2020 ….and what it did to me

On the eve of Lockdown no 3, I have decided to do the blog on what I did and how I felt during the year that we have just waved goodbye too. Little did I think……as others did that almost 12 months that we would be back to square one….but at least we have something a bit different….a vaccination in our sights.

There has been dramas, intense stress ups and downs that close family and friends have been aware off that I am not going to go into but the way me “Carol”…….not “mum” or “the wife” or “mate” has coped …what I have done, how I have been, what I have loved and what I have hated about 2020 and how it has changed me

Let me go to the of the year……the year started off uneventful with bits in the news about a new virus strain beginning to appear in China but we really did not take much notice until the news from China changed…….big amounts of people were dying and it looked like it was getting out of hand. Still, we thought it would not come to us…….but it did it spread over Europe and we began to see cases in the UK. The government decided to help the NHS by putting us in lockdown….all non-essential shops closing, hair salons/pubs. charity shops/churches/schools all closed…….we were urged to wear masks on public transport and social distance from people.

Thus started our new life…..we were allowed to go out….even I took it up walking to exercise… we have a green out our front and I would walk the perimeter each day adding one extra each day until the day I did 10….that was my challenge.

Lovely son 1 set my laptop up to video chat….and that kept me sort of sane………Somewhere around this time, I decided to knit……what could I do……Scarves!!!….so that’s I did…….I called them “isolation” scarves and with a list of 12 names I started to do them for friends and family…..the list grew and reached approx 55…I lost count along the way…..but they kept me sane and the people I gave them to appreciated them and loved them. My lovely daughter in law kept me in wool through Amazon.

While I was doing these scarves I was also dealing with a family issue, missing not being able to cuddle my grown-up children and seeing my grandson….hubby was shielding so I was doing trips to town to the bank on the bus, shopping and collecting medications. I was taking no notice of how I felt. I realized that my right knee was beginning to give me jip…….I have arthritis in that knee but it had never given me any trouble……in the end I had to call the doctor and it seems that arthritis had got worse, was sent for an x-ray which said it had got worse….so now I take codeine and spray and rub my self with various sprays, gels and balm and sip Tumeric and cherry active in the water.

SO MY MAIN BUGBEAR ABOUT COVID 19 IS THAT IT HAS MADE BE FEEL LIKE A BLOODY OLD WOMAN.

Yes, it has made me cry with pain and frustration.

In May we had a lovely self-distancing VE party with the neighbours which at the time felt like a rainbow after the storm.

Was able to do Zoom meetings with my oldest sons support group which was lovely to see faves again. After lockdown on when the shops opened up, I was back at the charity shops I volunteer with. A big day on 4th of July …..haircut.Was able to cuddle my grandson all the lovely things again…then lockdown hits again………Family issues were being sorted but I got to feeling so sorry for myself, feeling so alone even with people in the same room….so I have been working my way through that. still now…….and here we are again going into lockdown 3.

Look at all these new words we have learned. We will get through this……..at least we hope to…..some days it’s hard but I am not the only one. I have my hubby and my lovely family….who I know would do more for me and their dad if I asked….we have been lucky and have lost no one to covid.

Phew!!!!!!!….sorry for all that folks but I have been wanting to unload like that for ages

Stay safe…Stay happy when you can and Take Care xxxx