March 2020

This time last year, we tuned in to Boris’ 8pm announcement that lockdown would begin today on the 23^rd March… this just happens to be Ben’s birthday. Good times.

I had already pulled Louis from school and we had stopped seeing people. I’d been reading the science (unlike the government) and just thought, this is nuts. It all felt so unknown, so… overwhelming.

We had our first week of home-schooling. I wouldn’t label it a massive success.

It’s extremely tempting to feel rather depressed about how things are now in the UK. It’s been such a long time since there was a normal, free way of living. But when you look back… it does feel different.

Maybe I’ve just adapted to never doing anything fun. Or maybe, despite all the tragedy and hardships… there’s a bit of hope. For our family, in March 2020:

Joshua was on the brink of starting intensive chemotherapy in the MIDDLE OF A NEW PANDEMIC.

Ben stopped working because we were shielding.

Every morning he did a Joe’s workout in his underpants. Not the children, they were slumped on the sofa.

Kindly neighbours and fantastic friends left food parcels on the doorstep.

I did get deliveries, but when you can’t pop to the shops, it’s easy to cock up the flow of perishables.

Some days: “oh dear kids, it’s just bread and butter for lunch”.

The bloody biscuit baking got out of hand.

And the Minecraft. This experience has turned my older son into a pasty, sunlight-shunning gamer.

Every morning, I woke up, opened my eyes and had that realisation. Oh, it’s yet another one of those days.

During the not-leaving-the-house-thing, we ran out of alcoholic beverages. To solve this problem, I started a monthly subscription with the local wine seller; a delivery turned up that afternoon. This is something I do not regret.

There was just no structure, and it was weird.

Ben was worrying about his colleagues and feeling like he had let them down. (I did tell him that was stupid).

It was all incredibly daunting. So, this year… It is better.