Covid19 Lockdown , A Rural Diary - Days 8-10
The first week of Lockdown was all about adjustment to the new circumstances: getting systems and routines in place, making phone calls to the mothers (in their eighth decade) to make sure they a) understood the severity of the situation and b) the basic rules of engagement (questionable!); setting up new WhatsApp groups to stay in touch with friends and lend some levity and solidarity to the situation; unpacking and organizing all the shopping that had been done in advance; and laying down the guidelines for five independent people to operate happily in the same space for the foreseeable future.
The second week of Lockdown was when the technology started to kick in.
It began with a WhatsApp video call with a group of friends - a 'virtual coffee morning'. We managed to pass an hour and a half easily enough catching up with how we had all been coping, how the family dynamics were working (or not!) and putting the world to rights.
I had also decided to sign up for Gareth Malone's Great British Chorus so found myself regularly on YouTube with the great man and thousands of others from all over the world who seemed capable of listening, singing, and typing on the Chat bar all at the same time. I had one attempt to thank him at the end and appeared to have sent it directly to Susie someone in Toronto who will no doubt be forever confused as to who I am and what I was thanking her for! This less than entirely productive session was followed by an equally unproductive Zoom rehearsal with my own local choir. Having failed to get it all set up on my laptop, I had only my phone available to do the whole thing on - far too small, totally unsatisfactory and I also had my headphones in for some reason best known to myself so all the family could hear was me droning away flatly to myself! There was nowhere to go in the whole bloody house where there was decent wifi and one of them wasn't either in residence or earshot! So I ended up in my old pokey study which needs a damn good clear out (another Lockdown job if only I had the time!) where you can hardly move due to boxes and baskets of crap which need sorting through and no space on the desk because it's covered in more piles of shit and not much natural light - and a light bulb which had blown to boot (as you can tell, I haven't darkened its doors for years!). To add insult to injury, I will be forever haunted by seeing my distorted, ageing face in that little window on the screen. Especially with no make-up and Lockdown Locks. Vanity, vanity.
Meanwhile a flurry of old university photos were being posted on a WhatsApp group which simply underlined a) how old we now are and b) how we no longer have a social life! Or rather, that it has been reduced to a screen. That said, it has been great to be able to catch up with people in this new way - something which I'd never really done before. When connecting just with friends rather than half the universe, it's amazing how it really does feel as if you are in the same room together and that you've had a good old chat and catch up over a drink. Perhaps we will continue to do this even after Lockdown is over - especially for all the ones who live far away and we only get to see once a year if we're lucky. A new social habit for our house will potentially have been formed.
The week was also notable for some turbulent emotions. A break-up with a boyfriend, the completion of a complex third-year dissertation in testing circumstances, a stressful work situation which has been going on for weeks, some levels of depressed mood and exhaustion. Everyone's days have been up and down but, like good teamwork, we have all supported each other. Yoga and Reike sessions have taken place to raise moods and ease exhaustion in some; a beautiful walk in the arms of nature has helped another. Hugs and cups of tea; listening; advising; baking; runs; good TV; good food; sunshine. They have all played their part. The bottom line is that we are all supporting each other during these strange times - just as people are doing out there in the wider world. For some it is a lot tougher than for others. This is something I am painfully aware of - and it is this that weighs most heavily in my heart and mind.
The second week of Lockdown was when the technology started to kick in.
It began with a WhatsApp video call with a group of friends - a 'virtual coffee morning'. We managed to pass an hour and a half easily enough catching up with how we had all been coping, how the family dynamics were working (or not!) and putting the world to rights.
I had also decided to sign up for Gareth Malone's Great British Chorus so found myself regularly on YouTube with the great man and thousands of others from all over the world who seemed capable of listening, singing, and typing on the Chat bar all at the same time. I had one attempt to thank him at the end and appeared to have sent it directly to Susie someone in Toronto who will no doubt be forever confused as to who I am and what I was thanking her for! This less than entirely productive session was followed by an equally unproductive Zoom rehearsal with my own local choir. Having failed to get it all set up on my laptop, I had only my phone available to do the whole thing on - far too small, totally unsatisfactory and I also had my headphones in for some reason best known to myself so all the family could hear was me droning away flatly to myself! There was nowhere to go in the whole bloody house where there was decent wifi and one of them wasn't either in residence or earshot! So I ended up in my old pokey study which needs a damn good clear out (another Lockdown job if only I had the time!) where you can hardly move due to boxes and baskets of crap which need sorting through and no space on the desk because it's covered in more piles of shit and not much natural light - and a light bulb which had blown to boot (as you can tell, I haven't darkened its doors for years!). To add insult to injury, I will be forever haunted by seeing my distorted, ageing face in that little window on the screen. Especially with no make-up and Lockdown Locks. Vanity, vanity.
Meanwhile a flurry of old university photos were being posted on a WhatsApp group which simply underlined a) how old we now are and b) how we no longer have a social life! Or rather, that it has been reduced to a screen. That said, it has been great to be able to catch up with people in this new way - something which I'd never really done before. When connecting just with friends rather than half the universe, it's amazing how it really does feel as if you are in the same room together and that you've had a good old chat and catch up over a drink. Perhaps we will continue to do this even after Lockdown is over - especially for all the ones who live far away and we only get to see once a year if we're lucky. A new social habit for our house will potentially have been formed.
Skiing somewhere in the French Alps c.1987
The week was also notable for some turbulent emotions. A break-up with a boyfriend, the completion of a complex third-year dissertation in testing circumstances, a stressful work situation which has been going on for weeks, some levels of depressed mood and exhaustion. Everyone's days have been up and down but, like good teamwork, we have all supported each other. Yoga and Reike sessions have taken place to raise moods and ease exhaustion in some; a beautiful walk in the arms of nature has helped another. Hugs and cups of tea; listening; advising; baking; runs; good TV; good food; sunshine. They have all played their part. The bottom line is that we are all supporting each other during these strange times - just as people are doing out there in the wider world. For some it is a lot tougher than for others. This is something I am painfully aware of - and it is this that weighs most heavily in my heart and mind.
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