Monday morning won't be quite like it was last week for anyone in Aotearoa. Here's some highlights of the lighter side of lockdown for your end-of-weekend cheer.
Now that's a lockdown pie! RNZ reader Devoney sent in this work of art featuring Dr Ashley Bloomfield in edible form.
"It's condensed milk panna cotta with passion fruit pastry," she writes. She shares her bakery art on Instagram at @devoneybakes.
But it was Minister for Covid-19 Chris Hipkins who lit up social media with an accidental misstatement during the 1pm press conference, when he admitted it's hard for Kiwis to "get outside and spread their legs when they're surrounded by other people". (Helpful hint - stretch those legs, don't spread them, unless you're doing the splits.)
NZ’s Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins wants to make sure that we can all have the opportunity to spread our legs. Thank you Minister! 😄 #SpreadYourLegsNZpic.twitter.com/Mb9W1TlDsX
Within minutes, there was a bit of a comic uproar:
Oh my god Chris Hipkins just said it’s hard to spread your legs in high density areas instead of stretch your legs... I heard that right didn’t I?
— Alice through the looking glass🇳🇿🇳🇴🇮🇲🇩🇰 (@LexRegina72) August 22, 2021
Anyone else head Chris Hipkins say “spread your legs” instead of “stretch your legs”?! We’re already losing the plot here and have ended up in fits of giggles 🤭🤣
#SpreadYourLegs & Ashley’s reaction to it was exactly the comic relief Aotearoa needed today. Seriously, I was on the verge of a wee anxious cry when that happened. Ka pai. 👏🏼👏🏼😂
Highly Catholic mother n law just walked past (lives down the road) I yelled out to her if she was out ‘spreading her legs’… awkward silence & look of disgust… she missed that part of the 1pm presser. Oops. 🤣 #SpreadYourLegs
It was probably the kind of cathartic meme that Sunday afternoon needed, to be honest.
We'll leave it to the Prime Minister's fiancee to provide the last word on that:
Is it Kãkã mating season? They seem to be going full Chris Hipkins in the backyard at the moment. I've never seen so many, totally NOT socially distancing.
Petition to canonize Anika Moa. Specifically, the patron saint of single parents in lockdown with small children. She played a 45 min live concert for us all this morning despite having a cold and being in solo-parent lockdown herself. Legendary.