Tuesday 26 May 2020

Things could have been so different during lock down!

I was talking to my dad on the phone the other day and we were on about this time last year about how we were in the middle of planning to move house and it got me thinking about what if the coronavirus was around this time last year how different things would have been.


For starters we probably wouldn't have moved house. My dad was the one who drove the van who moved us, that wouldn't happen now as he is still self isolating with being over 70 years old. If we had wanted to still move we would have had to have paid for a removal company which I am guessing would have cost more in the middle of a pandemic. The moving process would have stressed me out so much with the whole social distancing thing and then we would have had to get the train to the new house which would be more expense. I really don't think the move would have happened in that situation.

It also got me thinking about life in the old house and how I would have been driven crazy by now.

In the old house we had an all in one living/dining room. We all would have been in one room with no break from each other. The only space we would have had from each other would have been upstairs in the bedrooms where none of us liked spending time. Ellie likes to sit on her computer with her headphones on, listening to music and singing. She can do it without disturbing everyone in the dining room now, in the old house I would have got annoyed with her singing all of the time and she would have been annoyed she wasn't allowed to sing all of the time. 

In the old house we had a tiny back yard, all concrete and an unusable front garden. It wasn't much fun for the girls because the space was so limited. It was OK when they were little but not now. There were parks nearby but they weren't the type of places you would want to spend time because of idiot children and teenagers who hung out there. From what I've seen on Facebook no one is taking much notice of social distancing there. 

Speaking of idiots that brings me on to my old neighbours. I don't believe for one second they would have stuck to social distancing rules or even taken any notice of the lock down. The woman over the road let her toddler play out in the summer until about 11pm with no supervision, why would she care about the government rules.

Stu would have been classed as a key worker as he worked in a high street shop that has remained open throughout lock down. He still speaks to people from the shop and from what he's made out it is very stressful and I would always have that worry he would be bringing the virus home with him.

The kids would have still been home from school and college and from what I have seen from the old school's website they are a lot stricter about the school work that needs to be done. Here they upload a ton of work and you can pick and choose what you want to do and encourage things like baking, gardening, going for walks and for bike rides. I know Ellie learns better doing hands on and creative things rather than writing. A couple of weeks a go the topic for English was Monopoly and one of the tasks was to draw and design a mansion. Ellie wasn't keen on that but she made one on The Sims and we were praised by the teachers for thinking of out side of the box.

Again, I feel so lucky living where I do, having a garden and plenty of open space nearby. Lots of people don't and it makes me so sad. I feel lucky that the lock down happened when it did. We had moved and were settled. Even though I am not seeing much of my dad at the moment I have the ease of mind that if anything does happen he's only 10 minutes away and not a 2 hour train ride.

Do you ever feel lucky that the lock down happened when it did?

1 comment :

  1. Life is so very different for you now, I can see why you would reflect on how different things might have been. I'm so pleased you're all happier and more settled where you are now, it does sound lovely x

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