Which specific moment from this will stay with you forever?

[RosieLemonade]

Positive or negative.

The empty shelves at the supermarket really freaked me out. Until the last minute I had kept to my normal shopping to avoid 'becoming part of the problem' and being. Luckily MIL had taken it upon herself to stash some food and loo rolls for us, I would never put morals before making sure my family are OK ever again.

*and being left without

Sad and happy memories

Sad - not seeing my family in ages particularly over Christmas. DS missing Nursery for 4 months in the first lockdown. Not being able to work for 4 months but did go back in July.

Happy - cherished all the extra time with my son. We did lots of painting, playing with Lego, toys etc. Finally got pregnant after two miscarriages in 2019 and expecting a baby boy due May.

Two moments will stay with me for a long time.

The first was when I was out with friends at Dartington Hall in Devon, sitting outside in the glorious sunshine having coffee and cake after going to a lovely gig the night before. I got a sky news alert on my phone to say that 10 people had now died from Covid in the UK in the past day and thought 'oh fuck' 10 seemed so many. I opened my mouth to say something then shook my head and put my phone away. But I remember saying wistfully, 'Oh, this is the last time for ages that everything will feel normal' and everyone looked at me like I was mad.

The second was a zoom call with friends on the night that Boris announced lockdown, and everyone looking scared and like they couldn't believe it had happened. Then generally the rising tide of panic and the way people emptied the shops.

AndreaMartelsCoat - how is calling people granny killers not mean? Do you think that telling people to put cheese in their coffee instead of buying milk is rational? So many people on here went batshit crazy.

Dropping my 76 year old vulnerable father off at the airport for his journey home. FFP2 & face shield on as he slowly walked to the sliding doors. It broke my heart, I really thought he was going to catch covid.

Lockdown 1 affecting dd2 so badly that she developed an ED (she is doing well now but it has been the most hellish year all round).

Italians singing on the balconies.

Our local theatre was one of 6 in the country to put on a Christmas pantomime. Dd2 and I went to see it between Christmas and NY - during the performance they got the news that our region was moving into tier 3 so all future performances were off. The performers were in tears as they made the announcements and took their bows - and so were we. I think it will take a long, long time for the performing arts to recover from this (and that's before we add Brexit to the mix).

The 'we are shutting the office with immediate effect' email nearly a year ago

Cancelling and replanning our wedding, then cancelling and replanning again, we are just about to go through round 3

Daughter in Y6 coming home with an Easter egg from her teacher on March 21st when it wasn’t yet easter. Washing and ironing her uniform, I cried as I hung it in her wardrobe.

Next slide please.

At the start of this. When my 2 year old was at the park and he was trying the door of a butterfly world and it was closed because of Covid. He kept pulling at it and I had a lump in my throat trying to tell him the animals are all asleep.

He loves aninals and still asks to go to the zoo

Seeing the news reports from Italy back in March and it looked horrendous.

Sitting in the pub beer garden waiting for pizza on Friday night watching the news briefing live when Boris told everyone to finish their pint and go home /shut the pubs.

My 40th birthday was at the start of June. My dad and I both live alone and don't work, so hadn't seen anyone since March. We arranged to meet for a walk in a park in our town centre. I walked there; he drove and parked quite near where we'd be walking, but wandered up to meet me halfway along my route rather than meet up at the park itself. When we saw each other from however far away, we just smiled and smiled and smiled until we reached each other. We are both loners but do go out together quite often in normal times, to more interesting towns or for a drive to a nice place for a walk. The park we went to that day is small and pretty crap to be honest, and it was absolutely boiling hot which I hate, but it was so great to see him. And I'm pretty certain he felt the same, which is a nice feeling I won't forget because neither of us are the type to ever say so.

@Donoteatthekittens

AndreaMartelsCoat - how is calling people granny killers not mean? Do you think that telling people to put cheese in their coffee instead of buying milk is rational? So many people on here went batshit crazy.

A lot of people were and still are very scared, so no it's not acceptable to be mean no matter how batsht you think they are.

Downsides: Jan 2020 when we started hearing about it in China. My son saying he was fed up hearing about it. I replied that he'd better get used to it, it was coming and we'll all be in lockdown like China soon enough. I just had this really certain feeling about it. Maybe because a month or two before I'd watched a documentary about pandemics and them saying when not if it happens and that we were due for one.

My Dads dementia suddenly getting worse and insisted he was leaving my mum after 54yrs 3wks before Christmas and he moved out within 3 days and there was nothing we could do about it.

Worrying about getting no food because of no slots left for weeks /months. Living in a rural area with no shops or transport.

Weird but special moments:
My mums 70th birthday. She had planned a big party. She lives with me and I managed to make it an enjoyable day for her anyway.

My son coming for Christmas but outside. He set up a gazebo with a patio heater and bless him, dressed up in multiple layers, sat outside for 4hrs and ate his Christmas dinner out there while we were inside the other side of the patio door! 😂

The day DS called to say he had just tested positive and that he wasnt feeling too well, knowing that he was all alone in his little flat in Europe amd I couldnt be there to look after him.

My mum dying alone in hospital on Christmas Day from covid.

Comforting my patients husband (socially distanced). She just had a bad diagnosis and he felt awful because he was glad for a second that she had been hospitalised because he could finally cuddle her again after 6 months separated. She was a resident in a care home and he was allowed once a week visiting in full ppe supervised by a carer. Worse than a prison visit.

@wlv12 I’m so sorry

The first day of the first lockdown, going to work & being almost the only car on the road. Getting up & going to Morrison’s for 6am as that was the NHS hour - and not being able to get half the things on my list!

Watching residents die with covid and nothing I could do. One has stuck in my head and won't go. I've quit that job now and have a nice new job and don't ever want to work in a care home again

The first lockdown - we live on a busy main road, after we were all told to “stay home” me and DH couldn’t believe how quiet it was - so bizarre not having the constant background road noise.

I also remember taking DS for his daily walk in the summer and noticing the air was so much fresher and cleaner.

Having to cancel my brothers surprise 30th birthday party

Officiating my mum and dads renewal of vows in their garden after dad was told he was terminal. At that point we had no steer on “how long left” so we organised it last minute - we live streamed it on Facebook for friends and family. It was when you could sit in gardens and I was 2m away from them doing the vows.

Getting dressed up every Saturday evening and having a glass of wine in the garden watching the Katherine Jenkins Facebook concerts.

Finding out I was pregnant with baby 2 in September, and thinking I’d be able to have a baby shower... I’m due in April and consider it lucky DH can be there now 😳

Worst - hearing my best friend has cancer this week.

Best - The first take-away flat white in the summer with that same friend and another at a National Trust property at the start of a week's socially distanced holiday. The weather was glorious, we couldn't believe we were there at all, and that coffee - the first not home made or decaffeinated for 5 months - tasted AMAZING. it really felt that day as we were out of the woods bar probably a little bit of greater restriction during this winter. How wrong we were, but I still treasure that day.

@LizzieSiddal exactly the same.
The baby is an utter delight and nearly five months now but I still wake up at night sometimes in a cold sweat at how it was while DD was in labour and I wasn't there. Luckily my DD seems to have recovered well - I hope yours has too.

Driving back from dropping my partner and her stuff at her family home 300 miles away. She moved there about a week before lockdown started as had a terminally ill parent. This was mid March and everything was escalating at a terrifying rate.

I drove the whole way home with this huge sense of impending doom.