Lockdown

So, what a funny year so far! It began normally enough, we got through the ‘after Christmas slump’ of January/ February and made it into March.  We had begun to plan and start looking forward to the summer. Our plans this year were to get away in the van, maybe head to France and camp our way across to the coast. Half the fun was starting to make the plans and look at the maps, so that was in full flow.  Then March came……and with-it lockdown! We first began to hear about a virus that was hitting certain countries, but at that point we weren't unduly worried, then some countries began to ‘lockdown’ and we started to sit up and take things a little more seriously.  The kids talked excitedly of the possibility of schools being closed, but the schools were reassuring them that there was no way that was going to happen.  Then, it seemed to get more worrying and suddenly the chance of schools being closed, and serious restrictions became a very real possibility.  When word first came through that we were all to stay at home as much as possible, only going out for essentials and exercise it all felt a little surreal. It felt as though we went from normal one day, to our new normal overnight.  Rob began working from home, the kids stopped going to school, I only went out to get food.  We all tried to adjust to what we were and were not meant to be doing.  The advice was, at times, confusing and we all desperately tried not to do the ‘wrong thing’. We started off watching the daily briefings but after a while they became a bit overwhelming, so I began to just catch up on the news instead, but even that got hard to deal with.  Anyway, when I decided to write a blog post about the COVID lockdown, I told myself I would focus on the positives that have come out of this situation.  However, in the spirit of balance, I will share some of the difficulties too.  The first time I walked into town to get food and people started leaping out of the way and into the hedges and road, it made me feel really sad. I understood why it was happening, but watching people desperate to get out of your way and turning away as you approach just seemed so depressing. And who knew that having no cardboard recycling collection would cause such issues, along with the problems of not being able to get hold of flour, yeast and toilet rolls!  Queuing outside Tesco was another one that got me down, I soon learnt the best time to go to avoid this particular downside to lockdown, but I still panicked if I accidentally walked the wrong way against the directional arrows they had set on the floor, desperate not to upset or offend anyone with my actions! Not being able to visit wider family or have them visit us is obviously a major downside, thank goodness for modern technology. Now for the positives, it has been amazing to have spent so much time together as a family.  The kids are growing up fast, we will blink twice and they will be out in the world, doing their thing, as they should be.  So, I have cherished every moment of spending extra time together and the lovely weather really helped.  We’ve got a few jobs done, Georgia helped me paint the shed, and garden chair.  We planted sunflowers and started a jigsaw.  We’ve slept in the Den (my shed) and had curry nights and Mexican meal nights,  had a fire pit with marshmallows, we’ve watched films, read books, gone for family walks, walked the dog daily, gone on bike rides, played table tennis, baked, cooked, made bread and other things.  Although they are all managing some school work, we are trying not to get too hung up on getting it all exactly right but rather making an effort to do something to keep things ticking over.  Rob and I have got out on our bikes so much more, due to him being here earlier in the evenings as he doesn’t have to drive home from work, which has been great.  I fully appreciate how lucky we are to have the space, equipment (like bikes) and room to do all these things, and I am very aware that it has not been so easy for others and I can only hope that people are managing to find a new normal that works for them. Anyway, we will continue to press on in these unusual times, doing the best we can, keeping in touch via Zoom and FaceTime and gradually introducing some social distant outdoor meet-ups and see where it all takes us in a few months’ time.