Covid-19 2020/21

Hello everyone,

It’s a been a while. I hope you are all well and looking after yourselves. What can I say? This past year has been one hell of a year, hasn’t it? A huge mixture of emotions that the whole world has experienced; Fear, anxiety, sadness, depression and frustration. The list could go on!

We have experienced a pandemic and have had three lockdowns here in the UK, and has left a huge impact on everyone; their jobs, their mental health and just everyone’s life in general. We have had to put life on hold for a whole year. No holidays, no dancing in clubs til late hours, no cherished evenings drinking with friends and the normal things we all take for granted. Sadly, a lot of lives have been lost all over the world ripping families apart. It’s been heartbreakingly devastating and it won’t ever be the same again.

We have had to be extremely careful avoiding people with social distancing rules and only travelling unless it was absolutely necessary. But it’s vital that we stay as active as possible and keep our brains active too. Many people have been made redundant and lost their jobs, whereas others like me have been on the furlough scheme. It’s very hard trying to find something to do when you’re not technically working. I’ve had to re-educate myself in other ways that I wouldn’t normally have had the time for before this all happened.

So what have I been up to? Well, the first few months last year, I had been learning different recipes and improving my culinary skills. I have tried to get out the house as much as possible. Living within four walls with everyone at home 24/7 is completely unhealthy and you get on top of each other so easily. More arguments than usual haha! Us humans are not really supposed to be isolated. I went out on long walks around my local area and could walk for approximately 7 miles a day, which was really impressive for me as my fitness levels even though were okay, there always room for improvement. I had zoom calls (which has been a big benefit since lockdown) with my friends once a week. We played games online and did team quizzes but after eight weeks, it does get kinda boring.. so what else is there to do?! I kept in regular contact with my work as the months changed over time whether it was necessary to go back to work. However, furlough was going to be on for a lot longer. Originally, it was going for be for around three months but I got a call once a month to let me know they were going to keep me on the scheme. It has benefited them as the government has been a lifeline for many businesses. So, sometimes you have to think of it as a positive thing, even though it does get frustrating and drive you insane with boredom. I had to try and treat this temporary thing like a normal day and keep to a routine, but it’s very easy to slip in to bad habits. My sleeping patterns were very out of whack, sometimes going to bed at 2-3am ( thanks to the distractions of Netflix and Amazon prime heeehee). So yes, it’s quite an adjustment.

Once the government made monthly changes, I was able to meet up with one of my friends once a week and eventually, slowly but surely doing relatively normal things. When the ‘eat out to help out scheme’ was introduced, Robbie and I made the most of it as much as possible. Most of it was trips to the Wetherspoons haha! Or to a lovely local country pub and local restaurant.

It has been such a strange year in terms of time. It had flown past but also dragged at the same time. I hadn’t kept much track with the days, it seems to all have merged into one and before I knew it, it was already three quarters into the year. To be honest, everyone by then was aching to get their lives back. Christmas was completely different. Hardly anyone could meet their families or even visit them so some people unfortunately spent it on their own. And that makes me really sad. Zoom was there for communicating, but nothing is the same as human physical contact.

So what has happened in 2021 so far? We planned for the vaccine rollout to help many people and that the cases will reduce dramatically. We’re just over a quarter into the year and the new government roadmap will gradually let normality make a return and make progress. Gyms, salons and pub gardens have opened so far, and the weather is improving. We can meet up with friends in groups of six but hopefully this will increase. We can only remain positive, that’s all we can do. As for me, I’m now currently studying an online course which I’m really enjoying. I’m aiming to go back to work very soon. So I’m making use of the time I still have on furlough.

I will be in touch with you soon. Take care of yourselves 🙂 X