After 112 days of lock down – yes 112 days – our Melbourne colleagues from VBCS were finally reprieved from their homes last week and permitted to travel 25km from home.

Graced by gorgeous Spring weather, the restriction lift couldn’t have been better timed.

For some of our team this freedom meant seeing family members in person for the first time since April. For those of us fortunate not to have been in lock down, not being able to hug your own son, who lives just a few suburbs away, for five months is just incomprehensible.

Peter, this was an emotional highlight. He was able to drive past The Block renovations in Brighton to see the progress in person, visit a café and enjoy a long overdue dinner with friends.

Golf courses were a popular choice and the weather was perfect for a hit. Adam, Niall and Greg all took advantage of the heading to their favourite green to catch up with friends. How much time they actually spent in the cat box is yet to be confessed but no doubt they swung out any cobwebs and enjoyed being outdoors in the sunshine.

Richard also cruised through Brighton and headed to the Baths where he enjoyed a nice relaxing stretch out in the sunshine after a long walk outside of his previous 5km limit.

The highlight of the long weekend for Joanne was going out for breakfast, not ordering takeaway, and sitting at a table in the sunshine and enjoy her meal. Just to be waited on was a treat! And not just for Joanne, but the owners and staff at cafes who can now finally offer their hospitality.

Jason had an amazing long weekend and headed out for dinner on both Friday and Saturday night. His daughter earned a much-desired trip to the hairdresser and shopping expedition. Hopefully she didn’t have to wait nearly as long as Jared did for his haircut, he was waiting in line for nearly two hours! Anyway, Jason joined in the atmosphere at St Kilda Beach on Cup Day and to top off his long weekend he put up their Christmas tree with his daughter.

Speaking of trees, Gus and Belly Button – Madeline’s fur kids – finally got to go out and sniff all the trees they wanted and run free on their play date with friends Hamish and Murphy, the Bernese Mountain dogs. Bet they slept well that night!

But best of all, as Peter says, it was great to see the city coming to life and seeing the smiles, even from behind the masks.

The lift in restrictions was definitely worth celebrating over the long weekend and we’re thrilled our team shared some of their experiences with us.

To our Melbourne readers, we hope you too had similar experiences and enjoyed getting out to catch up with friends and family. Continue to take care and stay safe.