What will you remember most from this time?

[Iwonder777]

Me, the surreal shut down and not getting to kiss my old mum goodbye.

You?

@gingerfreckles, sorry to hear about your loss 💐

That all I need in life is books, wine and DH. In no particular order.

Loving this time, apart from the loss of life.

That I should stop putting things off and think I'll do them some other time because when the time comes the opportunity might have gone.

I've also never been so desperate to go to the gym and the idea has never felt so appealing

I'll appreciate being able to go into a supermarket and pick whatever I like to eat

@ClockworkNightingale Thank you for what you're doing, your post made me fill up. Take care xx

Thank you @EngagedAgain it's been such a roller coaster week I don't wish it upon anybody.

Sitting at the dining table with my husband and adult daughters eating breakfast. Making up stupid plans for the day. Playing card games. Over the top decorations for the 18th birthday. Hearing the voices of the rest of the family coming from various places in the house as they play Dungeons and Dragons over Whatsapp. Nearly three weeks since lock down and it still feels surreal.

Children playing tennis across a usually busy London cross roads with a portable tennis net.

A football coach coaching a player in the very early morning at our local green space but always maintaining five metres distance from him.

How content my children and I were at home together. No stress, no boredom, no tantrums because everywhere was shut. We have just liked being together.

The empty London streets.

The empty skies - no planes.

Making big elaborate cakes because I had the time to.

The bad.

The constant low level fear and feeling sick with terror when I heard that if my children got ill they'd have to go to hospital alone. I heard a few days later that wasn't true but then it's been said again so I don't know.

All the TFL staff who have died.

Loosing my mum to this virus. Way before her time.

How crap it was

That Nicola sturgeon didn't take any decisive action and sack the CMO in Scotland who took not one but two non-essential trips at weekends to "check" up on her second home whilst many of us listened to her advice to stay at home. Elderly relatives have not been visited and a funeral has taken place without loved ones being present. I don't think I can forget that.

That not having enough time isn't the reason I don't get big jobs done around the house. Turns out I'm just lazy 🤷‍♀️

The people...

On one hand, communities have pulled together, shop staff are working their ass off, etc.

On the other hand, people have been disgraceful in some ways.

Ignoring advice, having house parties, abusing shop workers.
Cheering for the NHS and yet voting for the party that's crippled the NHS.
Bojo getting ill and people cheering the man that's largely responsible for 10s of thousands of deaths.
The lack of lockdown compared to other countries and the higher death toll.
So on and so on.

@MonkeyToesOfDoom - I was talking about the government’s slow and bad handling of the virus to a friend - we were messaging - and she challenged me by asking what I would have done if I had been in charge. Really wasn’t expecting that from her.

The sirens 😔

I am at the apex of the approach to two hospitals

All day, all night I hear sirens

Often my head just sinks forward and I pray

At least ten times a day my eyes are pricked with tears when I hear them

Also, the return of the loudest birdsong in London I've ever heard. So much less traffic, so many more country sounds. It's bliss and painful in equal measure. Literally bitter sweet.

Great thread.

I'll remember the world about-turned and I felt a sense of 'welcome to my world' , struggling with isolation and mental health. People talk to me wild-eyed because they're struggling to cope with the above and I'm amazed, it's old hat to me and I have Skills!

Suddenly I'm the expert!

With due respect and sympathy to those who are bereaved and those maybe in isolation.

I think I just miss the spontaneity of being able to go anywhere I want. That sounds selfish, but you know pre Covid we really could go for a drive to the hills/beach, go walking, visit friends, take the tram into town without a thought, you know, life.

@MonkeyToesOfDoom

I wonder if you could justify the tens of thousands of deaths that the Prime Minister is ‘largely responsible for’?

How I wish I'd made time for a relationship and children instead of a career; it's been lonely on my own.

The kindness of a colleague bringing yoghurts and chocolate buttons to my door when I had some symptoms and couldn't go out.

How privileged I am. How wonderful my kids are. How much I want to be at home and not at work.

Spending so much time with my toddler and loving it. Being pregnant during a pandemic and wondering what giving birth will look like this year.

And that it’s shocking how little some people care about social distancing.

Oh Spartak. I am sorry you are feeling regretful. Hard at times like this
Relationships and children don’t always bring happiness. Take joy in the things you can , do lots self care and feed your soul and your mind - read books, light candles, have baths. Make connections with those you can.
💐

Just how grateful I am for my job, children and husband. However i miss my mum and dad which i didn't think would happen as we arent very close so once this is over i will make more effort to be with them.

It has also meant that we are more focused to relocate asap once this is over. Our dream of living near the sea is something we keep putting off due to money but if we focus and save hard we can be done by the end of next year or hopefully sooner!

There are some really awful memories that I think will stay with me, those press conferences and food shopping. My daughter (5) who had nightmares for 2 weeks at the start of this and came to sleep with me in the night. My despair at those who think this is a wonderful time and documenting it like a holiday, people are dying because of our government's incompetence but hey as long as everyone knows that your having a good time it doesn't matter. That friendships will be lost because of this.

The people who are helping locally, many of whom started before central and local government was able to get organised. The churches, mosques and temples all working to help the most vulnerable in the town.

There is no sign of those who like to shout and march and talk of 'them and us', just people quietly working their socks off and not turning away anyone who needs a meal, medicines collecting or a reassuring phone call.

That one person’s nightmare is another’s holiday. Just reading this thread shows the stark difference in how people are experiencing this lockdown and it’s quite startling.

On the one hand, I’m loving all the time at home with my DD and DH. On the other, I’m very aware that there are people dying and people suffering to look after those who are dying. It is a very bittersweet time and for every good feeling I have, I am crippled with guilt for those who are living their nightmare.

I will remember missing my family. We were due to go on holiday over the Easter but obviously couldn’t.

I will remember my frustration at not being allowed to go where I please.

I will remember the worry I have for my class of children who I haven’t seen in weeks. I’m pregnant so not on the rota for looking after key workers’ children.

I will remember who the key workers are. They aren’t the lawyers and the CEOs. They’re the people who keep the country running in a pandemic.