3 years ago today……

The Marsh family brought out their first parody song: One Day More.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbDPdLsFPkc

I felt concerned about families who had no outdoor space, especially in inner cities. Another worry was not being able to travel far as DH lives in France and none of my family is nearby. My 70th birthday was in May, 2020 and I realised that I wouldn't be able to have any kind of celebration. In fact, the balmy weather meant that my neighbours in the apartment block where I live were able to join me outside for a socially distanced celebration with cake and fizz!

Not 'from town' but' from then'. Didn't read before posting

My husband, who has a respiratory condition, had just come out of hospital a week before lockdown. I had decided, listening to news, that we should isolate from town because of his vulnerability. Some of my friends laughed at me and obviously thought I was bonkers; exactly a week later everyone was isolating!

Also remember driving too & from work, the roads were very very quiet. A journey that would normally take me a good 20-25 minutes each way became 10 mins each way. It reminded me like our sundays back in the 60/70’s where Sundays was quiet, no shops open etc.
finally when we were able to go for nice walks, seeing families out cycling together or walking, back when families couldn’t mix with anyone.
The furlough pay was good for DH and we managed to save quite abit of money through the lockdowns, which was a bonus.

It definitely seems a long time ago, 3 years. As I work for the NHS, not in the hospitals, I still worked 2 days a week. DH was in construction and was off for 5 weeks, before he was told he could go back as being construction.
The weather was glorious, we spent much time in the garden, we had arranged garden projects anyway, ordered a outside gazebo that was fitted to a wall, ordered garden furniture, DH in those 5 wks off managed to put up 3 blinds, renew our stairway banister to become more modern, did a coat of outside paint on the decking and couple of other projects. That’s when we appreciated being able to buy online as most ‘unessential’ shops were not open. Cannot believe how good the weather was. DH was pleased to go back after 5 wks off, which was very fortunate, it kept everything to a routine. Remember queuing for the supermarkets!! Lucky enough most of that time the weather remained good.
Finally I do remember and still feel for any people who really suffered financially and emotionally, people in flats etc that couldn’t go out, unless it was the ‘once a day rule’, no gardens to sit in. The lonely people.

3 years ago today Mum died in a Care Home aged 94. It said on her death certificate it was Covid, but as far as we were concerned it was yet another chest infection through 70 years of smoking.

My daughter arrived from overseas and ended up staying with us over the Covid period. My father was in a care home for a few weeks respite. Little did I know he would get Covid n die at Easter and because I wasn’t allowed to visit him in hospital due to Covid I had to say my goodbyes via a laptop on Easter Sunday. Only a few allowed at funeral no church service nothing. My son n family who live overseas we didn’t see for three years until last August. The most upsetting was receiving a call from my fathers care home just one week before he died asking me to fill in a DNR I declined n glad I did because when he took I’ll was taken into hospital and given a chance those who had DNRs left to die at the home. I took a call from a lovely carer after my father died who told me it was rife in the home but had been covered up. I was just one of many families who lost loved ones

Like others my husband was having Chemo treatment for his cancer and had to shield, we missed seeing the family so much, we enjoyed spending time sitting together in the garden enjoying the beautiful sunshine but it was precious time lost for him with the grandchildren although we FaceTimed everyone regularly. It was hard as I couldn’t go into the hospital with him for appointments. Sadly he died in the summer of 2021, we couldn’t all spend time together as a family on what turned out to be his last Christmas Day which makes me sad but at least me & him were together. Feel for anyone who was totally alone and others who lost people

We hadn’t really prepared and we had to drive to fetch our ddfrom her residential care home and were worried about being stopped by police 🙈 then I did loads of washing and cleaning 🙈my favourite hobby 😭😂

Scary times… We were advised to self isolate early as DH is clinically extremely vulnerable. I felt so responsible - I was the only one going out to click and collect and if I felt ill I would self isolate… no tests available then. My best friend was terminally ill and I would never see her again. I put together a folder for our AC in case we died . This made them laugh and cry at the same time.
We started to walk around the park or some country lanes near us and making a flask and banana cakes to enjoy as a treat. We still do this!!

I remember hearing birdsong so clearly and we watched coots nesting and bringing up their young.

I don’t miss the fear and isolation but I miss the clean, quiet air.

Pudding123
I, along with several other people I know caught it in late 2019.
That was before we knew about it, only the Chinese did.
I lost my taste and smell then, it’s still not returned.
I’m used to it now.

I had my own virus....shingles. it started as a pain at the temple on left side then I had a red mark on that eyelid which developed into a group of small blisters. This then travelled over my forehead to the scalp. It was very painful but luckily I got the right treatment very quickly.

A week before it became official, I’d messaged my family saying I wasn’t mixing with anyone as I’d read about this new virus and I was so sure something awful was on its way. They all laughed and thought I was being ridiculous and over reacting but I stuck to my plan and within a week they couldn’t believe I was right. I found the whole thing very scary especially the ‘you must stay at home’ it was all very unreal. I feel I lost two years of my grandsons childhood.

I had a cup of coffee on 30 March 2020 when I got up and couldn't taste anything and had had no symptoms prior to this but 3 years on I have my sense of smell back but still can't taste anything except very sweet or salty .
I have got used to it and realise I shouldn't grumble as so many people lost their lives or became really ill but as a keen cook and foodie it really is horrible as I am pretty sure that having had this for 3 years it is not going to get any better.

I’d retired from my job as a nurse about 12 months prior to the pandemic. I was invited to return to work. My instinct was to return but my DH is an insulin dependent diabetic, asthmatic and over 70 so vulnerable. It was a difficult choice but I couldn’t risk his health. We started watching news only at 6pm. More was too much. It sounds selfish now when so many lost so much. We managed to avoid the dreaded Covid until last week.

It felt surreal, just remember watching the news constantly, then realising that wasn't helping. I ended up watching small bit of news first thing then distract myself with film or box sets till afternoon. Was out in the garden most afternoons. Remember talking to neighbour over the fence most days. Seems longer than 3 years in some way.

Gosh, that made me think, and then get teary. Three years ago I visited my frail elderly Mum in her nursing home for the last time, after doing the school runs for my two g’dtrs, leaving her in time to collect the girls from school at 3:00. This was my daily routine. Then lockdown came and visitors were banned from the nursing home and my g’dtrs did their learning at home with my son, also working from home. Once the children went back to school my son and dil had got together with other parents to do the school runs to protect us grandparents from Covid. Last year, when Covid was waning and I was about to start visiting Mum again the virus got into the nursing home. Like every other patient on that nursing unit, Mum caught it. She died in Feb 22. I did manage to visit her in hospital before she passed away. Meantime the g’dtrs are suddenly teenagers at secondary school and get themselves there and back independently. I miss my mum, of course but I also miss those couple of hours I had with my g’dtrs after school. Pre Covid my life was busy, my days full. Post Covid things are so much quieter. Change happens. Without Covid it would probably have been this way too, but perhaps it would have seemed more gradual.

I missed the cuddles with my youngest GD. She was born at the beginning of lockdown and when they were allowed to come to visit us she would cry because she didn’t know us . She will be three soon and is fine with us now and obviously won’t remember her very early years thankfully.

My son's marriage had just ended and just when I was desperate to throw my arms round everyone I wasn't allowed. GDs were aged 3 and 8

Looking back they were such strange times

What a extraordinary time it was, so many memories. I remember my friend turning up with a piece of rope two metres long and saying we could go for a walk together if we kept the rope taut between us.
I somehow managed to avoid covid all through that time but it has now caught up with me. I've tested positive for the past week.

It really did seem a weird time in the beginning. My husband was addicted to watching all the latest news on TV which was scary. My SIL, in her 80s, lived alone and her favourite pastime up until then was shopping with her friends. She became so depressed when the shops shut and her equally ancient friends stayed at home. I did her shopping for her and another in-law who lived close by. I made them meals and delivered them to their front doors. I remember queueing around the supermarket car park and making home made masks for ourselves and the in-laws. I tried to help everybody that I could and still take baked treats for an elderly friend of my husband (in his 90s) who lives alone. He had a deckchair close to his gate so that he could see "real" people. I remember another old man used to walk past with his dog at around dinnertime. He used to peer in which annoyed me until I realised that he was probably just lonely. I began waving to him and he always smiled as he walked past. It was when restrictions began to loosen that things got worse with our extended family and one elderly in law attempted suicide. There was no hospital visiting at the time.

Catscatscats
I can’t honestly remember any unsociable behaviour, in-fact I think it was an interlude of people behaving very well, showing far more consideration than usual, and being friendlier.

Just amazed at people's behaviour. The queues, the losing temper in supermarkets because someone had handled a piece of fruit and then replaced it, the masks (aaggghhh), the selfish hoarding, the fear, the hatred towards people who didn't react according to the norm.

I just never understood the fuss. Think I was on the spectrum when it came to Covid.

Marmight

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.

My daughter was due to arrive in Australia on a working visa at the end of March. She had the visa and flights, but with the news unfolding, managed to leave work earlier and arrive just before the borders closed. She is still there, although she came home for a visit last summer, for 2 months.

It was a scary time, with no tests, no masks, and no idea how things would progress.

I was classed as a key worker, as I work alongside the military, so had to carry on as usual. The lack of traffic was lovely.

Wyllow3 I felt the same and wondered if it was too strange to say it was a relief being surrounded by others in the same boat.
Fortunately no one in our family became ill or worked in NHS.

I really relished the quietness and traffic free roads and actually we got a pup just before and we were constantly bumping into people with their new pups and everyone admiring them.

It was other worldly and ironically gorgeously sunny too, hardly a plane in the sky, birds singing
The only thing that we couldn’t buy anywhere was liquid soap. Good job I’d got loads already.
Did a fair bit of cooking and baking and reading too.