Below are 4 stories from 4 lockdown experiences…
It feels like I’ve always been in lockdown. And actually, it’s lasted for over a third of my life. This is my story.
The day they announced it was a day like any other. I’d been enjoying some time with the family, delighting them with my tricks, and having a few drinks. Then Boris announced the lockdown. To be honest, I wasn’t all that concerned at first. We make all my food on site here, and I don’t particularly enjoy travelling, so it didn’t sound all that bad.
Since then I think it’s safe to say I was absolutely right! This new way of life, this new normal we’ve found, is pretty fantastic. I love my home and my family. Other people just want to talk at me and expect me to smile back at them or be happy when they poke and prod. Why should I want to smile at someone I don’t know as they talk gibberish at me?! Instead I now spend all my time with my favourite 3 people. I can have all my meals in the comfort of my own home, I can sleep in my own bed, and everyone sticks to my routine. No more fitting in around meetings and events for the others.
That’s not to say there aren’t challenges. The house is always noisy, which can make it hard to sleep, and I used to get time alone with my mummy a couple of times each week but that isn’t happening now. I do miss a few other people too. Especially my Grandpa, who could help me relax better than anyone else when things got a bit much, but he lives a long way away and can’t visit for now. I’m assured he’ll be back as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Until then, I’m making the most of the time with my family and generally enjoying life!
Learning new skills and entertaining the entire family can be exhausting, but it’s my lockdown job, and I’m pretty good at it. This is my story.
For me, lockdown is relatively positive, all things considered. I didn’t notice the changes too much at first, but as the weeks have rolled on, I have started to miss certain things. I used to attend an off site event a couple of times each week. It was great fun, with lots of different activities and good food. Sadly that’s not happening for now of course. I also miss meeting friends and family, long walks by the river and trips to the local park.
The other big challenge has been not seeing the people I love. We only ever see them online, or chat through the window, which isn’t really the same at all. I’m looking forward to hugs, visiting them for tea or having them round here and plenty of pub lunches!
But aside from those bits, I’m not finding lockdown all that challenging. I reckon I do a lot of the same activities as the rest of you. I’m learning lots of new skills by getting stuck into the gardening, baking and cooking, and of course I’m enjoying reading and long afternoon naps. No cleaner for the time being so I’m doing a bit of cleaning too (probably not as much as we should!). I like to get into a puzzle every now and again, or watch my favourite TV show. Lockdown is pretty chilled here and we mainly just enjoy each other’s company. Everyone seems to rely on me to provide the entertainment, but I don’t mind that as it means we always do the activities I enjoy.
While it lasts, I’m enjoying the pace of our lives and having the time to run this place properly.
For me, it was a relief when lockdown was announced. It had been tough to work out what constituted a reasonable response to the virus, so things became simpler when we were told what our response should be. This is my story.
Since lockdown was announced, we’ve settled into a routine and are getting pretty used to it all. On a normal day, I can get up a bit later than usual as I don’t have the commute. My wife has usually been up with our youngest for a bit, but once I wake up we all sit in bed and chat for a while before I start work. I was working from home a fair bit before lockdown so it isn’t that different now. Lots of phone calls of course, but I’ve got a good study and computer set up. The family can be a tad loud when I’m trying to concentrate, but I’ve now got 5 different headphone options to help with that problem (#lockdownspending).
Lunch is sociable as we all eat together. Usually my son and wife have made fresh bread, which must be a fun activity for them. They often bake nice treats for me to eat with my tea in the afternoon too. Then more work until dinner, which again the family enjoy cooking as a little activity to do together. After dinner I play with the children for 15 minutes to give my wife a lovely big chunk of downtime, then help out with bath and bed time. In the evenings I like to go for a walk, then we can enjoy the occasional glass of whisky before bed. We do zoom calls in the evenings sometimes (so much harder to get out of social events when you can’t use lack of babysitter as an excuse!) to catch up with friends and family.
The days are all like this, but I’m a fan of routine so I don’t mind. And at the weekends it’s a great chance to work in the garden or get some DIY done. I’ve recently put grass seed on the lawn, which I hope will yield good results. I’m sure the family are excited to see how good it will look and didn’t mind being asked not to walk on the grass for a bit. And I’ve taken down the old washing line in the utility room. When my new drill arrives I should be able to put it up again. The new location (18 inches to the left of the previous one) will really improve the laundry experience.
It can be hard to get some alone time with my wife while we don’t have the option of asking my parents to watch the kids. I manage to free up time and not work in the evenings, but she always seems to be looking after the kids, or doing house work. Turns out second babies don’t sleep either. However, we’re gradually finding ways to grab time for us as we get used to this new normal.
I’m looking forward to social events again (never thought I’d say that!) and to meals out, trips away and extra help with the kids!
My lockdown revolves around a baby and a toddler, so I basically make food, wash clothes and don’t sleep. This is my story.
Lockdown is definitely not easy over here. But it is probably easier than for many. We’re lucky to have a nice house and garden (it’ll be even better when my husband finishes sorting the lawn), to be able to get online food orders and to have family and friends nearby to help us while we’re shielding. My husband is actually being really helpful with the kids – it’s very handy to have an extra pair of hands nearby for baby or toddler emergencies.
Most of the challenges are about producing enough food and activities for 2 kids and 1 husband. I’m grateful that I have a toddler who loves to get involved and help out. He helps me unpack the weekly food shop, clean the house, and cook our meals. It took a little while to get a routine going, but we’re pretty good at staying organised now. I don’t often have to try to recall bread ingredients while struggling to keep my eyes open having forgotten to put the bread machine on until just before bed, and we’re generally managing to get all our weekly food in one online order.
We spend a lot of time outside, making the most of our lovely garden. We’ve planted a herb bed (the mint is growing rapidly so we can enjoy healthy drinks with lots of leafy greens, aka mojitos) and have cleared out some space for a few plants currently sprouting on our dining room windowsill. And when the weather is bad we have books, trains, puzzles and endless fun with the toy kitchen.
I try not to live for nap time, and to remain a happy, creative and nurturing parent, for the first few minutes of each day at least. I choose exciting things for my son to bake (not at all based on my desire for yummy food to eat secretly while he’s asleep) and hardly ever employ screen time as a distraction technique (in the mornings at least). I even manage to keep my “brain” (not sure that’s the right term given current sleep deprivation levels) active by playing the occasional scrabble game on one of my 3 scrabble apps.
6pm (5 on weekends) is my favourite time, as it means we can open the wine, or make cocktails. It’s normal for a toddler to know how to make a G&T right? I can’t wait to see my children hug their grandparents again, and then to make a dash for the nearest pub.
Another wonderful description of your lifestyle – I will play scrabble with you if you like.