Daisy’s general chat – June

By Daisy
Easing back to life as we knew it.
How’s it going everyone? I suppose it varies depending on where you live, your age, your general cautiousness, work situation and people with whom you have contact.
It’s feeling so back to normal in Bunbury. Being a country town, it seems people think, “It won’t happen here”. With regional borders opened up, we are being inundated with weekend trippers, mostly from Perth.
I went to go to the Farmers’ Market yesterday and had to turn around before even driving in. The cars were backed up onto the road, waiting to get in. A lot of people from Perth know about our Farmets’s Market and call in on their way south and/oron their return. I tend to get slightly territorial and want to say Eff off, but I know that is irrational. 
I have hit the cafés again with Woolif and/or friends. I love kicking back in a comfy spot with a coffee. Some of you know my usual spot is the VAT2 but they closed over the Apocalypse, so Woolif and I would buy take-away coffee and cake at Benesse and eat it on The Bay between Mash and the bridge.


It’s a beautiful spot. During the Plague I used to take my art supplies, lay on a blanket or sit on one of the benches and stay all day drawing or hanging out with my friend, Rachel. 
Anyhow, if you ever come to Bunbury, try Benesse. It’s only a café but it has the best food and coffee in town imo.

What’s Daisy drinking? Double soy latte is my guess – Juz

Woolif has a cold right now but it might as well be the pox because I won’t let him anywhere near me. He has the personal hygiene habits of a 12-year-old boy so I have to tell him off for things like not washing his hands, putting his used spoon back in the pudding to take seconds, or zooming in for a goodnight kiss. That’s when I go nuts. He works with children whose parents send them to school sick. 
Now I am heading home to rake a few honky nuts, pick up some dog’s poo and continue knitting my jumper.
Also to practice speaking Indonesian as son 1 is now living in Bali with an Indonesian girlfriend. He video chats me at least once a day and seems to be getting better. Those of you who followed me through Europe will know what I mean.
To all of you, wherever you are in Australia, or in the world, I wish you good luck, good health and good times in the rest of 2020.

Life in lockdown


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90 Comments

  1. No Juz, daisy does not do the the double or single soy anything. Soy only belongs in a sauce for gyoza or fried rice. But you got the latté right.

  2. Why am I seeing the “How to reduce sagging jowls”, ad? Don’t the cyber spies know I had them removed last year?
    The toastie, roastie woodheater ones are also superfluous now that we have already ordered one. It’s coming in July so we can put on summer clothes, eat paella and pretend we got that trip to Spain afterall.

  3. I feel like, here in Queensland, there’s an air of superficial normality that’s settling in. Shops and restaurants are opening again, shopping centres are full of people (and nobody’s really paying much attention, anymore, to the “please keep at least one metre away from people” thing), there’s so many cars on the road … but if you look around, some shops are still shut. A lot of cafes and eateries are gone for good. And if you listen closely, you can hear this undercurrent of, what’s next? Are we *really* done with this thing, or is it just lurking out of sight, waiting to trip us up when we least expect it?

    The politics is interesting, academically, to me. We’re watcing the state and federal governments all fighting over opening the borders up again, but if the cases are spiking in Victoria, then, maybe we should keep the borders shut for a little while longer?

    Interestingly, in a lot of American states, cases are still skyrocketing. What a weird coincidence that if you ignore the advice of medical professionals and run around whining about your freedoms, things get worse. What an odd coincidence.

    I know I’ve been exploring what’s on offer, on TV, a lot more, the last few months. I’ve tried a few TV shows here and there, simply because these days, we have multiple opportunities and plenty of time to do so. Animal Planet, on Foxtel, has been running monster documentaries (bigfoot, big cats, the Loch Ness monster) for the last month, and I’m a sucker for those. I’m not really sure I believe many of the stories (and a lot of those documentaries are more hoax than fact) but the world’s a more interesting place with them in it.

    I’ve been watched “Belgravia” on cable. It’s a six-episode British series, made by the people who did “Downton Abbey”. I could never really get into Downton, but I’m enjoying Belgravia more than I thought (it’s all about secrets and scandals in the British upper class during the 1860s. Very rich, visually, with sumptious sets and costumes. There was a fake wedding, the tragedies of the Napoleonic wars, a secret grandson, a vicar who’s up to his neck in gambling debts to very bad people, and all sorts of love triangles and affairs).

    I just bought a new board game today, “Dice Forge”. I don’t want a huge collection of board games (because they’re expensive and space-consuming), but I’m one of the admins of the local Geeks and Nerds group, and we’re going to try having our board game days, again (provided covid cases don’t spike again. Many of us have children or work with the elderly. One of us is immuno-compromised thanks to cancer treatment, so, we took the whole thing very seriously). And as one of the admins, I should have a small collection of games to bring to meet-ups.

    I was hoping to use the quarantine to finish the novel that I’m working on. I knocked out a chapter in April (which left me with three chapters to go until “The End”), which I was proud of, but then I ran out of momentum in May. I’ve got some good ideas, and a rough idea of where to go, but I find it hard to get back into, these days. It’s very hard to get into a creative headspace. I just wish I’d been able to be more productive, with all this time on my hands, and I’m disappointed that I wasn’t. Although I did a lot of cleaning and dusting.

    Anyway. I’m going to spend the rest of June and July tracking down all the little gems on the Sunshine Coast (cafes, activity centres, etc) that I found in 2019, and supporting them as best as I can. I’m receiving extra welfare payments, and I need to use that money to help the local economy (I bought an ice-cream on Friday, and the fellow behind the counter personally thanked me for my patronage and support of his small business. It was quite sweet).

  4. I’m in the danger zone for two reasons, so have not let my guard down yet and probably won’t until the end of winter, if then. The pandemic is not over, no matter how many act as though it is.

    I wear a mask and gloves on the bus. I know the mask protects others more than it does me, but it makes me feel better. Recently a fellow across from me was quite vigorously chewing his nails. I wanted to throw some hand sanitizer at him, before throwing up at his self-cannibalism.

    My Coles has removed the keep your distance stickers from the floors. There is only a keep 1.5m distance sign outside the store. Woolies still has the floor stickers, for the little amount of attention paid to them now. I’m an expert dancer/dodger while shopping and do ask for some space when needed.

    Heard one of my neighbours coughing for a few days and texted to ask if she is all right. She’s been sick for a while, but no, hasn’t been tested, maybe tomorrow. Goddammit, people. If you have symptoms, even if you “know” it’s a cold, get yourself tested for Covid 19. So many people are too casual now about taking precautions against the virus.

    Maybe my ultra-cautiousness is unnecessary and a waste of time. Fine, yay. I’d prefer to be too careful than not careful enough.

    Windsong, don’t feel bad about not doing everything you planned on doing during isolation. I planned to wash walls. Nope. Some cleaning and clearing was done, but no walls. 🙂

    My local pub will get a little support from me when I go in and have a drink or two in the outside bar on my way to the library. It’s a rare occurrence for me to drink at a pub these days, but, as a former hospitality worker, I feel for hospitality workers having – boom – lost patronage and jobs during isolation.

    And I cheered for our premier today who said that football was not more important than keeping us safe, and therefore WA borders will not be opening yet.

  5. I love that my fellow ttvers are being conscientious observers of the health and hygiene regulations.
    Von, I mask up and glove-up for shopping like a daddy long legs spins when its poked; to warn off danger.
    Funny how sometimes people, including nurses say, “Oh but a mask doesn’t prevent you catching the virus. It only protects others”. And that’s a bad thing because….???

  6. Had my second bout of “mild symptoms” last week, so trotted off to get tested (negative, btw). After going through the process, I can understand why some people aren’t bothering, at least when we’ve had no local cases for weeks. Because of being tested I was supposed to self-isolate at home. Live in a single room (bedroom) with my own bathroom, cutlery and crockery, and not see anyone else in my home until I got my result, which took 2.5 days to come. It just wasn’t realistic to achieve. I didn’t leave home, and I wore a mask when interacting with the family or their food, but otherwise…. In fact, I mainly did that because I don’t want the others to get my cold, and then have to go through the rigmarole with each having to be tested etc.

    I know it is not right, and I wouldn’t do it, but there is a huge temptation to ignore your “mild symptoms” if you know that being tested is going to put you off work and away from everyone for three days. And this could happen to you several times over a few months. Faster results would help, but priority is given to health workers, so that it not an option, it seems.

    I am aware, and understanding, that setting the rules is a mug’s game. Everybody wants an exemption for their personal situation, meaning everyone wants a set of rules just for them, and doesn’t like it when a blanket rule doesn’t seem to fit. But something broke inside me when I saw the protest rallies. What is the point of being so disciplined in your home and out-and-about, when that sort of stupidity goes unpunished. (Actually, maybe it isn’t – just waiting for the Vic situation to show the link)

    • Your last paragraph got me, Fijane; people raised on “No means Maybe” or “Yes, but….”. And we know what Doctor Phil says about the “Yes, but”. Everyone wants exemption because everyone is special. 😆

  7. 13 degrees in Adelaide. Every day still there’s a queue on the street outside Centrelink, you think $cotty from Marketing could shell out for some portable heaters and chairs. No way, get stuffed.

    I’m being given various articles of food by folks that panic shopped.

    The supermarket scares me. Thoroughly expecting a second wave.

  8. My grandson went off to his first year at uni, got stranded in covid. Tells me he gets student allowance, then Slomo gave him an extra covid allowance which was great for him because he couldn’t go anywhere (had online classes), or do anything. Had no need of money for petrol, girls, clothes or outings. So just saved it. Thanks Scotty from Marketing. He did invest in a pierced ear and an earring which looks pretty cool.

  9. I’m just poking my head up over the parapet to say a faint, “Hello”.
    Nothing is particularly wrong here (I insist).
    I just have nothing to say.
    I’m not watching telly, I’m not reading books, I am not catching up with friends or family.
    I get all my essentials – food, coffee, socks – delivered.
    The long doggo is stinky. I might have to emerge to do something about that.
    I quite like lockdown. I’m not sure I want it to end.
    I do cryptic crosswords and dip in and out of Twitter to keep myself entertained. I do read the comments here but I have no opinions.
    Sad (Okay, maybe I have some opinions but Trump doesn’t want to know).
    I’m not a god-fearing Pentecostal. God won’t protect me so I have to protect myself. (And ScoMo is not listening either).
    Sarcasm is still alive and flourishing in this house. I will return when I can put it to good use.

    • Your comment is a bit worrying, Bobi.

      Don’t turn into an agoraphobe. Well, do what you want, but maybe guard against enjoying lockdown too much.

      I admit that it’s nice not having to deal with…people. But I’m sick to death of masking and gloving and washing my goddamn groceries and door handles.

      You must go through a lot of socks. 🙂

      • Yes, Bobi. I hope you are just enjoying a breather. Let us you how we can cheer you. 🌹🌹🌹🌹

    • Thank you for your concern. I appreciate it. Checking in here helps.
      I know iso has become a habit for me.
      But it’s also a bit of “Where can we go?”.
      Movies are closed, coffee shops won’t let us sit down, lunch out is a no-go for most of my friends, and people are generally idiots.
      I am sick of having the discussion about masks – although I love the look on the faces of mansplainers when I explain that I am protecting them from me, rather than me from them. There is a rapid step back and a quick change of tune. Heh, heh, heh. I can only hope that it makes them think twice about following the advice of Trump.
      I have a couple of things coming up in the next two weeks that may shake me out of my routine. Fingers crossed.
      And the re-stocking of socks is because of spring cleaning. Marie Kondo would be proud. No half measures here.

        • 🤣🤣
          I am from Canberra.
          We have a fairly good virus track record here but, rumour has it, some of our recent cases were people getting off planes and refusing to self isolate. Because they are “special”.
          So we can never completely let our guard down.
          Hey. Look at me! I’m chatty again. Doesn’t take much.
          I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t see how simple this could all be.
          Wear a mask. Don’t hug me. All fixed.
          Now just put me in charge of world peace.

          • So many “special” people wanting exemptions. So many freelance “immunologists” deciding for themselves (and us) that self isolation is unnecessary.

      • We have been so fortunate here in SA, Bobi, and I am not in a vulnerable category so am even luckier. Time to order some garden bits and bobs for home delivery, rug up and get outside, perhaps?

        • I spend a lot of time looking at my garden. It wouldn’t take much to fix but I don’t like cold weather.
          I know. It would do me good.
          Plus, exercise. Unintended consequence.

          • As you know, I grew up in Canberra but a decade in SA has made me soft. Now when it’s 6C overnight I whinge about how cold it is

          • I love the winter flowers. I hate winter so it still surprises me every year to see the camelias, azaleas, zygo cacti flowers undeterred by the cold.

          • I’ve had to set a discipline to go out into the sun for 15 mins a day. I am sure that my immunity is dropping because I am not getting any incidental sunlight anymore. So weird, considering a summer of avoiding 40 degree sunburn!

  10. My heart goes out to Victoria, especially those poor restaurants that got ready for an easing of restrictions and bought in food, hired people and had to back off.
    And here, in WA, people just blatantly won’t SD.

    • Daisy, I was surprised the other day at how many people did physically distance. Going from one shopping area to another, outside, I and a man were going one way, properly distanced, and a young couple and a woman were coming toward us, also distanced. As we neared, we all veered away from each other to maintain the gaps.

      Nothing was said, there wasn’t even eye contact, but we all moved apart seamlessly. I kind of wanted to turn around and give us a round of applause.

      In Woolies, I went into an empty aisle. Empty lasted about 15 seconds. I stood back near the shelves, face covered, with my hand up. One woman looked at me briefly, then it clicked, and she said “sorry”, and literally ran past me.

      So some remember how to be safe. I want to go into the city on the next sunny day, only to see how it is. If it’s scary, I can turn right around and get on a bus to go home. Buses still don’t have many passengers, although it only takes a dozen before distance limits can’t be maintained. Masking makes me feel safer. I’m waiting for someone to ask me why I wear a mask, so I can ask them whey they aren’t.

  11. I have just discovered a new show I like. Well, it’s old but I have only just heard of it. The Great British Sewing Bee. It’s like GBBO but with home sewers. In between each challenge we get to see the contestants have a cuppa and brekkie at a local cafe. It’s very calming. No Project Runway tanties here (although I do love PR). It screens on Lifestyle on pay TV and in the past has been on Gem.
    https://youtu.be/w5eqyXNYv4s

      • Oh, I would win GAIO. Many years ago I was a nanny for a family with four little kids. The mum continually complimented me on how well I ironed the younger girl’s dresses, with all the rows of ruffles.

        Can’t remember the last time I ironed any of my clothes. 🙂

        • I’m impressed, Von. I still iron but not many things require ironing these days.
          I don’t mind ironing. Just put on Dr Phil or JJ and off I go.

          JJ= Judge Judy.

        • We’ll be in Perth on Saturday. Mum lives in Trigg. I am going up for a bit of knitting assistance.

          • I lived in Trigg for a very short and happy while.
            And when I say “lived” I mean stayed with a friend and her family for a long holiday.
            I was contemplating getting a job when my parents cut off my funds and I had to come home. I was so entitled, fftt.

          • Bobi, living in Trigg was a dream for a teenager. Gorgeous boys galore. Sun, surf (dangerous- I chose the rock pool on the headland, beautiful sand and hanging out with friends. Yep, it’s a great place. It’s a lot busier now of course.😭

  12. Silly people have started the panic buying again in my area. Toilet papers all gone in Woolies. Most flour are gone too. People are mad.

    • Got seven rolls. Double sheeted . I’m alright, Jack.

      I haven’t been able to get Coles’ Fried Rice for a good a six weeks.

      Lots of traffic again, ignoring of social distancing

  13. Instead of being able to run away from winter this year (they say go see WA, but all is booked out), we are getting a woodheater installed. I am looking forward to roasting.

    • I used to think politics was boring. Now that I am older and realize most politicians aren’t that bright, and are greedy, I find it annoying, but interesting.

      • Same here. But it is like corona virus coverage and very bad news, sometimes I have to take a break from it. It was interesting to see pols mostly work together at the start of the pandemic response…for the whole 5 minutes that lasted.

      • I’m still a fan of the state premiers.
        All making very difficult decisions under enormous pressure.
        I don’t envy them and, knowing our history, the voters won’t thank them.

        • Me too Bobi. I feel sorry for the Victorian guy as he has been the strictest but got the bad luck outbreaks. So he is blamed for being too hard and then blamed for not succeeding. Poor bugger.

          • I am not a fan of the Vic Premier but I agree that he has got the rough end of the stick this week, and shouldn’t be blamed as he has done everything he should have.

            In a couple of months, it could be one of the others, anyway.

      • I used to work for a politician – about a thousand years ago – and decided that they were mostly extremely well intentioned. So I wouldn’t necessarily think they are greedy. Most genuinely wanted to do the right thing but got ground down by the bureaucracies and the party politics. It was kind of depressing! The hours they work are ridiculous -w hen the house is sitting we could be in from 6-7am till well after midnight. And country MPs have it worse. Not that I would want to offer up ANY excuse for barnaby, but it is not conducive to good marriages and healthy relationships, that’s for sure.

        • I used work around them – I was one of the bureaucrats – and absolutely to almost everything above.
          And my exception is George Christiansen.

        • My childhood best friend was the child of a long-term fed MP. I also agree with everything above. It is the system that they slam up against when they go to Canberra that is the shocker. They either have to adapt or become disillusioned and leave.

          I also believe that there are a majority of pollies working hard in the background that we never hear about, because they are doing their best, and never doing anything newsworthy (ie bad or power-broking).

  14. Anyone watched the last season of DARK? It was so good, but the end was kinda depressing, but very fitting and nicely done. Gonna miss that show. I hope he creators come up with another mindbending concept for another show on Netflix.^^

    We also finally had season 12 of Drag Race drop. Will be weird as I know the finale will not be like they normally do it.

    • Zhee I am about to start watching the final season. Last night a watched a “the story so far” to remind me what had happened in all the timelines. Mr Juz only half watched and annoys me so much, asking “Who is that? Young Ulrich? Or Young Helger” lol

        • We just finished watching Little Fires Everywhere. So good! So now free to watch final season of Dark. And I think a new season of The Rain is coming also

          • That’s on Prime and caught my interest. The Rain was a show I really disliked. 🙁 But tbh, I save most of the stuff for after my move back to Germany. I found out my apprenticeship in France will not allow me to open a shop in Germany and I have to do a training and exams in Germany. Had I known last year, it would have saved me a lot of drama. -.- But yeah, it was a combo of me wanting to stay in France initially and time pressure during our lay off process and a very shitty “expert” who “helped” me create my training plan. She literally forgot to send my stuff to the German branch, they might have known. When she realized she forgot it, it was too late.

            Anyway, October 1st is currently to official move in date, but I can possibly move in earlier as apparently the current tenant would love to move out earlier.^^

          • Good luck to you, Zheng.
            A little bit bizarre that you can’t take the qualification with you.
            Firstly, learning cooking … in France – the land of the petite fours.
            And secondly, isn’t that the point of the EU?
            Irrational resentment builds in my heart for you.

          • I saw Big Little Lies, or us that Little Big Lies S2 on a flight. I loved it. I tried to get S1 when we get home but I think it was on Foxtel, which we don’t have. I am definitely in for Little Fires. Is it connected to Big Little Lies?

  15. Surprisingly to me, I think Life Drawing Live SBS is enjoyable watching. It’s soothing for some reason, as well as interesting.

    I wish they’d not included Poh, though. I’ve had enough of her.

    I’ve watched the first hour, don’t know if I will stay with it for the second hour.

    • For me, soothing is Escape to the Country.
      The two brown haired guys are “dandies” or dicks, the little guy is okay. The blonde woman is affable, but the stars are the rolling green countryside and beautiful cottages.

    • I tried to watch Rove.
      I enjoyed what I could sit through. I especially enjoyed the beautiful bods.
      It was too late and too long for me. Way past my bed time.
      It felt more like a Sunday arvo show.
      I agree with you about Poh.
      Is it wrong of me to enjoy NCIS? I love a murder where I have no personal interest in the victim.

      • I didn’t last the entire two hours, but also enjoyed the models while I was watching.

        Nothing wrong with NCIS, Bobi. I haven’t watched the original one since the Ziva character was introduced. I can’t stand her. I prefer NCIS New Orleans now. Scott Bakula was in about 50 tv series until he found one that really suited him. And I like the young fellow with the heavy southern accent, even though I never remember his name.

        • SPOILER ALERT: the one who dies? I haven’t been able to watch the show since I knew this was going to happen.
          Note to screen writers – it’s not always necessary to kill off a main character when they decide to leave.

      • I watched (and enjoyed mostly) all of it up to the last models. They were a step too far for me in the nudity stakes. It was fun doing the drawings, and I learnt a lot. One of my drawings was reasonably acceptable.

        What really annoyed me was the promo about how to submit your drawing. It was shown relentlessly, was longer than an ad and unnecessary. After showing it in full once or twice, they could have switched to a sliding banner along the bottom of the screen.

        I also enjoyed the first segment at the art gallery, learning about the history of nude art etc. But the later segments were too preachy for me, and I switched to the footy while they were on.

        I would like them to do a similar format, but without the full nudity, and fixing the few flaws.

        • LOL….did you expect anything less with Fenella presenting and it been on SBS???

          We understand why they included Poh but because there was not a direct interaction between the tutors and her art it made her presence redundant. They could have spent some more time with the participants in the studio.

          The ‘submit the drawing’ was repetitive but we think they were padding incase nobody submitted or it all went terribly wrong. It would be something they would refine if a series was commissioned but we understand the rating were disappointing.

          We understand they are screening the UK version next week.

          • Good points.
            I have no knowledge of who Fenella was, so I wasn’t pre-warned. I did think “typical SBS” – can’t make just a fun show, it has to be loaded with political innuendo.
            Yes. I would have liked more time with the studio people. They went to the trouble of having well-known and liked celebrities, but didn’t really use them effectively.

  16. Just read of some public housing blocks in Victoria being in complete lockdown because of covid19 risks. Supposedly their areas are cordoned off, with police making sure the lockdown is not breached.

    If that is accurate, whoa, that is scary. Risks to public health being contained is one thing, those sorts of measures are entirely different.

    • The real problem is the terrifying spectre of uncontrolled community transmission. It’s easy to deal with infected people arriving from overseas … you just close the borders and shut down the airports, problem solved.

      But what’s happening in Victoria, right now, is obviously the next step. This is no longer an outside problem. This is, one person coughs and twenty people are now infected, who each are going to go on and infect 20 other people, etc.

    • The real problem is housing all those people in 2 foot by 2 foot cabins with no balconies in huge towers in the middle of a city.
      No one in a huge country like Australia should have to live like that. And, yes btw, there are a hundred cheaper ways of housing them.
      And, with the benefit of hindsight, a petri dish waiting to happen.

      • Those towers have been an eyesore and standing joke in Melbourne since before I lived there in my teens. They were way ahead of the current fashion of creating new slums by pretending people want to live in apartments.

  17. I understand the effort to try to contain community transmission of the virus. But if reports are correct, the residents of those towers were given little warning of the lockdown, with no chance for them to replenish food or medicine or nappies, etc. – just, boom, you are in hard lockdown, don’t leave your home, and we’re putting cops outside to make sure you don’t. How frightening would that be? Lack of information and delays in getting supplies to the residents would make it even worse.

    Yes, Bobi, no one should have to live in little boxes piled atop one another. But that is those peoples’ reality, their homes. I imagine most of them make the best of it they can. Governments can order lockdowns of suburbs, blocks of flats, and apparently do whatever they want in genuine efforts to control virus spread. But no one can tell me that information and logistical support couldn’t have been put in place, or at the very least, planned, beforehand, so that the residents knew they would get help.

    Then, we have Pauline Hansen delivering her diatribe this morning, pretty much telling the residents of those flats that they deserve everything that happens to them. Her rant was the most hateful thing I’ve heard come out of her ignorant, racist, ill-informed mouth.

    • I missed Pauline’s rant (because I tend to avoid breakfast television, really for that very reason), but I did hear about it today.

      Nothing surprises me anymore, not with her.

      • I didn’t see it on tv, but read it verbatim in the paper.

        That woman has so much resentment, spite, and white privilege in her system that I’m surprised she can stand up straight. She is truly a waste of space.

  18. Oh Zhee, sounds like you have really been given the runaround. I would have thought countries like France and Germany would recognise each other’s qualifications. How are things over there now with the pandemic? Most of Australia is relaxing many rules but the whole of Melbourne has just gone into lockdown and they have shut the borders for Victoria.

  19. Daisy, Little Fires Everywhere has no connection to Big Little Lies other than Reece W is executive producer and stars – or something along those lines. Fires is a one and done series. Just an intense, gripping drama telling the the stories of two families, with some flashbacks.

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