Week Eight
Friday, May 08, 2020
It's been another ordinary week in our household, if you ignore the current crisis of course. Day to day life has been largely uninterrupted for us, we've both continued to work as normal so, on the face of it, life within our own four walls seems very much the same.
I'm enjoying the slower pace of life, there seems to be more time for everything. The urge to clean the house that I felt so strongly at the beginning of lockdown has waned, the housework is still getting done, just not to the my-Mother-is-coming-to-stay level of recent weeks. And whilst I'm waiting for my concentration level to get back to normal, my motivation is back. I'd had periods of needing to just sit and be quiet, feeling anxious, but my need to get stuff done has returned, I just need to concentrate on one thing at a time, and prioritise work over thinning out my Amaranthus seedlings a little more.
Whilst I know the situation is still very serious, I'm feeling more hopeful and I think this can be attributed to the flattening of the curve. Lockdown has begun to do what it set out to do. I know there is still a long way go, and life will continue to be affected by coronavirus for months to come, but it feels like we're going in the right direction.
Soon we'll know the plan for easing the restrictions of lockdown, and I have to admit to feeling a little nervous about this. Depending on what they say the anxiousness may well return for a while afterwards, maybe I'll start cleaning at Mum-is-visiting levels again, it all depends on how sensible and safe the plan appears to be.
I'd be happy with another three weeks of lockdown, perhaps even another three after that. But I know that's easy for me to say when, for us, it's business as almost usual. I know how lucky we are that the disruption to our daily lives has been comparatively minimal so far.
I hope you're keeping well and sane in these strange times. How has your week been?
xx
14 comments
It's very similar here. Mick's working from home, which he sometimes does anyway, Eleanor's still going to work as usual and I'm at home as I usually am. It's really just a case of not being able to hop in the car and go where we want when we want which is any different for us. I think the worst bit of coming out of lockdown is the fact that the virus is there and it's just as bad, we've still got the same amount of chance of getting it. Lockdown hasn't made it go away, it's just kept the numbers of people having to be admitted to hospital at a minimum, and I can't see how that isn't going to change when we all start being allowed contact with each other again. That's the thing which makes me nervous about it all.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it's about finding a balance where we can go out a little more, but keep social distancing in place. Life will be very strange for a while yet, but if we can all be sensible, we can get a little freedom back. If we can't be sensible lockdown will be reintroduced, without doubt.
Deletexx
I'm glad to hear that you have been able to flatten the curve. We have too, and we are doing down, down, down. Which obviously is a good thing, but like you I am a bit apprehensive about the easing of the restrictions. It will be OK as long as everybody used their common sense, but I know they won't! I've actually been having a great week, with lots of time spent out in the garden. It helps that we've been having gorgeous weather, but it's set to change tomorrow, and I might feel quite differently after a couple of days. The thing I'm having the most problems with is not having any real perspective ... Do keep on keeping safe, Hazel! xxx
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've had a great week, the garden is such a soothing place, and the sunshine always helps.
DeleteAs time goes on things will become clearer, and with luck all these changes and adjustments we have to make will become easier to do and understand.
Take care
xx
I agree, I would like a longer lockdown, but I heard on the radio that if we don't have some exposure, the virus could change and become much stronger if there is no immunity amongst us. I hope that in your farming life you will both have security and your business will be safe. I think we will find the jobs we once considered 'too much hard work', less glamorous, like supermarket food chain and health care sector will become the prized jobs to have and jobs that were once desirable will no longer hold any importance at all in the new normal.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of that. I know the scientific community are researching and trying to find out everything about the virus but there is still so much we don't know. Do people that have had it now have immunity for example? It's mind boggling really.
DeleteThe farm goes on, and we will always need food so agriculture should be safe. My work has seen an upturn which I've been most surprised about, and I'll enjoy it for as long as it lasts. I hope your jobs will be safe. That'll be the next issue, getting people back to work, finding jobs for those who have already lost jobs. The ramifications will seem never ending. It's too much to try and think about at once, which is why I'm trying to take it one day at a time, and focus on what I can do, and what we, as a nation, have achieved so far. You're absolutely right, this will change our collective perspective in many ways.
xx
What Betty says is very interesting, the virus does appear to be mutating all the time, when it started we were all told about how it only affected the elderly and those with compromised immune systems and now look, it's killing healthy people in their 20s and 30's and even children.
ReplyDeleteI think it's far too soon to start relaxing the restrictions, the transmission rate is way above what the scientists feel it should be and hundreds are still dying. I can't beleive we still aren't quarantining anyone who flies into the UK and the goverment are dropping the "Stay Home" to "Stay Alert" which means nothing and sends out confused messages.
Our life has changed drastically, no work, no income, no prospect of travel for the foreseeable future, no pubs with mates, no charity shopping but we're enjoying every minute of lockdown life. xxx
I don't remember them saying it only affected the elderly and those with underlying health issues, it was my understanding that these people were always at a higher risk of infection, but that everyone could be infected.
DeleteI was surprised that people could go back to work this week, I thought there would be lockdown for another three weeks at least. But then people can only go back to work if they can do so without using public transport and only if social distancing can be maintained, so only a limited number of people will be able to go back to work, but yes, it does seem too soon to be doing so.
xx
And I am reading this after the announcement. I was utterly bewildered by him saying that Year 1 and Reception would go back to school first. I teach ALL primary ages from year 1 and the year 1's were utterly abysmal at social distancing, doing anything which involved not touching faces, not coughing, not picking noses- my nerves were in shreds after 3 year 1 lessons in a row on that last Thursday and I just don't see how they will manage it.
ReplyDeleteI found it was really disheartening. I agree with all the people who commented on here and the fact is, as you or one of them said, the virus is still out there and we can still get it and we just don't know about antibodies and immunity. I think I could possibly have had it because of the smell thing but I don't know if that means I might be ok. Also, he says, Go by car or cycle. Well, I don't drive and I have to get 2 trains to work and back- I have no option but to use public transport. Also, if I was driving, I presume that will make traffic horrendous.
I have to say though, I do love waking up every morning and knowing I don't have to get on a train. It's even making me reconsider finding another job- quite a prestigious primary music job has come up fairly locally and I never considered working in the private sector since I think my skills need to be shared with children who wouldn't otherwise have a chance to get this but I have been thinking about the travel. Scared though...
I was surprised at how soon schools would be reopening. I didn't think we'd see any changes for another few weeks, and certainly didn't think the schools would be partially reopened in June.
DeleteI know the announcement was just an outline of the plan, and fuller details will be released today as to what can happen, and how it can happen, and I think a lot has been left to the discretion of parents, and workers / employers to make changes but only if safe to do so.
Hopefully fuller details will help us all to understand what the changes mean.
I am pleased that it's been made very clear that the changes are conditional and they are prepared to go back into lockdown or hold off on further changes if necessary.
In truth the changes won't affect Andy or me much, but I do sympathise with your situation Kezzie, it must be so hard to know what to do for the best. It would be such a shame for your students to lose you, but you have to feel safe and comfortable with your surroundings, and none of us know how long this will go on for. I'm sending you positive vibes, and hope that you stay safe and well.
xx
KEZZIE - APPLY FOR THAT JOB!
DeleteAnd Hazel, I agree that life has felt quite normal recently, I've acclimatised to the bubble. STILL, people cannot remember to keep MORE THAN 2 meters away. I have to yank up my face scarf and back off or over politely say 'oh mutsn't forget 2 meters' when I want to say F*ING BACK OFF!!!! Honestly, if the virus was rife here then most people I have seen recently would have it and I'm fuming at how little effort people are putting in to keeping safe.
I understand that the government has an inenviable choice to make between any sense of keeping the economy afloat and not overwhelming the NHS. Let's not forget, they aren't aiming to get rid of the virus otherwise we would be in strict lockdown for weeks/months. It's only ever been about moderating the flow to the NHS, it seems to have been accepted that we 'need' half get it to use the herd immunity theory, which my little brain can't really understand.
Rant over for the moment.
I haven't been out much to be honest, so I don't see how people are reacting, Andy says the roads seem almost back to normal now, although I don't know where all these people could be going when everything is shut.
DeleteFeel free to rant! I've had a few over the last few days. I think that no matter what the government plan was people would pick holes in it, to me, other than primary schools opening, the plans seems sensible, or at least understandable. I don't think anyone has the perfect solution, I don;t think there is one.
xx
This is much the same for me. I'm furloughed almost on full pay, husband can just do his job fully from home so is working as normal and we get the extra time back that he'd normally be travelling to/from work which is an added bonus! We're both saving a lot of money on petrol and have been spending that on things for the house we've never got around to and would be still waiting indefinitely without this virus - this week I've bought some indoor log storage, picture ledges and frames and we've bought some accessories for the fire bowl now we have time for more outdoor cooking potentially! I just feel a bit like I've retired or something - all this free time and no financial implications - lockdown has brought only positives for me so far so I know I'm very lucky and do think of all those who are not so fortunate. I was hoping for three more weeks of the old lockdown but really, nothing will change for me with the few changes introduced and I won't be surprised if things get tightened up again in a few weeks!
ReplyDeleteYou post sounds really positive compared to some of your previous ones (not that they were especially negative, I guess this one sounds like you've really settled in lockdown and found what works for you).
It's lovely to know that not everyone has been negatively affected by this, it sounds like you're making some lovely changes to the house.
DeleteI haven't been affected either, not really, but I did take a while to settle into it. Now it feels almost normal. I thought we'd have three more weeks of lockdown too, but, like you, the changes won't affect me at all - unless the lure of the garden centre wins and I venture out for more compost (and let's face it, I'll buy plants too!).
Take care
xx
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