The last Saturday before lockdown

[Joan0fSarc]

What were you doing?

I had a lovely afternoon in town with DH looking at guitars in music shops, buying some wine and bits for dinner. Really mundane stuff by usual standards but I'd give anything to do that now. We came home on a crowded bus - I had no idea it'd be the last time I'd use public transport for months!

[PuppyMonkey]

Lockdown was announced on the evening of Monday 23 March for those who seem to be confused.

But it was quite obvious from about Thursday 12 March that things were going tits up. Remember when Ireland said they were cancelling ST Patrick’s Day events, that was about Tuesday 10th, as I had a friend who was supposed to go and she was gutted. And the daily updates started from about the Thursday that week - Boris said he wasn’t shutting schools and my teens were really pissed off.

Anyway DP had gone for a lads weekend on 7-8th March, they went to a Blues festival on the south coast. One of the friends had just come back from Rome - surprise surprise DP got possible Covid symptoms on Friday 13th March - he thought he was better on the Monday, but relapsed and we all self isolated from Tuesday 17th.

I was keeping a handwritten diary - it’s good for future generations to see how it all panned out.

[SinisterBumFacedCat]

Self isolating because I had a temperature and flu symptoms.

[snowstorm2012]

I was on my honeymoon, got married on 7th March and went away on the Monday. Flew back two weeks later just as lockdown was announced. Still can't believe how much changed over those two weeks.

[PuppyMonkey]

Oh yes and the date bars, cafes and restaurants were ordered to shut was Friday 20 March - but we’d all been advised to “avoid them” for the week running up to then. Schools shut on the Friday too. That was England anyway, didn’t Scotland close earlier?

[Joan0fSarc]

I'll be thrilled when I can be in my house alone for a couple of hours

I love having DH and DD around all day (DH is wfh and DD's uni closed weeks ago), don't get me wrong. But oh it'd be lovely to have that peace again after they've all gone out in the morning and I have my coffee followed by a bit of guitar playing, as loud as I like because I won't disturb anyone! Then get all my stuff done out and about and back to do a bit of cleaning or whatever before they all get home.

Looks as if DH will be wfh permanently however and goodness knows how DD will find a job (she graduates this year). So a quiet house is something else that's gone by the wayside for the foreseeable!

[Joan0fSarc]

@PuppyMonkey I think I count Saturday the 14th as the last Saturday before lockdown, even though officially it was the Saturday after. The 14th was the last normal-ish Saturday, even though a pandemic was declared the Thursday before and panic buying was in full flow. And there was definitely a sense of shit hitting the fan, and that it was going to be a long time before we'd all get to go to pubs/gigs etc again.

When I started this thread I was halfway through writing a post about going to a bar with DH when I remembered that my actual last Saturday was far more mundane and the bars all closed the night before.

[lovinglavidaloca]

Just remembered I was ill so was self isolating and only went back to work on the first day of lockdown to collect stuff to do at home.

[WiseUpJanetWeiss]

The weekend of 1 March we went to my DN’s family birthday party. I was glued to the news and worried.

6/7/8 March we went to Chester Zoo (pass holders) and for a walk at a nearby forest park. We were convinced by then we were headed for lockdown soon. It was quite surreal.

On 10 March I went to see my mum in her care home after work. I had an inkling lockdown was imminent, and I got the call the following day from the manager who had made the call because she couldn’t justify waiting for the official instruction.

14 March I went to the hairdressers (my friend) and to see DS, DSIL and DGS. I knew I wouldn’t see them for a long time after that. My hairdresser thought it would all be over by yesterday - my next appointment.

We went into work on 16th and made arrangements for the team to wfh from then on.

[teenagetantrums]

I had just come back from gran canaria a lovley weeks holiday. Wasn't back at work till following week. So was probably shopping and washing.

[teenagetantrums]

Oh and had a last drink in the pub before lockdown.

[BillyAndTheSillies]

On the Saturday we went to ikea to buy some kallax units and other stuff to tidy up the house as we had an idea we'd be stuck in for a while.

Sunday we had lunch with the IL's at a local restaurant to celebrate Mother's Day early. Haven't seen DH's brothers since then.

[Ormally]

The Friday before, DD's class (age 8-9) should have had a pizza and sleepover night in the school hall! I'd said no to that because of the gathering clouds but was in the minority at the time of my reply - it didn't go ahead, obviously.

On the previous Monday (?) went to Boots on the way to school and obtained vitamins (slightly random, and expensive - what was left) and sanitary stuff.

On that weekend, threw together a panic parcel for both parents' early April birthdays with the few bits I'd already got and went to the P.O., expecting that essential deliveries only would be introduced very soon.

[MRex]

We were already staying home by then. The Saturday before that we were cooking and tidying for a family party on the Sunday. Then we did some shopping early in the week, final playground trips and that's that, locked down.