Week 2 - 30.03.20; Lockdown has commenced

Josie Starkie
Mar 30, 2020
5 min read

Updated: Mar 31, 2020

So that’s week 2 over with, and yes, full lockdown has commenced. How’s everyone holding up? This is the first week for some of you, so how are you adapting? I have to say, it’s been getting a little overwhelming. Anyone else feeling the same?

My week has been ok. I’ve had my ups and downs, but I am adapting. It just all feels so weird at the moment. So many unknowns and no idea really how long this is all going to last. As long as everyone is staying safe and sticking to the guidelines we can only hope it’s sooner rather than later <3. Luckily we’ve had the gorgeous weather on our side this week, so I’ve sat in the garden pretty much every day, to get my work done. My evenings are getting filled with some of the live social events happening, some fitness routines and I even joined my choir in a live session this week...that was fun! The applause for the NHS got me all emotional as well this week, did everyone do it? Such a lovely gesture.

Frank is still on top of the world. He’s just loving having us around, maybe a little too much. He’s very clingy and sometimes makes it hard to get on with work but he’s very happy and that’s all that matters.

Wednesday was a bit of a different day for me. A friend of mine called asking if I could go and help move an ITU ward at a hospital. It was an urgent job that had been brought forward a few weeks. It’s his dads business and with his dad being in the vulnerable category for COVID-19, understandably shouldn’t have been going, not worth the risk. I I agreed to help out so that he didn't need to go. It also got me out of the house for the day.

It was strange being out actually, the roads were completely baron. Great for traffic, the drive was a breeze but very weird for a weekday morning. For the whole day I actually thought I was living a scene from The Walking Dead, but instead of trying to avoid zombies, the aim was to try staying away from EVERYONE, because as you all know there are no obvious visual signs of this virus. Luckily that wasn’t too difficult, the streets were bare, which means people were listening to government advice, so that’s great news!

In the hospital I found myself on edge the entire time and I was very conscious of how close people come to you. If I heard a cough or a sneeze I would jump and keep my distance. During all of this I came to the realisation that it’s actually going to take us a while to become trusting of other people in a social setting again. These are such crazy times, don't you agree?

For me, seeing so many NHS staff working hours on end, doing such an amazing job trying to protect us all whilst still staying so positive, it kept me calm. I definitely got a good workout in during the move, lots of heavy lifting and I must have hit about 20,000 steps. It was a super long day but we completed the move successfully and it felt good knowing we’d helped the staff a little during this busy time.

Speaking of being out and about, how are people finding the food shopping scenario? We are usually online shoppers, but trying to get a delivery or click and collect is proving to be a nightmare right now, understandably. So, I braved the shop this weekend and it was a big ‘Slap me across the face, this IS real’ moment. The queue was huge, there were security guards outside giving briefings on how to shop and they were letting people in one by one. Who here has ever queued and been briefed entering a supermarket before? Being at the tills was the same scenario. For some reason I felt very overwhelmed with it all and realised that this is how we have to live now for the foreseeable future. Once I’d finished I sat in my car, and to be honest, I think I just needed a cry because as soon as I did, I felt much better and started looking forward to what we had planned the rest of the weekend.

Hubby and I were supposed to be going away for the weekend, it was a belated little Valentines getaway but for obvious reasons, it was cancelled. We’d decided on doing a mini festival for two for our date/activity day, as the weather had been so great all week. During the week I’d made a few online purchases to touch up the garden and it was all set up ready to go, but unfortunately we had to postpone, just like Glastonbury. Our reasons were due to weather conditions though. The Festival for two will have to wait for now.

For Plan B we turned to a gameshow evening! A friend of mine, Liz, was making some pizzas for the local community. I mean what a great idea to keep spirits high. Do you know anyone that’s been doing some creative things to keep positivity and moral high? I’d love to hear them! Anyway, as we are local we got some fresh baked pizzas to keep us going. (Delicious as always, thanks Liz!) Ben made our very own version of ‘The Prices Right’ and I made a Catchphrase and ‘Name that Tune…’ quiz. We got some of the family involved on FaceTime, the beers were flowing and we had a great night! I think I'm late to the game but if anyone hasn't discovered messenger filters and games yet, I highly recommend giving them a go for some laughs.

That brings us to the end of week 2. It’s been a bit more tough this week but I am staying in touch with loved ones and have a good network around me keeping me positive. Remember if you are feeling down or sad, it’s always good to talk.

It’s also super important, now more than ever that we listen and stay home. We need to stay home for our NHS, for the elderly, for the high risk, for family, for friends…the list goes on. This is where we need to come together most and support each other so that we can start to slow this virus down.

Anyway lecture over.., I’ve got myself a glass of wine and I’m snuggled on the sofa with my lovely husband and dog.