Today we woke up at a “normal” time of 7am. I made us a cup of tea and we looked at our phones in bed. I chatted with my friend Jenny whose daughter has cystic fibrosis and so they are in isolation and have been for some time and will be indefinitely as it would be extremely dangerous for them to have C19 in their house. It really bought home to me how many people I know directly who are in the vulnerable group of people. We did make each other laugh as we always do with anecdotes about our Mothers and it felt good to know my sense of humour hadn’t been wiped out with my sense of taste.
I checked my emails and noticed the yoga studio next to my house where I sporadically go to classes was holding “live” yoga sessions using Zoom which is an app I have repeatedly been invited to join this week to join up with various events. I really fancied doing some stretching and yoga and Jac who runs the studio is so lovely and calming I knew this would be just the perfect start to the day. I enthused to Matt that I was going to do a live class every day and would be booking bundle of classes straight after my shower….
Who knew how exhausting brushing your teeth and having a shower is….. I was shattered. Completely wiped out. I ended up having to lie back down on the bed feeling really fed up with heavy leaden limbs. I was so fed up. With my usual bullish determination and reluctance to take heed of my body I dragged myself downstairs to find my yoga mat and purse to book on to yoga…… In the kitchen I could hardly even lift my yoga mat up let alone lay it out or perform any moves! Anna and Matt were eating their porridge and eyed me cautiously…
I made it to the sofa and laid down, exhausted. My muscles ached and I felt like a lead weight. I had to accept that this was a new phase of C19 and I wasn’t going anywhere. My new life as a regular online yoga practitioner was going to have to wait.
Matt didn’t feel as bad as me initially and decided to mow the lawn as that always makes everyone feel better.
I did drag myself off the sofa for blog purposes to photograph him as I am like an investigative journalist and never one to miss a scoop in the exciting Banham household….
Following his grass cutting activities Matt was absolutely shattered and had to join me on the sofa until he couldn’t handle the exertion of sitting up watching you tube videos about carpentry any longer and had to go back to bed to sleep.
Anna was at “virtual school” and it was so lovely to hear her laughing and chatting with her friends and to see her teacher who is teaching from isolation himself, a teaching assistant in the classroom and the whole thing running seamlessly.
Virtual school.
I managed to darn a roof of a house…… ( red one, left hand side)
Anna finished virtual school and was chatting to other friends in self isolation online. Elliott still hadn’t appeared and it was 12.30 but to be honest Matt and I were so wiped out we imagined he probably was too.
Matt appeared and made us baked beans on toast and Elliott made an appearance …… We all agreed that even though we couldn’t taste the beans on toast the taste is so familiar and etched on our memory it’s as if we could taste it. Tea and coffee is a bit like that too.
Baked Beans on toast and mug of tea. No taste buds required…. Mug from Laura Lane
After lunch Matt went back to bed and I cleared up the kitchen. Elliott wanted to watch The Phantom Thread ( Daniel Day Lewis film) which is excellent but I didn’t have the energy for it so I vacated the lounge and attempted to darn another house in the studio but there is no where comfortable to sit in there and it was freezing and everything ached so I decided go to bed too. I was exhausted and I hadn’t done anything all day except darn a house.
I slept for a couple of hours only woken by Jane our west highland terrier barking in the garden, she is finding isolation a huge challenge and I am absolutely desperate to get her out for a good long walk. Our neighbour did take them out this evening for a good walk which I was very grateful for.
I went down and checked Anna was happy, still chatting to her friends online……. I didn’t have the energy for sewing clouds today which is not a sentence I thought I would ever write…… Must try and up my game tomorrow.
Being in isolation feels like being held back in a race as everyone “outside” seems to be learning about new ways to navigate shops and everyday routines. I am trepidatious about what will be available when we can go out. Today a lovely friend bought us some french bread which we made garlic bread with this evening and another friend messaged to say she would make us a cake which actually made me cry. Our friend Michelle bought us oranges which I was delighted about as vitamin c is supposed to see of C19.
When I had the idea of this blog I was planning to share links of online resources such as fun things to do with children or creative pursuits for adults but I haven’t done that yet as I have not felt well enough since C19 took it’s grip. I have also on occasion found all this enthusiasm people I follow on instagram keeping posting about for “learning new things’ and ‘ using our time wisely’ overwhelming even though I know it is meant with the kindest intentions. I suspect it is because I haven’t had the energy to do anything due to being ill but I have also had enormous feelings of guilt today that my daughter has basically spent probably upwards of 7 hours on a screen….
I am sure we will find a new way of doing things once we are feeling better.
This evening we had homemade lasange from the other day with our garlic bread and watched Meet The Fockers as a family and we laughed and laughed which felt very energised by.
I am sorry this post hasn’t got much in the way of humour or even very interesting information I hope tomorrow is a better day…….