MY LOCKDOWN

So we have all experienced Covid19 lockdown in different ways. For myself the worst thing is having too much time on my hands. For the last fifty odd years running pubs, restaurants and a guest house, we have worked 24/7 some weeks 90 hours on our feet would be normal. These days we only have one pub and that is run by a lovely capable team under our general manager Jon. I stay involved where I can doing errands for Jon, running the office, bookkeeping, payroll, admin etc, but that takes a maximum of 4/5 hours a week. On our return from the Epic Cruise, Britain and most of the world was already in lockdown so apart from paying the weekly furlough to staff and juggling cash flow whilst being closed Im pretty much redundant. Its very different now that the pub is back open, with staff having to run it and we can’t visit, well shouldn’t but we have popped in when its quiet.

Of course the weather has been fabulous so Roger and I have spent lots of time shaping up our garden something we never had time to do before. Missing people is the most strange feeling. I love mixing with young people, especially our family, pub staff and customers. Like us “over 70” our close friends are shielding so can’t even meet up unless in the park or garden at a distance. However by far the worst thing for me is not being able to get on a flight to New York to see our Son James, daughter in law Leslie and 11 year old grandson Alexander. We would have seen them for our 50th anniversary party in May which was cancelled due to lockdown. Last time we were with them was June 2019, it seems ages ago now and each day I long for a hug with them all. I wonder if we will ever go to NY again? Certainly not in the next year. Of course FaceTime is brilliant but nothing beats a hug. They are managing quite well in their 40th floor apartment in Manhattan despite not nearly doing as much as usual, they are real galavants and hardly ever at home. Our 11 year old grandson loves school and misses his friends, not to mention summer camp.

Normally with all this time on my hands I would gladly volunteer somewhere but no body seems to want us and our daughter, a nurse feels we should still be careful.

Last weekend I organised a Picnic on the Green,a beauty spot by the river near our home, a meet up for local residents, which would normally coincide with Thorpe St Andrews Church fete. Sadly the fete couldn’t go ahead but our lovely Rector James Stewart arranged a hugely successful plant stall raising over £800. The picnic was great, residents of all ages, children and dogs from the area came some had a glass of wine with their picnics, some stayed longer , the weather was perfect and we caught up with all the local gossip. I chatted with my lovely neighbour a GP, I was interested in how the new system of telephone appointments was going and pleased to hear the medical staff were fitting everyone in and keeping the surgery covid free for those that needed to be seen in person. The biggest issue she told me was mental health. I not surprised. I have a friend who is refusing to leave home after four months as she is terrified of catching Covid. So sad. Life must go on.

For me I’m pretty positive – Im just feeling time is racing ahead and I’m speeding towards 80 and I can’t find the brakes!