I mean, you know it’s gone weird.  This is a global level of weirdness that even people living under stones would have noticed, because it’s all gone quiet and now we can hear the birds sing.

I thought I’d start posting again, not because I have anything of particular note to say, but this has always been an online diary of sorts and it feels like the time that if you’re ever going to write a diary for your future self, this is it.  Also, The Pog Blog always helped me see things in a slightly different light and right now, when part of me – and I imagine most of us – is a bit scared, that might help too.  I’ll still aim for some smiles :)

In fact, this wont be just my diary.  I’m trying to rope a few other people in who have different things going on to me.

So for that future me who has forgotten how this all started, this is how it happened in my world:

• Corona virus was on the news in China then Italy, then there were things happening in the UK late February,/ early March but it all felt a bit distant.
• On the 2nd of March (I think) my doctor surgery closed as one of the doctors had contracted the virus on a ski-ing holiday and had come back and been to the surgery before the symptoms started.
• On Friday 6th March (I think) was the day I became aware that people were starting to panic buy pain killers and toilet roll
• On Friday 13th I went to Asda and discovered the scale of panic when I had to queue for an hour to pay (and discovered the toilet roll aisle really was empty!).  It still felt separate to me though
• Monday 16th was my birthday.  Himself worked from home so we could go out in the evening, not knowing that was the last day he could have worked in the office in London.  This was the day it felt like it all changed though.  Boris Johnson held his first daily press briefing live on TV and it felt like we had gone to war.  We had, but at least in this war everyone, worldwide, was fighting the same enemy.  Boris asked people not to go to pubs or restaurants.  I admit, we hurtled down to the quiet local and had a pint and a (veggie) burger at tables that had been distanced, knowing it was likely to be our last outing for a while.
• Friday 20th March all schools in the UK closed.  Himself’s boys were over the moon.
• Monday 23rd Boris announced a lockdown:
• Tuesday 24th Himself’s boys reported that they were already bored.
• Since then Price Charles and Boris are among people who have contracted the virus, online shopping slots are impossible to book and many, many people are unable to work.  On the positive side, communities are coming together in ways I’ve not seen before (We have a What’s Up group for nearby roads where people can request and offer help, for example, I’ve done and delivered a shop for a household in isolation), there are heaps of free online things today where generous people and business have done what is in their power to do to help and the birds….I’m sure I hear more birds now than a few weeks ago.  It could be because there are fewer cars; or it could just be that like many others, I’m appreciating the important stuff a lot more right now.

So we’ve had two weekends on lockdown and two and a half weeks of mostly being at home.  Happily, I had summer house plans before, so the weekends have been taken up doing this:

And making 18 face masks (I wore mine out for the first time today.  They steam up your glasses.  Do not wear while driving!)

I’ll try to start posting each day from now.  For the moment, I’ll leave you with the thoughts of my Sisters.  They both posted to face book this morning and it was these posts that made me ask if they would add contributions to this as we’re all doing different things right now.

Sister 1 (Nanna):

Sister 2 (Sal):

And my parents are self isolating due to their age and health conditions. I’ve asked if they would send me a photo each day too, as their experience will be very different to ours again. Mum will hate that Dad got this one of her:

I think this sums up the situation for many. Sister 1 visited Mum and Dad this morning, but nobody can go inside (households can’t mix without risk of spreading the virus), so a visit means sitting in the garden well away from them:

And I’m happily sitting in my newly named Hypno Hut, feeling very lucky that I’m not homeschooling children or having to self isolate, but trying to work out how to keep a tiny, baby business ticking over and support other people while I do.  It’s different for us all.  But it’s the same too.  And if nothing else, that is reassuring.

 

Stay safe, lovely people :)