11 May – 21 May 2020

You would have thought it would have been like something out of the end of Independence Day. Having survived the alien attack, the citizens of the world emerge, blinking in the harsh sunlight, full of hope for what the future holds. In fact, some of the footage we saw from Spain (where children have been literally housebound for 2 months straight) looked a bit like that. 

In Aix, things were a bit different. 

As soon as the end of lockdown was announced, the Aixoise largely took it upon themselves to take up ‘normal’ life again. Immediately.

So, when the formal end of deconfinement arrived, it didn’t feel that different. 

Yes, it was weird that we didn’t need our self signed permission note to go outside (how quickly we become accustomed to such things). 

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Yes, it was weird that it was raining, because, after all, it is Provence where it doesn’t rain very much (as a consequence, Aixoise are a bit like Sydney-siders and effectively scared of the rain and won’t go out in it. Parallel this to London, or even Finland, were there is no bad weather, only bad clothing…). In any case, compared to the confined but sunny Sunday afternoon, there was no-one on the streets. 

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Shops were mostly still shut, most preparing to re-open the following day, complete with handwashing stations, mask advisories, circulation markers and safety barriers between customers and staff. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. 

Dogs were still off the lead. (Strange fact – since the start of confinement, the French have taken it upon themselves to ‘free’ their animals in the middle of town. Previously this would have been unheard of. This means we need to be on our toes at all times… as Bonnie has become cranky in his old age and will basically have a crack at any dog or car that comes anywhere near him). 

Those who were out weren’t wearing masks anymore. Police still cruised the street, 4 in a car, not a mask between them. 

Confinement was over, so was the risk. Right? 

First things first we purchased our very first Provence style washable masks. Having seen the various make-shift attempts on the streets we decided against using airline eye masks, socks, bandannas or scuba gear and went straight for the boutique chic version of this PPE.

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Whilst the girls’ friends navigated their first day back of ‘socially distant’ schooling….

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….we braved the weather and jumped in the car as a family for the first time in 2 months. The minute we left the garage, Ellie started looking concerned. 

Daddy, why are you driving so fast? (we were going 30 km/h at the time). Someone had forgotten what it was like to be in a car. 

From there, it was off to the obvious place you go when you haven’t been out of the immediate area for 2 months. Carrefour, the hypermarche. To buy wine. Lots and lots of wine. 

Masks on, alcohol wipes in hand and carrying hand sanitiser, we left Bonnie and the kids in the car and hit the shops, keen to stock up on ‘essentials’ (read: wine) for the trip home. 

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From there, it was off to Park de la Torse to get some grass under our feet for the first time since March. Even in the rain, it still felt glorious. 

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The sun came out again on Tuesday. 

For Anthony, the day started with a real live bike ride into the countryside. It was wonderful to be out of the longeroom and into the real live world. Strange things like needing to brake and steer the bike. Amazing views of the countryside in full spring glory – fields sprinkled with wildflowers of purple, yellow, white and red poppies. Vines covered in fresh, green leaves and tiny little grapes. It was absolutely stunning. 

For the girls, it was time to get used to the next phase of schooling in France, as we pivoted from homeschooling to mixed home/face to face (with the majority of pupils back in the classroom and a number, like our girls, still at home). Zoom calls continued, in fact even stepped up, however now they were a face on a wall with 3 of 4 others as the rest of the kids sat, masks on and socially distantly spaced, in the classroom listening to their mask and visor clad teachers. 

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We were grateful that the school had stepped up so quickly, having not only implemented all the required safety procedures but also installed VC facilities in all the classrooms, enabling the homeschooling kids to dial into lessons. A quick study of their daily ‘emploi du temps/timetable’ indicated that things were anything but normal. Aside from the new physical set up and faceware, regular times were dedicated to handwashing, ‘recré’ was largely spent at their desks with books or personal games (followed by more handwashing) and any other activity (eating or getting some activity outside) was staggered by class to avoid contacts. Early indications suggested the kids had worked out how to play ‘tag’ in the playground without coming into contact with each other. Ingenious.  

It was the new normal, but it was anything but normal. Still, we were fortunate … many other schools remained shut. 

On Tuesday afternoon (deconfinement, day 2)  we went for a walk around town. 

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Shops (but not restaurants, cafes or bars) were now generally open, desperate to recoup some of the losses from the last 2 months. Unlike the population at large, they were generally following the rules strictly, no doubt in an attempt to protect their livelihoods. Lines formed outside of those shops fortunate enough to have clientele, often evenly spaced according to clearly marked labels on the ground and supervised by security staff. Ikea style pathways around shops indicated the direction of travel. Masks were always advised, often mandatory (for those shops confident they would have customers) and generally on sale. Alcohol gels were dispensed at entrances (and sometimes exits) and, in many cases, baskets were conspicuously wiped down with disinfectant wipes after each use to give confidence. Counters were protected with plastic screens and staff with masks and visors. Staff at smaller shops looked desperate. 

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Outside of the relatively carefully managed shops and back on the streets it was absolutely heaving. People everywhere. No social distancing as people hung out in the sun or brushed past each other on the street. Masks, generally worn in the shops, were taken off the minute one stepped outside, even in crowds. It was a total shambles. We could just imagine that France would be back in lockdown again within the month. 

Over the last week or so since confinement ended we have tried to take full advantage of the beautiful springtime environment here in Provence, and the fact that we can now get out and enjoy it. 

We had our first post confinement playdate. We went for a hike with our friends Sophie and Julien and their 2 girls Victoria Louise and Éléanore in the hills behind their house in Meyrargues. The forested hills were teaming with wildflowers of yellow, red, purple and white in the warm spring sunshine. We hiked to the top of a nearby hill where we stopped for lunch and for Ellie to dial in to a zoom class (one advantage of homeschooling) and let Bonnie shake off some of the cobwebs from the last few months of confinement living. It felt wonderful to be out in nature again after so long – walking the trails beneath pine trees, picking wildflowers and admiring the beautiful views, gorges and other rock formations – and of course to have real live, non computer based contact with actual real people again! 

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Anthony had been out cycling as much as possible, exploring the areas around Aix to find the best views of vineyards, wildflowers and poppy fields.. and searching (as yet in vain) for some lavender flowers (we are still a bit early). 

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Homeschooling has continued unabated… although we will draw a line under this after the end of next week and send the kids back into normal school at least 4 days a week. Jessie and Ellie have adapted to their zoom classes and have been enjoying the flexibility of being at home. Sena is very keen to get back to her class and her friends – during her first Zoom call with the rest of the class she was very concerned (and more than a little put out) that almost everyone was at school except for her. She is ready to move on! 

This week (a week behind the rest of deconfinement) we got our markets back. Masks are obligatory, lines are carefully marked and the days of choosing your own food are over. But the produce is back, the vendors are back, the prices are back and it’s awesome. You forget how much better the simple tomato is from the markets, or the olives, or the cheese of the saucisson. And cheaper. So much cheaper. 

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And then there are the logistics. We have been wrestling with a number of different animal transporters to try and arrange for Bonnie to get home. This has been going on for months as these organisations have closed and reopen due to covid and airlines have continually changed their rules around animal transport. Finally, it looks like we have certainty, and Bonnie is booked on an Emirates flight on 23 June back to Melbourne where he will have 10 days of quarantine. 

Having now put a ‘stake in the ground’ around our departure, we have been able to book our own return travel. Our original plans to explore China and then have a week on a resort in Asia have been long since abandoned, and we will now be heading straight back to Melbourne on 22 June on Qatar (thanks Adam) before spending our ‘resort time’ in a quarantine hotel for 14 days. And we are grateful for it. 

From there, we will all drive back to Sydney together, arriving around 10 July. 

So we have a plan. 

We have started to simplify our lives here. We arrived with 5 bags, a bike and a snowboard only 10 months ago. Yesterday the shippers arrived to take 9 boxes, 3 ski bags and a suitcase off our hands. We will see them in 3 months in Australia. We are back down to 4 bags, a bike and the world’s largest dog travel box. We feel lighter already (but remain amazed that we could possibility accumulate so much stuff). 

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Today (21 May) is also our last day in the city of Aix. Today we give up our apartment in the middle of the city and take a house with a pool around 30 minutes south of here. We are excited to have some outdoor space and the kids can’t wait to have a pool. But we will miss the city, the markets and the people. We will miss being able to duck downstairs to our now functioning markets to buy amazing fresh food or the best bread in the world. We will miss the wonderful colours and architecture of Aix and the smooth, pedestrianised streets tailor made for roller blading and kids bike riding. We will miss late night walks through beautifully lit streets. 

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Where we are off to (near Mimes, 15 kms south of here) has less personality than Aix, but will suit us well for our last 4 weeks here. Close enough to school, hiking trails right next door, pool, terrace and BBQ. We will still drive into Aix for the market (although there are others closeby). It will give us some space and some quiet relaxation before we head back to real life. 

Having some certainty is both reassuring and sad. Our adventure now formally has an end date and we have a departure plan. Before we know it we will be back at home, back at work and with nothing but memories and souvenirs to show for our experience. We are excited and sad and scared and grateful for the experience we have had together.

Post Script

During the cleanup of our apartment we found our confinement era Complaints Box.

Complaints in our house are taken seriously.

The Complaints Box was established following a number of verbal complaints being made about the quality of the food, the quality of the siblings, the requirement to undertake exercise or anything else that may be of concern. It is incredibly important to us that all (valid) complaints are heard, considered and used to improve how we deliver our services to our children/customers.

The Complaints Process (of which the Complaints Box is a critical part) was established as a transparent, risk managed and fully auditable mechanism to manage customer/child dissatisfaction.

The Complaints Process is governed by the Complaints Policy under the Oversight of the Complaints Sub Committee. The Complaints Policy requires that the Complainant fill out the current Complaints Form (currently at Form EFG v73a (updated 15 May 2020). The Complaints Form may change at any stage without notice.

Appropriately completed complaints will be allocated (based on the nature of the Complaint) to a Complaint Owner who must respond to any valid Complaint within 6 weeks of receipt. Complaints not in the appropriate form will not be considered.

If the Complaint has a Complaint regarding the management of their Complaint, they may Complain to the Complaints Sub Committee using the appropriate form (Form MNO dated 5 May 2020). All valid escalations will be considered by the Committee within 3 months of receipt.

Appropriate governance and oversight has been implemented over the implementation of the policy and process and comprehensive reporting is provided to the Complaints Sub Committee on a monthly basis to support both effective governance of the Complaints Process and continuous improvement of the Services.

The children have all be fully trained in the Complaints Process and the lodgement of Complaints under this regime.

We are proud to report that, as of the end of confinement, we are yet to receive any valid complaints through our extremely fair process. We have, however, received a lot of invalid notices that we have included here.

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