Did anyone else have nobody to “bubble” with?

[SquarePeggyLeggy]

In Australia here. They’ve recently announced picnics for up to five people if vaxxed. And friendship bubbles for kids. Seen a lot of pictures on social media, people couldn’t wait! My friend told me her kids were straight out the door and she hasn’t seen them since.
We don’t have anyone to bubble with. The friends we have, while I’m sure they do like us, have filled their bubbles with closer people. Nobody has organised a picnic and invited us. Nobody has indicated they want our kids in their bubble either. Not even my family (they want to have the neighbours, it makes logical sense as it can only be the same 3 kids so would come up more often).

Our lockdown life is not too different to my normal life. I am so isolated! We have our family of five and we’re a great little unit. I have good friends who live a bit far away so our chats (regular) are on the phone. I just did a zoom wine night so I don’t have NOBODY.

Has anyone else realised they don’t really have friends around? Like see in person regularly friends they are dying to see who reciprocate?
I feel like a bit of a loser… but also how do people do this? Like have a big circle and a support network. I always think about the expression: it takes a village to raise a child. We have zero village. If there was an emergency I could probably maybe call someone (I hope). And no visitors coming to see new babies and offer help etc, we never had that. I had two visitors when I was in hospital with my last baby. And no help at all, from anyone after having any of them. Seeing how upset people are not to have this… do lots of people have this? A big loving circle around them?

But everyone has their own thing and their work and all of that stuff. We don’t have any grandparents for the kids and this whole thing friendship bubble thing has made me reflect that my kids are missing out. How do we make family friends with kids for mine to play with? Like have people to invite to a bbq? Growing up with my single Mum - we had heaps of family friends. The kids would play while the adults had bbqs and dinner parties. We do t have any of that, how does it happen?
I do host and people come.
I’m not sure what I’m asking… more like can anyone relate or are we weirdos?

I guess I could invite someone I barely knew, it’s just a bit hard to launch into that without any prior basis?

But that would be a way to make local friends? Why not invite the parents of the 4 boys you saw and the the children ? Given you have the picnic option you need to do something with that.

That’s a good idea, I could try it.

Your 'prior basis' is the fact you son knows them.

Good o OP. You need to just go for it.

True, but I said a big bright hello, and stopped to chat and pat her dog and she super awkwardly just said hello and left us standing there and went inside.
Everyone is so awkward and unhappy after lockdowns, I feel like I’ve forgotten how to basically interact!!

It really seemed like she saw us, realised my son was left out and kind of freaked out. I don’t know, it was very, very awkward.

Could invite one or two of them though, for sure.

She probably did feel awkward and may consider this a way to rectify that. That's how I'd feel.

I have had two relocations in my life. My hometown is hundreds of miles away. It was very rural so anyone who wanted to achieve anything had to move away. I’m still in touch with these friends but over 4 decades we are scattered to the 4 winds. Two ended up overseas. I do have some really nice friends local to me but they all grew up here so their bubbles tended to be family.

One of my oldest friends relocated to Australia 20 years ago so have been in touch a lot but obviously the way our countries have handled it has been very different. I got used to our lockdowns here but I do dread another.