Way back in March last year we got wind of a virus that was sweeping the world. Covid 19 they called it, believing it to have started in Wuhan, China and now becoming a pandemic. It seemed that Italy had it bad, but now it had reached the UK. At the time we had no idea of the roller coaster the next ten months would bring.

A quote from my first ever Covid post

A wise Dr from Toronto, Dr. Abdu Sharkawy, said ” Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education.

These are the words I intend to live by over the coming weeks, or even months.

I think this is exactly what I have done. We have tried to stay safe but not in fear. We have not panicked but have been really patient, especially considering we have spent so little time out of our home. I am constantly educating myself on the virus and I listen to all sides not just what we are fed in the media. I’ve been down the big rabbit hole of the whole scamdemic and Covid hoax and I’ve made up my own mind. I’ve looked at the figures as reported on the relevant scientific sites, and seen that we have been through a sad and difficult time. So many people have suffered and not just from Covid. This virus has had a devastating effect.

In my first post the number of confirmed cases of Covid in my home city was 15, the current number of cases for the last week alone is 8,240 and the total so far is 75,983.

Home School Round Two

The first lockdown began with a closure of the schools. My Little Man had lots of work set daily by his school and together we worked through it all. The girls had to work more independently but were not happy and did not fare so well. Still, it wasn’t going to be for long was it? Who’d have though it would have lasted until the Summer Holidays!

The school’s went back in September. I had my reservations, the virus hadn’t gone away and it seemed crazy having so many children all together in one place. The Little Man wanted to go back real bad and his school worked really hard on creating a safe environment. They did a great job and there was only one positive case in the whole school for the whole term up until Christmas. I can’t imagine what it would have been like for those children starting school for the first time like Mrs P’s little girl Dorothy.

The girls did not fare so well. Anxiety took a hold and after a couple of days they were refusing to return as none of the other children were following the rules. Boo was upset because she’d been separated from all her friends and hated the new changes where the teachers moved around rather than the children. The SEND department stepped in and offered the girls part time lessons in a safe environment. They were happier but they really didn’t get much work done. I tried to help compensate with extra work at home. Which worked better with Boo than Star.

Since Christmas we have been in a second school lockdown and the lessons have been on Microsoft Teams. All three children have to log on to their laptops and complete their lessons as if they were in school. The Little Man has taken to this really well and has not missed a lesson (even p.e.) but the girls are struggling more. Star is not happy at all and we are needing extra help from her SENDco. Boo, is doing slightly better but still gets a bit confused at times. It’s really not an ideal situation, but at least they are safe. Their school had several cases in every year, they even had cases in the girls years when they broke up for Christmas so if they had been at school they would have been advised to self isolate until Christmas Day.

Ten Months of Shopping

I generally do my food shopping online anyway, but once the first lockdown was in swing, everybody wanted a slot and it was so difficult to get our food. I was already on the list as a vulnerable customer though and soon I was able to shop once a week at my usual supermarket online. It hasn’t always gone well but we haven’t starved yet.

I did get into a discussion about being privileged to be able to shop online. The cheaper shops like Aldi and Lidl don’t do online deliveries. Well, up until a few weeks ago we didn’t have an Aldi or Lidl nearby anyway. Some supermarkets do free deliveries and your shopping total can be as little as £25. Again someone said you were privileged to have £25 to spend..well, what’s wrong with a shop every fortnight then? I guess I felt a little defensive at being called privileged when I am disabled and vulnerable. I’d happily give up the option to shop online if I could walk and I was healthy. If being disabled is a privilege then it’s one I would not wish on anybody.

The Roller Coaster of the Last Ten Months

It certainly has been a strange time to live in. So many families have been torn apart, the hospitals have suffered, patients without Covid have suffered, babies have been born without fathers or birthing partners present. Many people have lost family members. Those that have survived have had to endure a long and painful recovery. Some are still recovering many months later and who knows how long some will be enduring the after effects.

On the bright side, many people all over the world have recovered well and we have a lot of vaccines that have been developed and distributed in record time. We are determined to beat this world destroying virus into submission.

People talk about the new normal which at the moment means, no gathering in other peoples homes, no hugging, keeping your distance from other people in all situations, wear a mask when out, no handshaking and lots of hand washing. There are also the extra restrictions during lockdown which means less shops open, no pubs or other public venues open, you can’t visit the gym or hairdressers for example. Life is very difficult for so many.

Hopefully, once the vaccination is rolled out enough and the amount of people admitted to hospital drops, we can slowly start venturing out into a more normal life. I do think that masks and social distancing will around for quite a while though. Plus we don’t know yet how long people will be protected with the vaccine, or how many will actually get it.

I have learned a lot about human nature. The movies show people turning on each other and turning pandemics into apocalyptic situations. I think we’ve come close at times, especially with the divide of people who are taking it seriously and those who just want to get on with life and take whatever happens. I thought we were going to go the way of the movies at one point, but the truth is, humans are much nicer than we sometimes give them credit for. There are way more sensible, caring, empathetic and just generally nice people out there than those who really don’t give a damn.

So, even if you are a person who thinks this is all a hoax, or that we are making far too big a deal of the whole situation. Or even that the huge death toll is not actually Covid related, just remember, there are thousands of people grieving loved ones. And show a little care to those suffering long term, debilitating effects after enduring an awful illness. A little kindness goes a long way.

For a very raw and honest story on what it’s like to catch Covid 19 Please read Tracey’s posts.