3 years ago today……

I was still a bit shocked. I was worried about my family and sad that I wouldn't see my 9 month old grandson for a while. Little did I know then that it would be a long while.

3 years ago this week we were due to move house, the removal men informed us they wouldn't be able to do it the day before! Some of our belongings had already gone to the new house (an hour away), most of our stuff was in packing cases. Fortunately we were able to stay in the old house for another 6weeks which is when we did finally move

Three years ago at the end of March/beginning of April I had the strangest rash over my hands and forearms. Nowhere else! I am convinced that it was a covid skin rash. At the same time DH had horrendous headaches and fatigue. He recovered in about a week the last of my spots didn't disappear until October!

We had our twin grandchildren living with us and as DH was CEV I felt extremely anxious and so we decided to take the children out of school a few days before the start of the official lockdown. They were delighted at this extra holiday but now that they are about to sit GCSE we can look back and see how disruptive socially and educationally these periods of lockdown have been.

The day I realised I had covid.
Someone had to tell me.
I had some of the symptoms but just thought I was under the weather. I didnt have all of the main symptoms, so hadnt realised.

isolation - my ex (and still best friend) had suddenly died. There'd be a long wait for the inquest, no funeral, company, get togethers or comfort for us. We grieved alone. A lot of heavy work in the garden to tire me out.

Working in a care home….. not knowing then the devastation that would be wreaked on our home by covid positive residents being sent back to us from hospital😩😪

I keep getting such hopeful memes from that time popping up in my Facebook memories - about how life would slow down, and the earth hibernate and heal and we would awake to a wonderful new world......

It was a scary time but many of us were convinced that if we did the right thing, everything would be OK.

😢

It was such an awful time. There were 200 deaths on this date. My daughter and Grandaughter moved in with us and daughter had to commute to
Manchester to work. My husband was putting pressure on her to stop working at the hospital this day three years ago because he was terrified she’d bring covid home. It made their relationship very tense for a while. She couldn’t give up her job. She did end up bringing covid home however in the November but thankfully we were fine.
I was heartbroken being parted from my autistic Grandson who couldn’t understand what was happening. It’s hard to even think about this day three years ago😢

I remember watching the news and seeing all the people in Italy singing from their balconies during their lockdown. I remember thinking 'How awful' and being grateful it wasn't here. Silly me.

I keep a diary so I shall dig out my 2020 one and get back here with 28 March's entry.
WARNING: Don't hold your breathe as I doubt it will be very interesting

A very odd time, our business continued to operate, but not open to the public, and we furloughed all our staff, so strange and a bit eerie, but also rather nice.
Our daughter and her children came home, and the home schooling was a nightmare with the six year old, we gave up in the end, then nursery closed making it even harder.
But if I’m honest, it wasn’t all bad, the weather was glorious, we used to walk to the next village where the playing field was still open, and stay there for hours, I can’t ever remember feeling anxious, when I look back now I’m amazed at how calmly we got on with it.
Strange times.

It was an unseasonally hot day the Sunday before the lockdown two days later, and people had flocked (as the tabloids like to put it) to the seasides, packing the beaches like sardines under the grill.
When it was shown on the news, there was outrage and anger at the stupidity and this is what spurred the government to implement the Big Lockdown. As I recall it anyway.

I watched all the news reports to see if it had got to the country DD was living in and wished they were home.
We had been talking about Woohan at half term and wondering if it would get here and this was being proven.

I had been retired for a year exactly. The plan was to have a year to chill and then start to plan all the things that we could do now that I didn't have to work - that plan was well and truly scuppered.

Also, having one daughter working in a care home (albeit as a Business Manager and not a carer) and the other working in Adult Social Care I was worried about what would happen in their areas of work - with good reason, as it turned out!

So sad that we couldn't see the GC as we had been having them twice a week post-school and on days when the younger one wasn't at nursery. As both their parents were key workers they continued at school and nursery so we couldn't help with their care until much later when the "bubbles" came in. (I think that's right, have I forgotten the details?)

I had gone to the library. It was "out" that lockdown was imminent: the staff there let people take out loads of books.

But this bit is strange, some will understand: it was a sort of relief for me at the beginning. I had been terribly depressed and isolated, but suddenly overnight everyone was sort of in a similar position: not able to go out, not able to mix with people.

*It was quiet: no endless car noise: suddenly the street was full of families having careful walks and being very friendly at safe distance . Offers through the door to help out. It actually helped me: gardening, sitting in the sun etc.

People leaving out things out the front carefully washed and with notices" this has been in isolation for 72 hours*

I wished at the time the sense of community locally would remain, but it hasn't.

I was fortunate enough not to have the worries of elderly relatives and had not seen my family for some time anyway but contact actually increased as there was news to swap.

But reading news from others above really brings it home the awfulness like Shinamae's report. And my very disabled granddaughter subsequently came close to death, but being the family for the first time when we could - masks on indoors et al was an amazing experience

I felt in control of my own life as I’d been expecting the pandemic and lockdown but had been terrified for members of my family that were still working. Lockdown was a relief because I could stop worrying about them apart from my DIL who works for the NHS. I loved how quiet everything was during lockdown: no traffic noise or planes flying over, and the air was so much cleaner. Hats off to those who continued to work to keep the food supply going and care for our health. I felt as if we were all working together to get through it and would think back to times of war. My hope was that it wasn’t in the best interest of a virus to wipe out the very creatures it needed to survive but had no idea how long it would take for it to become less dangerous. I just wish that a lot of people would remember what a killer the first virus was.

We had gone to our cottage by the sea a week before lockdown, so we stayed there. It was bliss with beautiful weather, blue, blue skies, nearly empty beaches and a relaxing, restful way of life. We stayed there for 10 weeks.
Our next door neighbour was so pleased we were there but our next door but one neighbours still don’t talk to us because they thought we should have stayed in Essex. We didn’t come and go, stayed home and just shopped when we needed. Kept ourselves to ourselves and looked after our neighbour and ouR elderly SIL.

i was relieved that at last the govt seemed to be taking the situation more seriously, and had imposed the lockdown.

A very surreal time but I do remember the peace and quiet and if I did drive anywhere how deserted the roads were.
The obtaining of a home delivery spot from the supermarket could be challenging.
Our town did pull together to help those in most need.
My daughter was trying to work from home with a lively two year old I used to walk her dog to help which involved her letting him out to me and waving through the window.

I had to look it up on my iPad calendar.
Evidently I made some of Delia's Breakfast baps, that although they took ages to rise, were fine when baked.
I started to crochet a Tiger beanie hat for my GGS.
Then DH and I walked to our local shop to buy a few essentials.
That walk was only about .5 mile, but I can't do that today, more's the pity.

Nice to have the calendar to look back on.

Although it was a terrible time, lockdown did have some positives - the lack of traffic and the noise it creates; not having to rush in the morning and being able to stay in pyjamas until midmorning; doing housework only when it was really necessary as you knew there would be no visitors; having lots of time to sit in the sunshine and just enjoy the peace. Life really did slow down and it was nice (for a while) to just be.

I arrived home from Australia the day before lockdown was announced. Id had to decide whether to stay or leave. Just as well I chose to leave when I did. It was very strange flying via Hong Kong to Heathrow seeing travellers attired in anything from full hazmat suits, plastic macs with hoods up, cowering under umbrellas (!) to those like me brazening it out with fingers crossed. DD met me and I was confined to the back seat with a mask. Once home I went into self imposed isolation for 2 weeks. It was lonely, so quiet but strangely beautiful to watch from my garden, spring slowly develop into early summer. Just observing the daily progress of plants which normally you’d take for granted, listening to the birdsong and the new born lambs in the fields. Out in the country I felt strangely divorced from what was happening in the big wide world and felt very much at peace but was happy when finally allowed to bubble with my local family.

I queued for 2.5 hours at our pharmacy to collect our regular monthly prescription.

The queue stretched far down the drive and out into the road.

People seemed to be trying to get months worth of medication as there were all the rumours that nothing would soon be available.

The same at the local Tesco, people queuing all round the car park, arriving up to an hour before the place opened.

Seems surreal now, but of course, all before any vaccinations and no one knew what was round the corner.

Just as well really.