John's Lockdown Lookie 

 

This is something I wrote to share with colleagues at the height of the Lockdown:

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I have to say that I am finding Lockdown quite strange and I started thinking about my own thoughts and experiences.

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Being the kind of person who lives in his own little bubble most of the time I was fairly oblivious and didn’t take too much notice as the news gradually filtered through during the weeks leading up to Lockdown. Then all of a sudden it “slapped me in the chops” with real gusto!

 

I suddenly found myself constantly looking at the news online or turning up the volume on the radio for the hourly update. I also tried to do what everyone else was doing and dashed off to the supermarket for emergency supplies. I remember being really disappointed and upset as I turned the corner into the loo roll section only to find it completely empty, “have I got any old newspaper at home?” I asked myself!

 

The working from home situation has also been fairly stressful. At first I found myself constantly logging into Office 365 to see what was going on and it took quite a while to realise that if I had been going to work as normal I would only have done this during my usual working hours. It took a fair amount of self restraint to only log in on the days I was due to work. Using an iPad that isn’t compatible with online courses has been stressful and attempting to use a laptop that decided to update for around 4 hours just before my appraisal made me want to stamp on it and throw it out of the window!! To be able to work from home properly, we all really need to have the correct equipment and have a proper work station. Working from home has also caused additional pressure; working on a craft activity that takes over a whole room and making a mess as well as requesting peace and quiet to aid concentration are only a couple of incidents that have contributed to increased stress levels for all involved. 

 

Deciding what activity I was going to try and do also had me chewing my nails! “What shall I make? How do I make it? What do I need? etc etc. My spare bedroom suddenly filled with bags of old boxes, milk cartons and general rubbish that I thought may come in handy for a craft session. Being gobsmacked at how long it seems to take to set up the craft, take the pictures and then edit them prior to posting to a colleague to bung on the website. Experiencing the “working from home” ethic and realising that although my travel times may be less, the ability to “leave work at work” was now impossible.

 

I do however, also count myself very lucky. I have been able to use my exercise hour by going for walks in my local area and discovering new spaces completely just by slightly changing my route. Doing stuff in the garden has been a real learning curve like finding out that you only need to sow a few tomato seeds and not 200 as I have done in panic! Not sure where these are going to go but I do suspect that if lots of them grow I’ll be having tomatoes for breakfast, lunch and evening meal! Hearing the birds singing which suddenly seems really loud in comparison with before. Quieter roads and fresher air. Due to the 2 metre rule being in place, I find that while having a walk I’m saying hello to people I wouldn’t have taken any notice of before and vice versa.  

 

The sudden realisation that as long as I have some food in the cupboard, some clothes to wear, and the ability to keep in touch with family and friends, everything else is a luxury. Quite a sobering thought and something I believe we should all be thinking about in future. Do we all really need these new items that are constantly advertised, or this particular lifestyle that media says we should have? That’s not to say that I’m not gagging to go for a meal, a drink or a full on sniff round the charity shops that has become a staple ingredient to my way of life because I have missed these things greatly. I think I just mean that everything should be “in moderation”! Of course, the downside of this outlook is the “knock on” effect with employment and wellbeing. I don’t really know what the answer is.

 

When do we get back to work? I wonder.

 

What will life be like from now on? I ask.

 

Is it really bad that “wine o’clock” is getting earlier each week? Only time will tell! I’m just glad that from time to time I’m able to relax in my minimalist and relaxing surroundings!

 

John

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Jan's memories

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What a year? Good to know the agenda for next year, afternoons sound good. I only moved in a few months before lockdown so spent a lot of time settling in doing cupboards and updating. The garden is much  smaller but manageable and I enjoyed organizing it and finding out what was growing.  Friends also supplied me with plants which were gratefully received. I also had a new great grand daughter so lots of knitting happened!! Also I accomplished more puzzles than in my life time 

 

I would like to wish everyone a peaceful Xmas and a happy new year Jan Wheeler. 

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Jan

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Jayne's garden visitors

 

We have a robin who comes to visit on the patio each day and to get his food, he has to be quick before the pigeon arrives.  Today a fox also turned up in the daylight about 4 o’clock to drink from the pond.

 

My sweet peas are doing well, though the last few days I have put them into the greenhouse.  

 

Hope you are all well and keeping busy.

 

I am sure we are all looking forward to receiving our injection and who thought we would ever say that!

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Stay safe.

See you all soon,

 

Jayne

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PS we now have another visitor to the patio...

                                 

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