As a Senior Emergency Planning Officer with over 15 years of experience in the field, I knew this was coming. Well, not this exact virus but a pandemic of some sort. Pandemics follow patterns (they happen every so many years) and we were overdue one. We thought the (mild) flu pandemic 10 years ago might have been it and we’d got away with it lightly. How wrong were we? Now here we are, the world on ‘lockdown’ to varying degrees. The most frustrating thing for me is that I’m currently on adoption leave, therefore completely out of it, professionally speaking. However, as Mr ESLT is also a keyworker (Marine Pilot – guiding massive ships carrying all the essentials the UK needs into the Humber ports) and now we have the kids, working, especially from home would have been extremely difficult. Kudos to all my colleagues and readers who are managing to juggle so many balls at this unprecedented (god, aren’t you sick of hearing that word now?) time.
Week 1 or Should That Be Week 2?
BoJo announced to the nation that we would be in ‘lockdown’ a week ago, however over here at ESLT HQ we are now into our second week. Midmorning on the 18th March, Mr ESLT started with a fever and cough (awesome). He contacted his company’s Occupational Health department who instantly told him to stay at home, get the kids from school and nursery and follow health-related guidelines. Mr ESLT, because he was already showing symptoms had to self isolate for 7 days. The girls and I for 14 days. We (the girls and I) are still in the self-isolation period now. We were both ill (it never touched the kids) – coughs, body aches, fatigue etc but we are 99.9% positive it was a common cold especially as Mr ESLT’s developed into a sinus infection (ouch!).
Sad News
At the beginning of March and on the eve of her 99th birthday, we received the call from the care home that Mr ESLT’s Nanna was extremely ill and that we should all visit, which we of course did. On the 19th March, the day after we started self-isolation, we received another call from the same care home (they live in adjoining rooms) that Vicky’s nana was also extremely ill and that we should all visit. But we couldn’t, could you imagine the virus running wild in a care home? We were devastated. However, even though we were told to expect the worst within hours, days at the most, both are hanging in there and we are hoping that we get to see them again as soon as possible.
Entertaining The Kids
Anyone with kids knows this is tricky. Our kids are small(ish) one is in the foundation unit and one is a toddler and they do not have great attention spans. We are trying our best to ‘home school’. I suppose because of their ages, it’s easier for us than others. At least we only have the basics to over – shapes, colours, phonics etc. As the weather was great last week, they managed to get some garden time. Even though our current garden is tiny, it has been a godsend, especially as we have been self-isolating and haven’t been able to take advantage of our daily exercise allowance.
We also gave in and subscribed to Disney+. It is something that we said we weren’t going to do until they asked for it. After Mini ESLT’s post-lunch nap we all snuggle up on the sofa for an hour or so and watch Frozen. Every. Single. Day. Although yesterday we tried to give the kids an education and introduce them to some 1980’s Disney classics including Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers and Gummi Bears. They didn’t seem too fussed with them. Mr ESLT and I, on the other hand, were in our element.
Eating
Since the kids came into our lives we always have a well-stocked fridge, freezer and larder cupboard. Prior to that, we would have been lucky to find a tin of out of date sweetcorn and a mouldy spud. Therefore, when we went into self-isolation we didn’t worry too much. We knew we had enough to last us. However, things quickly started running out. It seemed rocking horse shit was (and still is) easier to come by than supermarket shopping slots.
We live outside of all food delivery service (Uber Eats, Deliveroo etc) areas so living off takeaways was out of the question. However, we do live in a market town and what do market towns have? Loads of independent food producers and suppliers. Therefore, we’ve had a fruit and veg delivery from a local greengrocer, a meat delivery from a local butcher, a pastry delivery from a local french patisserie and even a cheeky afternoon tea for Mother’s Day from a local cafe.
Having weighed up the price difference, it’s not that much more plus I am using everything and getting inventive with meals. There is no food waste over here at ESLT HQ. That is something that will carry on when this craziness is over too. Once I am out of self-isolation I will pick the boxes up from the local shops myself to open up my delivery slots for people who need them. We all have to do our bit through this thing and help each other.
Keeping Ourselves Occupied
Keeping ourselves occupied is pretty easy. In fact, our lives pre and post lockdown have not changed that much. Vicky looks after the kids and Mr ESLT goes to work and then we watch Netflix (ha!). Not being able to go out is very different from not wanting to go out and we things this will hit us hard in the coming weeks.
Travel had been put on hold for us last year because of the girls coming into our lives and not having passports so we are constantly missing that, that’s not a new thing. Of course, we are missing our family and friends so WhatApp and Zoom are being used a lot. Luckily the girls don’t really know what’s going on and haven’t asked too many questions. They simply love seeing their grandparents on mummy and daddy’s phones. We hope this doesn’t last too long though as we want to keep the relationship bonds strong between them all. Not physically seeing someone for 6 months (the current estimate) is a long time, especially in a kid’s life.
Vicky has also taken on the admin role for the local COVID-19 Mutual Aid group’s Twitter account. She share’s information regarding how the local community can volunteer to help or ask for help if they need it. Together with useful local information and national guidance. The group is growing every day and it is something simple that she can do even though in self-isolation.
Will We/Won’t We
At the beginning of the year, we found the new ESLT HQ. A beautiful detached 4 bed with a massive garden and playroom – the perfect family home. We were originally due to move in last week. Unfortunately, our solicitor contracted COVID-19 following a recent trip to New York. He’s fine now but his two-week absence and the fact that his assistant and admin workers have been furloughed (another word we’re all sick of, right?) has resulted in everything being pushed back significantly. So we may exchange in the next couple of weeks or so. We may then complete the next couple of weeks or so after that.
But can we move – who knows? Legally (or is it just advice?) we can as we are both key workers and it is a new build property. However, whether we actually can is another thing as (rightly) all removals companies have shut down for the foreseeable future. The housebuilder is putting us under no pressure to move. They have said we can stay in our current home (we are part exchanging) until this sorry state of affairs is over. Or we could hire a van and move ourselves. This could be difficult, especially moving the large pieces of furniture and having two kids in tow. It may seem like a first-world problem, especially in the current climate but if we are to be on ‘lockdown’ for weeks/months etc having the garden for the girls would be great.
In the meantime, we will continue living around our boxed up possessions in the hope we can move into our dream home one day soon.
How Are You Doing?
We are ok. With a roof over our heads, Food on the table and two (albeit one reduced because of adoption leave) incomes coming in. We are lucky. Flicking through social media and speaking to friends a lot of you have been affected by this craziness. We can throw cliches around all day like ‘this too shall pass’ which we ourselves are guilty of. Even though it will, it does not make things easier for your right now. We hope you are ok. And please remember sometimes it’s ok not to be ok.
Stay strong everyone and remember to wash your hands!
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