybayacquarrium.org
Go Deep Sea Diving https://neal.fun/deep-sea/
Become and Engineering Pioneer https://www.boeingfutureu.com/virtual-field-trips
Visit a museum https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en
Watch and make Videos https://www.nma.gov.au
Visit Melbourne Zoo https://www.zoo.org.au/animal-house
FarmFood360 https://www.farmfood360.ca
Travel to Paris https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
Visit British museum https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com
Music is for everyone https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com
Poetry and music https://www.thewell.world/mindful-music/mindful -poetry-moments
Live streaming at zoos across the world may be great for animal lovers and can be viewed here: https://www.youngwitness.com.au/story/6702920/the-zoos-that-are-live-streaming-to-keep-your-kids-educated
Finally, I have some of the cutest advice ever. It’s from the RSPCA about our pets. Smile! It turns out that one of the main ways that our pets communicate with us is by reading our facial expressions. That does become harder for them when we’re wearing masks, but one of the things we can do is to smile at them even while we’re wearing a mask. They can tell. It’s so cute. They can read your friendliness by your smiling eyes, however, just remember not to kind of stare at them because then they might feel a bit threatened. Also, avoid masks with faces on them - RSPCA Victoria Behaviourist, Nikki Johnson says that plain masks are the best for your pets to see you wearing, and they’re likely to be less afraid of them than the ones with eyes and mouths.
The next update will be on Tuesday 25 August. In the meantime, you can visit www.melbasupport.com.au, or like Melba on Facebook, or follow Melba on Twitter and Instagram using @melba_support
Thanks, stay safe and try to have fun,
Kate Taylor