Lockdown - week 3

We are living a surreal existence at the moment. In the outside world, deaths from Coronavirus in the UK alone topped 10,000 today and BoJo has just been released from a week in ICU, apparently in a much worse state than anyone was prepared to let on. Worldwide more than 112,000 people have died and most of Europe (and elsewhere) is experiencing some kind of lockdown. Shops and schools remain closed, there are stories daily about PPE and critical drug shortages, even though we've stood up whole hospitals in less than 10 days. We clap for the NHS every Thursday evening but we have no idea what the exit strategy is, or when it might come. Staying at home is saving lives, but it's hard not to be worrying about how we can balance this with saving livelihoods. This will be the next task and by far the harder one to tackle.

So that's the outside world. In our little bubble however, where I've been in the car once in the last 3 weeks (I went to Boots last week and vowed I wouldn't go again!), we have barely left the premises other than to walk Bertie or to go for a bike ride. The weather has been truly glorious and quite frankly we have everything we need right here. Glenn forages for food and goes out on long rides, we stay at home and the kids have settled into a life that is bounded by the garden for the most part. If you'd asked me whether this would be a problem a month ago I'd have responded "hell yes". Now ask us if we want to venture into the wide world and the answer is an emphatic "hell no!" Currently (it's just after 8pm) the girls are in the garden together on their Segways (which have turned out to be the best purchase every), singing along to Abi's playlist and laughing out loud. We have hardly any arguments and (as long as I don't get too wound up by how much screen time is being consumed), they are managing to amuse themselves with very little trouble.

From my perspective work was much easier this week which made an enormous difference. I'm not

Trying to blow eggs to paint for Easter.

Bertie waiting patiently to at the contents!

sure whether it was because I got myself a bit more sorted with a routine and made more of an efforts to set myself small goals so I had a sense of achievement, or whether I'm just getting used to it. We've all said that our energy levels come and go in waves and you have to take more breaks that normal - it's a strange sense of intensity given we aren't physically moving from place to place. It may also have been because I wasn't having to step away from my desk every so often to teach a maths lesson or help with cooking / PE / French / whatever else. While I want the kids to be back in school because it provides some structure, it's easier not to have them doing this from home and of course what they really want is to be back with their friends, even if that means homework again!

The enforced slow down is shining a light on all kinds of things. A number of us (Amanda and I included) have both commented on the fact that not having an alarm set for the crack of dawn means we are sleeping better. Although I spend most of the work day glued to my laptop, I stop for lunch and I don't eat at my desk. I'm getting proper exercise every day without having to cram it into the evening. I get to walk Bertie more, see more daylight, spend more time with Glenn and the kids. Our time is easier, because we are not all rushing around having to be somewhere else. It's noticeable that the kids aren't as fractious (even though they spend a lot of time on their phones!). I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that there are parts of this lockdown that I'm loving - I wonder how much will stick when it's all over - will we really want to go back to how it was before - long commutes, crowded trains, busy motorways.... who knows how this will turn out.

In the meantime I will relish the fact that until we get out of here I am Abi's best friend - she told me so yesterday, before putting me in my place by telling me it's only until we get out of here!

If you can't get away, set up camp in the garden!