This time last year

[dudsville]

This time last year I was still in denial. I simply couldn't understand what was coming. I thought people were overreacting with talk of the possibility of a "lock down". I honestly thought my colleagues were being ott with the handwashing and antibacterial stuff. I thought there was no way I wouldn't get to make the trip we had planned at the end of March.

By the beginning of March, I was still in denial but things were starting to close down, traffic eased, streets were quieter. Mid March I got sent home from work because of a Corona scare re someone I had spent the weekend with. I didn't know what to do. Had to get food so I picked up potatoes, a chicken, a bottle of wine and cigarettes (I gave up smoking when I ran out!). I got home and freaked out. Then the 1st lockdown started a week later. We'd been quarentining so had to learn how to get food. I read dystopian novels and watched the films. Lost the plot a little, remained baffled and confused for months. Several friends have lost parents to covid. When my mum contracted it we sat quietly for a couple of weeks, waiting, she sailed through it!

I haven't been back to work since buying that chicken. I'm scheduled to return soon. Today's news is such a relief. Hard to imagine now how clueless I was about it all just a year ago.

I just wanted to write that out.

This post is both amazing and emotional to read. I will never forget picking my son up on the day schools closed. The whole atmosphere was electric and everyone had this sense of doom. I sat in the car and cried my eyes out at the thought of what was to come. I work for the nhs and was redeployed to be essentially the first track and trace system. I look in my photos of feb half term and can't believe we were piled into a museum with everyone touching everything.
Standing on my parents doorstep and not being able to hug them was something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
We have lived through a truly horrifying time but hopefully it will make us stronger

All those mentioning swine flu it's very interesting.

We were trained as a country in flu pandemics and this was considered a pandemic.

It then didn't emerge as one.

Where as SARS are usually Asian situated and nothing like flu so I can see why equation was taken by surprise - despite the warnings.

I got sick at the start of march and was in bed for five months after that...I was convinced at first it wasn't covid because it seemed so melodramatic to think that...obviously it was. I was telling everyone to be careful as I was having a horrendous time with it and nobody was listening! That was in the weeks before lockdown...

Europe not idea why phone changed that to equation

This time last year I was busy packing my case to go to Tenerife at the beginning of March.
Thankfully we got away fine and had a wonderful time but only got 2 out of our three weeks as we were evacuated back here.
Then came home and had to go to our caravan for a few days as Boris was talking about locking us down.
Had to come back from there also.

Life’s been very up and down as we all know but we managed to live it as much as we could.

Let’s hope there will be no repetitions of last year , this year.

This time last year I was deliberately avoiding commuting to the office, having watched events unfold in China from January.

I'm one of those smug very fortunate people for whom this situation has brought only immediate benefits. ( We will all be paying for it one way or another for the rest of our lives.)

I live in the country, am pretty self sufficient and happy in my own company. I have been working full time from home, I no longer commute and now understand what people really mean by ' work life balance.' I've saved a fortune and as long as I can get out every day for five or six miles of walking, I'm a very happy bunny. I've got time to cook and enjoy proper meals, and really relax in the evenings.

I've joined a couple of local societies and am really enjoying their online meetings.

I've never been happier or healthier, mentally or physically. I've lost loads of weight and for the first time in years was unaffected by the winter blues- possibly through taking vit D for immunity reasons.

It will be good when this is over for the sake of everyone else - My nightmare will begin if I have to go back to five day a week commuting.

I do understand I am in the tiny minority and am very fortunate that this situation affects me only positively.

Last Feb half term I took DD to London to stay with friends. We picked up a friends little DD who had been skiing with grand parents from an airport on the way. I took DD and friends DD to the Tate to see themselves in the Steve McQueen exhibition and was anti baccing like mad on and after the tube.

That night my friend came back from a meeting in France and we met friends who had just flown back from NZ and other fiends for a big, riotous pub meal and all hugged and kept the kids up too late.

Having checked, I actually went to London for work on 9 March! I remember being convinced I would catch it, and doing an elbow bump with colleagues when I arrived (look how much that didn't catch on). I was quite taken snack by how empty the streets and underground were. Still thought it would all blow over though.

This time last year I’d just given birth and my baby was nearly 2 weeks old.

I remember hearing about coronavirus, but never paid much attention to it. I thought it was just something that would come and go.

My husband was still on paternity leave and we were still having visitors round to see us, holding the baby.

Fast forward to now, I’m petrified of Covid.

I haven’t been to a supermarket in over a year.

I’m scared every day that I’m going to catch it and die.

I was diagnosed with PND and anxiety.

I don’t think my life will ever be the same again.

A large majority of my department (and DPs - both Science teachers) were well prepped by this point, as were our families. We continued to buy slightly larger shops just in case and then we ended up having to isolate when a school trip came back from France and loads of kids went down.

We had been watching it closely and the spread was nothing like we had seen before; much quicker than Swine flu which had caused problems at my school previously. Both of our parents through we were insane and being too much 'science brain' (they like to call it that when we get overly analytical) but have since apologised for mocking us. They listen to us now!

The month leading up to March 12 2020 was probably the happiest one of my life. I had a 2 1/2 month old baby, my first and a wonderful, unexpected arrival after years of infertility. Spring was in the air and I was just about getting into a little routine with the baby. I was getting the hang of breastfeeding and nap time. I'd started going to a nice mum and baby yoga class and meeting my NCT group for coffee in baby friendly cafés or just pootling about with the pram during the daytimes.

I was kind of deliberately ignoring coronavirus news until then, I'd see the headlines but like many others I thought it would end up being like swine flu. I remember during swine flu we had extra hand sanitiser everywhere at work and I had to take a week or so off as a precaution when I had the sniffles once. So I thought it would be like that.

I remember 12 March so well, it was a beautiful sunny day and I met some friends with their little ones for baby rhyme time at the library. Popped into the supermarket on my way back and then later that afternoon took the baby out again to meet a different friend for a coffee. I remember joking a bit about coronavirus. I also remember thinking I really had mat leave nailed and being so excited for the spring and summer with my lovely baby.

Then Boris went on telly saying many of us would lose loved ones, and I couldn't ignore it anymore and two weeks later we were in full lockdown.

I'm lucky that no one I know well has got seriously ill with covid, and also that DH and I are both still in work, and that we've been able to bubble with my mum so we have some help with childcare and my son knows his granny. It is really sad looking back, though. I stopped trying to picture how things might have been without coronavirus a long time ago as it was doing my head in.

This time last year my dad was unwell and heading in to hospital (stsrt of march) all the words were suddenly being shut to visitors. I'm a nurse and we were being taught how to do covid swabs in the community we had to go in twos passing all these swabs in tubs at arms reach, then leave the box for a man in a van to take. I remember the first case of covid where I live, I remember my colleagues then starting to test positive. This time last year I went to York with my mum and sister and we were joking we hope we didn't catch it as there'd been a case in york. What a year its been. A sad one for me. Too many deaths.

I traveled into London for the weekend last year (last weekend of Feb) and everything was just carrying on as normal. There was a cup final that weekend at Wembley, so there was football fans everywhere in all the pubs, making a weekend of it.

Even on the 17th March my town centre pubs were still busy with St Patrick's Day (if not as busy as normal).

We don't really watch the news but heard stuff through here and at work

I dropped OH and DS off to go to a football match went to do a bit of shopping and the loo roll shelves of Waitrose were empty

It all seemed rather amusing at the time

It was the last footie match the went to

A year ago, I was terrified! I was watching what was happening in other countries with mounting horror. It was round about this time, particularly after people had come back from half-term holidays, that it seemed likely that covid was getting spread round the UK under the radar. I couldn't believe that the government didn't seem to realise this and were allowing it to happen.

It felt surreal. People were freely coming into the country from or via affected areas with no testing or quarantine. We had no idea how many cases there were because there was very little testing. Well, you all know what the situation was and how it was escalating.

I cancelled all my social events and travel. Work was incredibly stressful. No PPE, no distancing, being coughed on regularly of course. I didn't get much sleep as I was so scared. By March I think it was clear that we had a similar situation to Italy, but the opportunity to lockdown early and contain it. When that didn't happen (until too late to avoid thousands of deaths), I just felt as a loss. It felt as if the people who had the power to do something about the awful situation were all in denial. I even wrote to my MP but didn't hear back.

It's funny now looking back. I obviously have no satisfaction at being proved right. It was so stressful but so impossible to do anything about it (apart from cancelling social/travel) that I wish I hadn't been so aware and could have been in blissful ignorance for bit longer!

This time last year I was preparing for a weekend in London where I mixed with thousands of people at a convention ( met Charles Dance and some other actors), went shopping in a massive mall , sat in a theatre with hundreds of people and mixed with countless others on overcrowded trains. I can not believe I avoided the virus.

Knew by then this was going to be a problem, but only in an intellectual sense (ie lots of discussions with friends, but no prepping, planning or changing behavior.) Was about to head to Switzerland for a weekend break - where again lots of chatting with friends.

Do remember being in the airport toilet and someone in the next cubicle literally hacking away with the most awful dry cough I'd ever heard - and literally running out as quickly as I could!!

On Mon March 16th youngest woke up telling me he didn't want to go to school and felt unwell (no fever, or cough) On balance thought it best to keep him home. He is autistic, and at this point was going through a sensory phase of licking his fingers and then sticking them all over external surfaces - we also travel into his school through busy transport hubs. Just as well I did, as he spiked a fever that night and then one by one each of the family went down. So we were already in isolation before lock down. Luckily son hadn't been in school on the Friday - so no transmission there.)

No official test. But almost certainly Covid (gastro symptoms, dry cough, no snot, and complete and total loss of smell) As the mother I got sickest last (I suspect high viral load.)

Didn't for one moment to still be locked down a year later, though that became more obvious as time and time again the government failed to act quickly (and it seems to misunderstand just how exponential growth works.)

It must have been pretty endemic in London by mid March - and given the sheer numbers who commute on busy public transport and international travel hub, it must have seeded huge numbers of infections.

This time last year it was my birthday and I got loads of cards and flowers from my class who were due to graduate in the summer. We spoke about Covid in general terms, and there were jokes about coughing - on 16 March face to face teaching was suspended, and I never saw most of those students again in person. DP and I did a big shop, and stocked up on a lot of tins/freezer stuff before lockdown, but I don't think either of us thought it would last longer than a month or so.

Like pp, my calendar from this time last year is packed. Today it's M&S dine in, and Colin Caterpillar for my birthday, and anything else looking a long way off (Scotland).

@PurpleWh1teGreen

Something I remembered this morning is that DH and I both rushed to get cash out thinking we would need it.

Then didn't spend it for 6 months because everywhere went contactless.

I know I shouldn't laugh but this did make me giggle. I have not had cash in ages either. But I remember also the concern, should I get cash? Although I was baffled I was also, come 1st lockdown, suddenly terrified of touching anything. I think that'll stay with me, so cash points pose a particular concern!

This time last year I had a dry cough and a fever wcich turned into burning lungs. Nothing too serious but the burning lungs was odd! I was looking forward to doing loads of stuff over the summer and it didn't occur to me that everything would be cancelled. I didn't think that lockdown would ever happen in the UK. I thought it would just blow over like SARS and swine flu.

This time last year Jacinda Ardern took control of New Zealand's borders and Boris Johnson said he'd been happily shaking hands with covid patients.

Covid Death Tolls: NZ 26, UK 141,003

January last year I declared my new years resolution to be being more social and connecting with people I hadn't seen for years. I booked my 40th birthday party venue, catering, band, and a couple of other entertainment things and invited 150 family and friends. Ha! ffs.

This time last year (ish) I was watching various threads about covid and realising it was ramping up and going to be a problem. Then was watching Italy with complete horror.

I live rurally and don't drive so I booked as many supermarket deliveries as I could, just one a week but still - never been that organised before

I cancelled my 40th birthday party and many thought it was an over reaction. Lost every deposit except the venue and catering. I could see that my party would fall within the expected peak, and even if we were allowed it I didn't want to put my older relatives or anyone caring for the vulnerable etc at risk.

I got through the first lockdown with a lot of art, exercise and Netflix, unscathed mentally and unbothered. Had a great lockdown birthday. This is because I honestly thought we would get numbers down and keep them down - we had to have learned from past pandemics, right?

Ugh.

I'm no longer mentally unscathed, same for many people, but I'm grateful my grandparents stayed safe and that my work is unaffected. Just keep hanging on to the good things and waiting it out.

I'm usually a winter lover but glad to see the back of this one. The increased light and signs of spring are really helping.

I remember seeing how bad it was getting in other countries especially Italy as dd was due to go skiing last April and I was starting to get worried about her going but at this point trip was still going ahead.
I also remember thinking it cant be as bad here otherwise the government would be doing something.
I know I also which when I look back is laughable thought if we do go into lockdown it will be for couple of weeks then everything will be back to normal.