Lockdown Easing (2020)
Lockdown continues but we are now entering the next crucial phase; the relaxtion and easing of some of the rules. This has been a bittersweet feeling for me. On one hand I am so looking forward to seeing some friends and family that I haven’t seen for a while but on the other, I am quite hesitant in doing this, especially if it means coming across big crowds of people. The physical human restrictions of lockdown have become so ingrained in me now that I need to retrain myself in being able to see other people.
Anyway the pull of seeing them was too much and I soon got over it :-)
We finally saw the grandparents! We got on our bikes (now part of the new Baker family routine) and cycled over to a park nearby and met up with them. I’ll admit, I was worried about our 3 year old keeping his distance but he did OK, not perfect bless him but good enough for us to repeat it. It may have just felt like another trip to the park to them but both grandparents said to us afterwards how much it meant to them.
Facetime and Zoom have been brilliant but you can’t beat watching your grandchildren playing and running around. At one point I looked over and caught my mum and Basti sat on either end of a big bench just chatting away, it melted my heart. My mum almost couldn’t contain herself, she is desperate for a cuddle. If you have been in lockdown with your family we have taken physical touch for granted but if you have been living alone, you literally haven’t touched anyone for nearly 3 months. I can’t imagine what that is like.
I also took advantage of the relaxation to meet up with a friend for old school drinks in the park like it was twenty years ago (just a bit more sophisticated with our blankets and plastic cups). Sooooo nice to have a good old chinwag. I took a big (very big) ready made up G&T in my water bottle :-) Then cycled home a bit drunk. Think that might be illegal. Ssh don’t tell anyone.
In a way I’ve been wanting the weather to break just so I can get some things done on my lockdown to-do list. Whilst the sun is shining, I just find myself sunbathing in the garden all the time. Keep telling myself I won’t get this time again but then I get annoyed at the end of each day that I haven’t done anything productive. Got a wicked tan though :-) Well, for me anyway.
Back in May, it would have been my Nan’s 100th birthday so we had a big family zoom party raising a glass of her favourite tipple, Whiskey Mac and played a big game of Trivial Pursuit, a game she loved to play with the family. The headache I had the next day confirmed we did it in style, she would have been proud.
The boys friendship continues to blossom. In and amongst the fighting and arguing I think they genuinely like each other. Both being boys does make it easier for them to play together with the same toys I think. I actually don’t know what we (or they) would do without lego during lockdown. They love it. Not a day goes by without them getting it out and building new things. Noel even sets them competitions. Lego, train tracks and cars have seen us through lockdown so far. It eases the guilt of them watching yet another Blaze and The Monster Machines (if you know, you know).
It can get pretty intense at home. Leo’s mood basically dictates the mood of the house every day and considering he is becoming increasingly angry, feisty and fragile. You can imagine how fun it gets sometimes. Not. So when we heard the news that his school was reopening in June for Reception, I literally did a little dance. For us it was an easy decision, we’re not vulnerable and there are clear signs that Leo needs to get out and see his friends and interact with his teacher.
He was so excited (me too, I even wore a new dress and washed my hair for the school run!). His first day back went really well. His teacher’s first remarks at pick up were ‘he’s been a joy’. I had to double check what she said. Was she talking about the same child?! Shock aside, I was ecstatic that the return to school had been a success. She even commented on how his phonics had improved. So home schooling with mum hasn’t been a complete waste of time then.
The school return was another sign of things slowly returning to normal.
Except it hasn’t been normal in the last couple of weeks. Covid-19 no longer takes the headline slot on each news programme. George Floyd does. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t spoken up this week on social media about this or acknowledged that Black Lives Do Matter but I fell into the trap of being scared of saying the wrong thing. I didn’t want to come across as patronising or ignorant or insincere.
The coverage on both the news and social media have not only broken my heart and shocked me but they’ve made me realise how much more I need to learn and appreciate about what it’s like being a black person growing up in today’s society. Whatever country you live in. I want to do better. There have already been so many great resources listed to read up on and watch, which gives me a good starting point.
Stay safe everyone x
