Surviving C19 Lockdown

A lovely afternoon spent socially distancing with the neighbours, enjoying celebrating VE Day whilst catching up over cake and gin. I felt privileged they allowed me to move my chair in to the road a bit closer to their grass. Today is the first “proper” catch up in person I have had with anyone outside my own house, other than dropping shopping off and chatting briefly from the gate. Today was as close to “proper” as it gets in these times. We even had chairs and a table, imagine..... So VE Day has been lovely. For many reasons. A catch up with friends (who are also the neighbours), sitting outside in the sun somewhere other than my own garden, a reason to make more scones, and a perfect excuse to drink gin even earlier than usual at 3pm.  But actually it’s emotional. I’ve seen loads of photos on social media about the war, and the bombings, and the loss of life, and the hardships faced. And I remember my amazing grandpa and all he, and many others, did for their country to giv...

As you know if you have read my previous blogs, I love making lists. Tonight, I have already started tomorrow’s list with the word “gin”.  I’d never been a gin drinker until my mother in law (your fault if you are reading this Kate!) gave me a glass at their house a couple of years ago. And it was delicious. And ever since I have tried to have a bottle in the house for special occasions. Pre lockdown a gin and tonic was my Saturday “treat” before I opened a bottle of Prosecco. (Don’t judge, it was once a week) I felt naughty if I had a G and T around 6pm as it seemed far too early. (Note to readers, I haven’t always been a prude, in fact in the day’s before kids, any time after 12.01pm was more than acceptable to open a bottle of White Lightning, which was consumed all afternoon and in to the evening without thought or regret. Until the next day. However! I became a mum and I got old. And really dull. So these days a drink pre 6pm is unheard of. And a drink on any night other...

Things I am looking forward to doing when this is over.... - Not having to check the Tesco delivery slot availability 27 times a day  - Getting a regular Tesco delivery slot again  - When going for a walk, not opening gates like a freak of a person with my top stretched over hands in a bizarre “jumper-gloves-combo” whilst trying to assist useless hands with other body parts such as knees, shoulder, hip, bum, feet  - Having the house to myself - Hugging my mum - Going shopping without having to stop dead in the isle to avoid passing someone, or having to double back on myself to go 10 isles out of my way to either adhere to the arrows on the floor, or find an isle with no other people down it (usually due to bare shelves down that free isle) - Going out for a full day - Going on holiday - Watching Coro more than 3 times a week - Being able to have a work meeting or social catch up without having to look at my own fat face on a screen as I talk to oth...

Ok, I’m pissed off with it all now. I just want it to end! Up until now it’s been ok. Apart from the first few days that were scary and confusing, and very stressful. But since then we are kind of in a routine and for many reasons actually enjoying. But I’ve just spoken to my lovely mum. And it’s hit home. This is not going to be ok again for a very long time. Apparently a guy over the road from mum says he has been told he can’t go out for a year as he has very serious breathing issues. And mum said on the phone “it’s going to be a long time for me as well” due to her being over 70. And my heart broke. I miss her. And I know she misses her life as it was. For a lady her age she was always busy, family, church stuff, cycling here there and everywhere, looking after others, endless days out with us. And now nothing but a walk a day. I just want to see her and for it to be normal. I’m not naive enough to have thought once lockdown ends everything will go back to the way it was, but toni...

I don’t normally write a blog so late at night, (10pm!), but Russ has gone to bed and I thought that would allow some lovely mother / daughter time together as it’s still officially school holidays as tomorrow should have been a teacher training day. So, when I excitedly asked Mia the question  “would you like to stay up a bit later tonight and snuggle up with me and watch TV together?”, the answer was a quick and blunt “no”, I realised I should learn from this experience.... Never interrupt Sims play. Do not think for one minute that “snuggles with mum” at 11 years old will ever come before FaceTime with her bestie. Plan for such a senario in the future. Random time to myself is so unheard of there should be a back up plan. For example something suitable for my own viewing on the hard drive. But there is nothing, and I’m so tired of the news, I have found myself writing another random blog. We have acquired a baby blackbird today. It’s a very sad story but our “cute” kitten stal...

Been feeling a bit down these last couple of days. No particular reason (except there is a world wide pandemic, I’m worried, I have no income, I miss family and friends, and no one knows if life will ever get back to how it was) I need to pull myself together.... No actually I don’t. I realise there are so many people out there who are worse off then me. NHS and all key workers, ill people (CV or any illness), people who have lost their job, people who can’t claim anything, those who can’t see loved ones even for a few minutes with shopping, those in abusive relationships, and I think worst of all, those who have lost someone close to them in these times. And I’ve just had a couple of days where the enormity of it all has kind of hit me. Watching the whole world suffer is unbearable. When all this started I was in survival mode for my business. Keeping busy trying to sort out financial issues and do all I could to make sure my business can come back from this. The initial fear of losin...

Two and a half weeks in to lockdown and already this life is feeling almost normal. There is a new routine (or lack of) for everything and the pace of life is so slow and uneventful compared to how it was. I popped round to my lovely grandma's earlier with some shopping essentials and we chatted from a safe distance (how often do we now use this once obsolete phrase?) in the garden. She is amazing. 98 and totally unfazed by all this. She just says her life hasn’t actually changed that much, which I guess it hasn’t, apart from that she is seeing less of people and can’t go to church. Normally I would stay longer and have a coffee with her, and probably some biscuits with a best before date of Jan 1982, but these days I take my own bottle of water and have a good excuse to pass on the biccies. We talked about the usual things, Corona, both world wars, politics, immigration, Corona, Spanish Flu, and how weird I will look when my hair is the same colour as hers in a few weeks... I ...

I was determined to use this time we have found ourselves with as the opportunity to have lots of lovely extra family time. When lockdown was first announced I had visions of a daily walk together, all 3 of us linking arms and chatting and laughing together as the wind rippled through our hair and the fresh air made our cheeks (already aching from laughter) red and tingly. My mind pictured me helping Mia with her school work, sitting down together from 9am until 3pm, and working through it happily, learning together and enjoying each other's company. I assumed this could be fitted in around my own work, telephone calls and Zoom meetings, with an hour's break for a home cooked healthy lunch eaten in the garden together, perhaps followed by a ball game, before returning to our desks. The house and garden would naturally be spotless, as with all this extra time, how could they be anything else? Once the day's work had been completed, the 3 of us would sit down for a tasty meal...

 I love lists and I always hand write them, everyday, except Sunday. I have written a list of stuff I want to achieve while I have no actual photography work on. Some of it is doable, and some of it is not. But as long as I have a list I feel like I am at least doing something. And the satisfaction of crossing off stuff I have done, right now, is sadly the highlight of my day.... - Ring mum and grandma most days. - Spend as time as possible with Mia without her telling me she “needs her own space”. Even if it means my skin being drawn on in pen on as I sit next to her while we both worth try and work. - Play lots of board games, even if it’s by myself as Mia and Russ both enjoy “their own space”. (Make a list of one player board games) - Write one letter every day to people who I think would like to receive one. (Make a list of names) - Improve my handwriting so it is legible. - Continue writing this blog. - Start and finish the novel I have dreamed of writing for 20 years,...