Linda said that this week is an anniversary–the start of lockdowns and the acceptance of the Pandemic–for most people around the world. She’d like to suggest something different for this week’s SoCS. We don’t have to do it. You can just choose one of the prompt words and run with it as you always do. Linda said she might do that herself. But it might be interesting to see not just how everyone has coped, or not, over the last year, but to share our common experiences as a way to connect, to feel a little less alone, perhaps. Basically, talk about our last year whether stream-of-consciousness style or not. Or, if we’d rather not, talk about any time period your heart desires. Without further ado!
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “day/week/month/year.” Use one, use them all, use them any way you’d like. Enjoy!
I used songs and videos a lots to describe this past pandemic year. They helped me cope and take it all in. The first one to strike me was Andrà Tutti Bene by Cristóvam. It seemed to say it all, the fear, the stress and separation.
The first I heard of this new illness was late November, news coming out of China of fast spreading virus that was killing people in far off Woohan. In late January I wrote my poem The Plague you can read it here I posted it February. So March came around and it was beginning to bite shortages in shops especially toilet rolls yes really toilet rolls. What was so frightening was we kept seeing the news from Europe, especially Italy and Spain.
We had a Carribbean holiday booked for March, that was cancelled the day before we went due to covid. In a way I was relieved. Then the Lockdowns started.
It was confusing.
Life then became groundhog Day! At first hubby did all the shopping because he wanted to protect me he bravely carried on doing that until November when we decided to get all our shopping delivered, we still have our shopping delivered.
We’d walk Ruby twice a day we would drive to woodland twice a day and she’d have a lovely walk. We drove 4miles to the woods because they were deserted unlike the park near us which was and still is full of people, on bikes, runners and people who didn’t seem to care about social distancing.
Hubby’s mother fell ill in April , it was covid on the brain, she was taken into hospital. May the first was her 100th birthday hubby was invited into the covid ward so he could celebrate her birthday with her.
Empty corridors, closed wards, wonderful staff and Mother in law confused but doing well. Sadly hubby’s brother and his family caused so much grief for my hubby, refusing to let him in his mother’s house to get clothes for her, his brother was staying there. He refused hubby entry threatening him with the police, his daughter even threatened to kill my husband! They said he had been on a covid ward and could not go near them! …he didn’t want to we had to social distancing.
Well it all got worse. Then hubby’s mum was allowed home, hubby was banned from going over to see her. Sadly she went down hill again and went back into hospital. She died of Covid on the 3rd/4 th June. Then I fell ill. You can read about that here if you wish.
Hubby’s brother and sister let hubby do the whole probate and will and sell his mother’s house with even more threats and nastiness. Thankfully now we never need to speak to them again.
Two poems from those hard months.
The months went by in a blurr I got used to my Cholosectomy drain and bag it was with me until the end of November when I had my gall bladder and the offending stones taken out.
We walked Ruby, we clapped the NHS every Thursday until we were told to stop. …
We are all very thankful to the NHS and all our frontline workers and first responders , that is not reflected in government’s latest “payrise” to them.
Below the window posters I made.
Then we had Captain Tom Moore. He walked up and down his garden to raise money for the NHS at the age of 99yrs, he died this year at just over 100yrs Tom’s Story Here.
Our Grandchildren have grown up a whole years worth and apart from a few 15 to 30 minute socially distanced visits where they stood on their doorstep and we on the pavement we have lost that year.
above photos sent to us of our grandchildren..
Our boys too have had it hard, our eldest has had to work from home the entire time and has missed his social life and office life dreadfully. He has lost weight, and got very depressed at times . We keep in touch by video and phone.
Our middle son was furloughed and had to take a massive paycut on return to work. Also he caught Covid after returning to work. He was very ill with it over Christmas, he was had the paramedics out twice,was in hospital over night and we could not visit him . We took food round to him Christmas day and waved through the window to him. Christmas was hard this last year. We saw no one in person .. thank goodness for zoom, what’sapp and Skype.
Our youngest son also has had a year of working from home, he has a wife and two children so he is in a better position company wise than the other two boys who live on their own. The children have found it hard in the lockdowns especially the eldest one who misses his school friends. Again, no Christmas no birthday parties it’s so hard on the children. They are back at school now. The younger one was at nursery most of the time as nurserys did not close this lockdown?
Our daughter in law and son have done a sterling job of homeschooling this year. In January our son had an office lodge built in his garden so he can work in peace.
I am not going to mention all the terrible and stupid, selfish and not playing by the rules that some of our government have committed over this past year…it’s taken me long enough to write this and I have written but SoCs so forgive typos, and timeline blips!
So a year later here we are hopefully coming out of lockdown number three. We have lost a lot but in a way we have gained so much. I just hope that there is not another surge of covid. I hope everyone behaves or we will be back into Lockdown number four.
So
Be safe out there. 
This is part of LindaGHill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday.
