Today is the anniversary of our period of Isolation! It is one year exactly that we decided to isolate ourselves. The news of the pandemic was coming in fast and, as a biologist, I could see exactly where this was going. What I could not see was how long it was going to be. I never would have imagined doing this for a whole year.
Shortly after going into isolation I embarked on a programme of daily five mile+ walks and starting this diary. I’m completed 356 consecutive walks now. I never thought this diary was going to be like this. Indeed, I expected to be giving out reports about friends and family going down with the illness and then ourselves becoming ill.
Well, so far I’ve had a few friends who have become ill, one neighbour has died and some of my family (my younger sister and my eldest son) have become ill. We ourselves have not succumbed. Though I suppose that is not surprising; we’ve been pretty much isolated. Last summer we met up for outdoor meals and walks with family and friends. That felt safe and worked. As soon as the weather changed and the virus took off we were back to isolating.
We have no close contact with neighbours, friends or family. Our food is delivered. Our only risk is popping into the shop to pick up a paper on a daily basis (in and out with mask).
This isolation is weighing heavy. We are missing the contact and we are missing the stimulation of eating out, meeting up, gigs, cinema and theatre. It has certainly made us realise how busy our lives had been.
Yet we are not bored. There are not enough hours in the day to fit everything in. If anything I am stressed and frustrated about not being able to get everything done.
My day is in a pattern:
Chores (washing up, cooking, bins, cleaning, mowing, sorting the log burner)
Walk – 2 hours+
Editing books (Roy Harper one at present – final edit two thirds through)
Writing – a new Sci-Fi novel + poems
Reading – two books on the go (Stephen King – Sleeping Beauties and Margaret Atwood – The Testaments)
The Blog – takes me a good hour or two
News – I keep up
Music – I’m choosing an album or artist a day – That’s good – today it is Dylan.
Sport – football, rugby, cricket and F1.
In the evening – after a meal with a glass of wine we are coming together to watch dramas or a film (Last night was John Le Carre – Our Kind of Traitor – good).
When this is all over (if that ever happens) I don’t know how I’m going to fit things in! I still haven’t sorted the photos from our Brazilian trip over a year ago!!
So today the sun was shining. I walked up my hill, fed my adopted horse a carrot or two, strimmed the garden, listened to Dylan.
This afternoon I’m going to watch some football!
Life under lockdown – it’s not so bad!!